Election 2010 Rant
Readers beware... under the cut lies angry ranting, some of which (eh, who'm I kidding, 99.9% of which) is strongly anti-Republican. All warranties null and void, YMMV, that sorta thing.
OK, so this is based mostly around the AZ elections, since I'm here in AZ. (Makes sense, ne?) This will break down all races and issues which I feel any real strength about, and go into detail about my feelings. Hence the warning. Lot of ranting, but there's some rare pearls of wisdom to be gleaned here, if you care.
First, I'm thankful for my polling resource, AZ's own secretary of state website. The polls are now at 100%, so short of a Dubya-in-Florida-style issue, this should be 100% accurate. (However, we'll see what we see, and I'll comment to this with any changes that occur.) Also, please note that I will only mention (D)emocratic and (R)epublican nominees, since (G)reen, (L)ibertarian and (I)ndependent still have yet to garner a significant following in this state, as with most (not all!) states. Alas, (R)epublican is also the mark used to identify (T)ea Party, since they don't actually HAVE their own party (yet, but I can hope, right?).
AZ Senator: Rodney Glassman (D) v John McCain (R)
Do I need to say anything? Even without looking at Glassman's voting record... which I favor... we KNOW the evil which is McCain. Alas, abandon hope (but not the papers) all ye who enter here... he's still around.
AZ Dist. 7 Rep: Raul Grijalva (D) v Ruth McClung (R)
McClung's main campaign was "OMG, don't elect Grijalva, he said boycott AZ!!!!!111one" -- which was charming in its purity, since it didn't pretend to be anything but a mud-slinging contest. However, since Grijalva called for a boycott of Arizona in response to SB1070 (the now-infamous Papers, Please Act), I won't fault him for it by ANY means... and besides, the outcry against his recommended boycott spawned a "buycott", which resulted in zero-sum overall change for the economy. (I mentioned this in an earlier post here.) Grijalva's sticking around, and you can bet the Tea Party ain't happy.
AZ Dist. 8 Rep: Gabrielle Giffords (D) v Jesse Kelly (R)
Ignoring the fact that Giffords has already proven herself a champion of the people MANY MANY times over, let's focus on Kelly's ideas. He thought it would be just swell to replace the income tax with a 27% "Fair Tax" on all goods (normally taxed or otherwise, including rent and utilities). Bearing in mind that people at the bottom of the income pole pay around 11% in income taxes, and get most of that back, how is a non-refundable (but very slightly credited) 27% sales tax better for the poor? It isn't... it's only better if you're in that magical top 1%, where you pay a LOT more than 27% on your income. (It's actually slightly worse for people who buy a lot of luxuries, but they can AFFORD the luxuries, after all.)
Oh, and the Fair Tax? Guess what it doesn't fund, unlike your income taxes? If you guessed Social Security and Medicare, you win the grand prize! He wanted to fully privatize Social Security, abolish Medicare, and also wanted to carve MORE chunks out of the Dept. of Education, predominantly anything having to do with racial studies or affirmative-action programs.
Let's all be VERY thankful Giffords won, ne?
AZ Governor: Terry Goddard (D) v Jan "Bruja" Brewer (R)
Brewer has spent the past two years... ever since she inherited the seat when Napolitano was tapped as the Secretary of Homeland Security... driving this state into a xenophobic, gun-toting mob. She made it so guns can go anywhere... but if you don't look lily white, your papers had better go with you. Under her, all official paperwork MUST be filled out in English, all publicly-funded schools must abandon racial studies (as they foster unrest against the government), and every American of slightly tan skin is a possible fence-jumping drug dealer out to murder you after they rape your wife (and possibly your kids), so we all need more guns to protect ourselves against the invaders, and carry them all the time! (Also, thanks to her, all affirmative-action programs at the state and local level are now abolished... but more on that later.)
It's too bad we've got another 4 years of her nonsense... because honestly, I'm not sure the state can handle it.
