It is that time of year again, below you will find how I intend to vote on the California propositions, and a brief reason why. Once again, it does not matter if you agree or disagree with me, what matters the most is that you cast a ballot on Tuesday, November 6th.
For those of you who do not live in California, still vote, but you can stop reading now.
Prop 30: Yes
This will increase taxes on income over $250,000 for seven years and raise the sales tax by ¼ cent for four years. Tax receipts go refund education cuts. Education is the great equalizer in a democracy and I do not mind paying a bit more to ensure everyone gets an opportunity to learn and to improve. And if I ever make $250,001 in a year, I’ll gladly pay the extra tax on the dollar.
Prop 31: No
This is an amendment to the California Constitution that adds layers of bureaucracy overseeing the budgeting and oversight of state and local programs. It is opposed by teachers, police, fire and conservationists. If you need to know what ills added layers of bureaucracy can bring to a government, please read “The Peter Principle”.
Prop 32: No
This is a blatant attempt to destroy the power of unions to participate in elections. It purports to also reign in corporations as well, but thanks to the Supreme Courts Citizens United ruling, unlimited, anonymous money will continue to flow into politics from corporations. This proposition is just a cynical attempt by Republicans to defund a major Democratic source of money and boots on the ground.
Prop 33: No
A prime example of the abuse the California proposition system has engendered. This is an attempt by the major insurance companies to gut the landmark California insurance law. Under the guise of saving consumers money when they switch insurance, it also allows insurance companies to raise rates, as well. If a proposition is funded by millions in insurance company dollars, you can bet it is their bottom line they are concerned with, not ours.
Prop 34: Yes
This would replace the death penalty in California with a life, with no possibility of parole sentence. This should be a no brainer vote for pro-life conservatives and anti death penalty liberals. The state has no business killing people in our names. And as long as there is the chance that an innocent man or woman may be executed for a crime they did not commit, no person should be put to death by the state. Bonus: it will save the state millions of dollars annually on the costly appeals process every person sentenced to death is guaranteed.
Prop 35: No
A single person has provided 90% of the funding for this proposition, another example of what is wrong with our proposition system. It really a War on Prostitution in disguise and would criminalize anyone receiving money earned by prostitution, including the children, spouses, parents, roommates or landlords of prostitutes. There are plenty of laws already on the books prohibiting human trafficking and prostitution. This new law would create an entire class of innocents who would be forced to register as sex offenders for the rest of their lives, simply because they were financially dependent on the earnings of a prostitute.
Prop 36: Yes
This law revises California’s three strike law so that a life sentence for a third strike would be meted out only if the third strike is a serious or violent felony. No longer would a shoplifter or a person who steals a slice of pizza face a life term. This seems sensible and fair, which a nation of laws should always strive to be.
Prop 37: No
If passed, stores, farmers and suppliers would have to specifically label genetically engineered foods. It sets up an expensive new government bureaucracy to oversee its implementation. Again, read The Peter Principle if you have questions on the efficiency of a bureaucracy to make our lives simpler, safer or better.
Prop 38: No
This proposition raises income taxes on all Californians for 12 years. There are no guarantees the money will be used for education. Prop 30 will handle funding schools much more responsibly and with greater checks and balances.
Prop 39: Yes
This would close a corporate tax loophole which allows companies to profit by moving jobs out of the state. It levels the playing field for all companies based in California.
Prop 40: Yes
A yes vote approves the new state Senate districts drawn up by the independent Citizens Redistricting Commission. This is a moot point since the State Supreme Court has ruled that the new districts must be kept in place for the 2012 election, regardless of this proposition.