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Another year, another election. George W. Bush, almost ready to take his place in history as the USA’s Worst President Ever (so far). Like spoiled and neglected children in the peanut butter jar, AIG and the banking industry have finally scraped the last good chunks from the Treasury vaults. Yet, somehow that’s not the core problem. The core problem is: The Worst Electorate Ever.
On the surface, this election portends the possibility of change. Drill down, though, and you see damage from years of greed, ignorance and fear. Once one of the great political documents of all time, the Bill of Rights is dead. The world no longer looks to America for inspiration. The reason is simple. As a nation, it no longer inspires.
That’s not just George W. Bush’s fault, as much as he contributed. He had help. There are just two reasons to vote Republican – greed and stupidity, the latter more common than the former. Democrats, generally, can at best be well meaning, but wimpy. The choice is a depressing one, between evil and mediocrity.
I am proud to be an elitist. I believe in excellence. With high standards, we can all fall short a little and still be okay.
A couple decades ago, America had more evenly distributed wealth. Better choices could have provided each person with health care, education, a productive livelihood and time to spend with friends and family. Much of that wealth is missing today, spirited away in briefcases bound for Iraq, never to be seen or accounted for again. It's lost, to kickbacks for the mercenaries, thugs and torturers running America's endless wars and prisons.
It's been traded to China for cheap plastic trinkets, then borrowed back, temporarily on credit. At last native people may laugh at the turnabout, this long-delayed retribution for the purchase of Manhattan.
We the Sheeple pay for Fatherland Security, they make us take our shoes off to sniff our feet at the airport. Keep moving, Grandma didn't really need those medications...
Innovators on the planet are the people who cross borders, the ones with great ideas and the energy to turn those ideas into great companies and vast economic wealth. A fearful and clueless nation of whiners now turns them away. Al Qaeda may have taken down the Twin Towers, but little Americans shrank the Statue of Liberty all on their own. And back in their home countries, those innovators are still creating wealth, just not for us.
The stupid are wallowing in karmic retribution, out on the street without enough math and language skills to know what “adjustable rate” and “balloon payment” meant on those mortgage documents they signed. Must be the gays' fault, yeah, that's it. The greedy, somehow, unbelievably, continue to avoid jail, because we're wimps.
Is it hopeless? Nah. We can turn it around any time we want. We just have to want. I want. Anyone else?
Irregardless, there will be change. The planet will run out of oil. We've bred too many people. The planet will take care of that, too. The meek may inherit the earth, but it could be a bargain basement fixer-upper planet. The positive vision is: first a great shift, and then we will party. Only by intelligence, openness, compassion and frivolity will we have a chance to evolve. A struggle for future generations. I cheer for the elite and avoid the others.
In that context, here's how I voted (excluding Siskiyou Co. offices in the interest of time):
President/Vice President - Ralph Nader and Matt Gonzalez
Only one VP candidate has actually been to my house. I'm voting for Matt, and Ralph, too. Makes at least as much sense as anything else. I hate it when major party candidates take votes away from my team. They could have kicked ass in the debates, eh? Coulda been a contender...
Most of my friends seem to go for Obama. He only screwed up a little bit in the campaign, which is hard to do under that kind of pressure. He's clearly smart, communicates well, and knows what it's like to never be able to get a cab at night. He's no Kucinich, yet I thought about voting for him for a while. After Bush and beside McCain, he does seem pretty Messianic.
Still, I don't vote on the basis of looks or personality. It's a job, and I want to talk about performance and goals. I want to know the policies. And here, unfortunately, Obama lost me. AT&T executives who wiretapped us illegally should be in jail, not hosting a gala party at the Democratic convention. The death penalty is, as they say, dead wrong. We invaded Iraq for no reason and the only right thing to do is leave, as quickly as possible. Nuclear power! Are you kidding me???!!! I could rant further, but you get the picture.
The Republicans say Obama's a closet radical. We should be so lucky. As usual, though, the Republicans are lying.
One more thought: as bad as Bush is/was, the Evil Party has found their reps in McCain and Palin. You gotta be, as they say, "fucking insane" to vote for these guys. As a military guy, let's face it, McCain wasn't so great. Graduated bottom of the class, got shot down and tortured. Isn't that different than success, even in military terms? Does anyone realize: by definition, peace is success, war is failure. Any questions?
What scares me is - after all that, he VOTED FOR TORTURE! Reports of uncontrollable temper and other signs of PTSD, advanced age...yes, he could be worse than Bush.
Palin is a joke. Only in office does she become a nightmare. I cannot do better than Susie Bright's commentary - here, read this.
Proposition 1A - High Speed Rail - YES
Okay, this could be a boondoggle. Granted. And like when the interstate highway system was built, the route is a political game. (Anyone know why I-5 goes thirty miles out of its way to Yreka?). The design will never please everyone perfectly well. It will cost a lot, but unlike with wars and prisons, we'll get a return on that investment.
High speed rail is a key reason Europe is more advanced than America. If we have any shred of dignity left, we'll plan for the future. I say go for it.
Proposition 2 - Farm Animals - YES
I'm just saying - sometimes I wish we had a proposition mandating better conditions for homeless humans. Don't get me wrong - I'm all for treating animal humanely (who in their right mind wouldn't be?).
A no brainer, this one. The humans who eat animals win, and the animals who get eaten win too.