Proposition 106: Obamacare Must Die
Seriously, that's what they should've called it. Its passage (and yes, it DID pass) means that the entire state (wait, what?) opposes President Obama's health care reform bill and will lead to another legal showdown between AZ and the US government. Really, Bruja? Is that what our drained coffers need, ANOTHER expensive and meaningless legal wrangle?
Proposition 107: The KKK Klause
Again, that's what they should've called it, if they wanted to be fair. This piece of legislation, which actually /was/ backed by a splinter arm of the Ku Klux Klan (as research has shown, though I regret that I don't have the link at the moment -- I shall look that up and edit it in), basically overrules all racial-equality programs and initiatives at the state and local level. So, instead of the modern cry of "reverse racism", the majority of those living in Aryanzona would rather hear the old-fashioned "racism" called out. This, alas, HAS passed.
Proposition 109: Fish and Wildlife Money? Yesprz.
This proposition, which did not pass, would have transferred all responsibility for fish and wildlife from the appropriate group (being Game & Fish) to the Legislature, where it could've been raped behind closed doors without the voters ever knowing what was happening.
Proposition 111: WHY?!
This proposition, which (last I looked, but I took it off my tracker since I find it largely silly) lost, would've changed the title of Secretary of State to that of Lieutenant Governor. Now, why do the voters have to become involved if the state government is merely changing the nametags on the deck chairs of the Titanic, I wondered. Then I looked further.
This ALSO would've made sure that, whoever the winner of the gubernatorial race was, their running mate (of the same party) would end up the Lt Gov. This would've appealed to me in 2006, when Napolitano and Bruja (respectively) were elected as Gov and SoS... since Napolitano's win would've put a Democrat in the direct line of succession. However, with the Republicans firmly in control and whipping the state into a xenophobic, gun-toting frenzy, would this be a good thing? I think my ambivalence should've been my answer... but since there was no space for *shrug*, I voted no. Seemed a silly waste of time and resources (since they'd have people writing up the Lt Gov's responsibilities, which are THE SAME AS HIS CURRENT, for the transfer -- bureaucracy at work).
Proposition 112: Petitions, Signatures, Challenges
This proposition, if passed, would've allowed for petitions to be open longer for receiving signatures, and also allowed for challenges against open petitions... something which could've been useful in the past (say, oh, when GLBT discrimination or racial discrimination were codified into the State Constitution). Alas, it does not seem to have passed... we don't know for sure, since it's super-close, but it looks like the good Republicans trust their omnipotent, omniscient overseers to do what is best for them. They didn't learn their lesson yet, methinks.
Proposition 113: Labor Unions Organizing? Where?!
113, when it passed (as it did), made it impossible for labor unions to form without going through the full formal process (40%-60%, depending on company size, of the workforce organizing in secret - AT THE WORKPLACE, no less - complete with talk-down meetings by management, and finally secret ballot). Without 113, it was possible for labor unions to form in any company with at least 10 people, and the people organizing could've went door-to-door, as it were. Now the threat of termination if someone tries to organize a union is hanging over their heads... they can't be fired for BELONGING to a union, but if they try to form one, it can be considered disruptive to the workplace and worthy of termination, within this great state. Way to stick it to the little man, Arizona.
Proposition 203: Boddhi Sativa
203 was AZ's attempt at legalizing medicinal marijuana. I have a huge rant on this, which I will place at the end... since it is, as I said, a HUGE rant. At this moment, it's also VERY close, but currently teetering towards a no.
Proposition 301: Land Money, Oi!
In the 90s, as I recall my legislative history, a fund was established called the Land Conservation Fund. Its purpose, as the name implies, is to provide funding to various state parks, keeping them open and making them viable for tourist income. Bruja, not satisfied with the golden egg, wanted to go after the goose and raid all the money in that larder, even though it's specifically earmarked for that fund's intended purpose only. Good on you, Arizona, for slapping her hand back.