'To retain respect for sausages and laws, one must not watch them in the making" - Otto Van Bismarck
Proposition 3 - Children's Hospital Bonds - NO
What about the children? Well, unfortunately this one is more about private hospital execs than children. It really doesn't do much except give taxpayer money away to large corporations. Maybe they were feeling left out by the federal bailouts? Aww. It's okay if they ask, but it's okay if we say no, too.
Proposition 4 - Parental Notification for Abortion - NO, NO, NO!!!
Deja vu, and just as bad as ever. It's the third time around for this proposal, the anti-choice folks sure are tenacious. Still, it isn't about what those folks think their imaginary friend wants, this harms pregnant teens from dysfunctional families. If a pregnant teen wants an abortion, she certainly should get one, especially if her family members are fundamentalist dweebs or worse. Unfortunately, those pushing this restriction are sex ignorators whose lies and repressive values actually increase the numbers of teens in trouble.
Shocking news: teenagers (even daughters of VP candidates) have sex. The fundies never will stop that. Urges too strong. What is a problem is children starting out life in poverty and ignorance. The anti-choice folks only care about the fetus. Hey kid, once you're born, you're on your own.
This is evil and sick. No two ways about this one. Just vote no.
Proposition 5 - Drug Treatment - YES, YES, YES!!!
As a fiscal conservative, I noticed this will save the state $2.5 Billion, that's with a "B", folks. The drug war has failed, the punitive approach is dead but too dumb to drop over. Drug use can be a symptom of other life problems, so professional treatment is a good thing. I'm in favor of it. Other functional and productive folk caught in the drug war nets are in fact its victims. This proposition is a good start.
Proposition 6 - More Prisons - NO, NO, NO!!!
I think I have some strong opinions here. The prison lobby wants another $1 Billion ("B", again!) of our money. I think we need roads and schools and investment in energy research. Curiously enough, the billionaire who put this on the ballot may himself be headed for prison, for some very good reasons (securities fraud). At this rate, prison no longer is a badge of shame, it's just a phase everyone in America goes through. Sick society, this one.
Proposition 7 - Fake Renewable Energy - NO
Large scale solar plants (like the investors who sponsored this one) are good things, but small, local solar is better. This is one of those situations where a private company tries to use the government to gain competitive advantage. Nice move, looking out for the shareholders, but, er, no.
Proposition 8 - Eliminates Gay Marriage - NO, NO, NO!!!
Okay, It's time for me to make a personal announcement. This news may be obvious to close friends, but not to everyone. This is something that's maybe not the way I was raised, the nuns at Catholic school would have been shocked. But with bigotry so prevalent, divisiveness acting as a smoke screen covering for the evil acts of the greedy - it's time to come clean.
I'm opposed to straight marriage. There, I said it. It's out. I mean for me, right now. Just sayin'. No one's asking me anyway.
Like so much in life, this marriage thing becomes a problem only when the government gets involved. Aren't tax and financial considerations just too much of a factor in marriage decisions? Better everyone pays their own taxes, form joint ventures if you want to, separate finances from the relationship considerations. I can't for the life of me see why anyone would need the government to endorse their emotional commitments.
Of course, that's just me, and your relationship is yours, and none of my business. There are lots of gay and straight people who value the marriage ritual and commitment, and hey, even the tax breaks of government recognized marriage. So I'm down with that. Vote no. Let anyone get married. Of course.
This proposition does not threaten your straight marriage unless you are, er, a gay person living a lie in a straight marriage! If that's you, take courage. You will be better off not living a lie. And when you do find your same gender life partner, may you live happily ever after!
Proposition 9 - Parole Hearing Injustice - NO, NO, NO!!!
As the Bay Guardian said, "Prop 6 would send more people to jail; Prop 9 would keep them there".
There are more people in prison in America than anywhere else in the world. Crime victims certainly should have the right to participate in parole hearings. Yet, at the end of the day justice is not the same as revenge. Justice requires a level playing field, which this proposition upsets. Taking away the right to legal counsel and hearings is unfair.
The harm so called "Victims' Rights" groups do is huge, particularly to those they purport to represent. They force crime victims to constantly focus on their loss and ways to seek revenge. They prevent resolution, and are in reality just hate groups. Justice comes from fairness, and a system of injustice as exists now in fact will increase crime (as the populace has less and less faith in the system).
There certainly are dangerous people who should be jailed for life, no problem. But we must not as a society reduce ourselves to their level.
Proposition 10 - Alternative Fuels - NO
Another fake environmental measure, this time benefiting T. Boone Pickens' natural gas interests. But I'm not fooled! Bwahhahaa! Vote no.
Proposition 11 - Redistricting - NO
There's no way to take the politics out of this. It could, however, give Republicans an advantage. Vote no.
Proposition 12 - Veterans' Bonds - NO
Looks like I'm left of the Green Party on this one. Here's the deal: enlisting in the US military is a really bad decision, especially these days. Many if not most people who do that live to regret it, some don't live at all. At this point - do you really want to die for Halliburton? Not a difficult decision for the reality based thinker.
So it's a problem when veterans return, abandoned and used by the government. It is a good thing if they are able to put that past behind and move on, maybe buy a home. Yet, until there is a bond fund for pacifists, I can't think of any good reason to give special treatment to veterans. This doesn't begin to solve the housing crisis, which begins with overpopulation. No on this one.
Other people who sometimes agree with me:
More information resources:
Ballotpedia discussion - of this
Smart Voter - lots o'links
Project Vote Smart - even smarter?
Around the Capitol - lots o'information here
Fundrace - find out who your neighbors gave money to in 2004
Open Secrets - another place to follow the money, which is really the only way to understand politics in Amerika...