Proposition 302: Childhood Education and Health Money, Oi!
Second verse, same as the first. In '06, a fund was established... using a whopping $2/pack cigarette tax... to fund various childhood development, health care and education programs. Bruja, not satisfied with the thought of healthy and happy kids, would rather steal all THAT money for the general fund. Again, her hand was slapped back... keep your filthy claws off the kids' money, you meanie.
Local Propositions
At the time of this writing, I don't have the numbers for local propositions 400 (increased sales tax to pay for public safety, transportation, parks and courts), 401 (some minor amendments to the charter, but most city council positions would become year-round), or 402 (allowing the local school district to sell unused land to help fund itself, since Bruja so horribly brutalized their coffers in an effort to make more money to fight the US government on Obamacare and SB1070). My personal preferences were yes, yes, and no... but we'll see how those turn out.
Prop 203: Boddhi Sativa (cnt'd)
OK, so my rant. Some of you may have heard this before... but it's still true.
1) We spend a LOT of money fighting marijuana growth, sale, and usage. A LOT. Not just locally, but federally. You've got the search-and-seizure, the trials, and the jail/prison time... none of which is cheap on already-drained piggybanks.
2) Especially in border states like AZ, a lot of the marijuana comes across the border, courtesy of criminal groups... groups that would lose a LOT of power and funding if the stuff was legal here. Sure, they might find another means of funding, or they might try to undercut the legal market, but it'll make them lighter on the ground... can't saturate an already-saturated market, and if every Circle K and 7-11 sells ready-rolled joints and dimebags, it's heavily saturated. (Even if it stays medicinal, you'll have market saturation as cannabis clubs pop up to satisfy the demand.)
3) If it becomes legal, it becomes taxable. Stick an age restriction on it, and voila, you have a healthier alternative to tobacco or alcohol, with a ready market. Sure, some of that market is underage, but that's why you have age restrictions. Sure, kids'll try to get around it, just like they do with tobacco and alcohol, but it won't matter, because the stings are already in place, and at worst, a slight increase to the police budgets will account for the difference, at a cheaper rate than the current system -- even before accounting for revenue.
4) It's LESS addictive than tobacco and alcohol (both of which are legal), and FAR less addictive than other street drugs. It has no proven side effects, aside from possible damage to the lungs (surprise, surprise, the damage could be caused by cigarettes, which most marijuana smokers with lung diseases smoke as well), and its known effects are generally considered to be positive-to-neutral (lightheaded, dizzy, calmed, heartier appetite, detached sense of pain/discomfort).
So, let's review: Less money wasted fighting it, more income from taxes, less crime (in some situations), less people in jail/prison for solely marijuana-related charges (again, less taxpayer money being wasted), AND it's not as bad for you as already-legal age-protected merchandise?
(And yes, for those who may not remember, I don't smoke pot, and I HIGHLY doubt that would change if it was suddenly legal. I simply believe in approaching the situation with intelligence, rather than fear and bias.)
Overall, largely displeased with the results, but there's a little good which came from it.
OK, so this is based mostly around the AZ elections, since I'm here in AZ. (Makes sense, ne?) This will break down all races and issues which I feel any real strength about, and go into detail about my feelings. Hence the warning. Lot of ranting, but there's some rare pearls of wisdom to be gleaned here, if you care.
First, I'm thankful for my polling resource, AZ's own secretary of state website. The polls are now at 100%, so short of a Dubya-in-Florida-style issue, this should be 100% accurate. (However, we'll see what we see, and I'll comment to this with any changes that occur.) Also, please note that I will only mention (D)emocratic and (R)epublican nominees, since (G)reen, (L)ibertarian and (I)ndependent still have yet to garner a significant following in this state, as with most (not all!) states. Alas, (R)epublican is also the mark used to identify (T)ea Party, since they don't actually HAVE their own party (yet, but I can hope, right?).
AZ Senator: Rodney Glassman (D) v John McCain (R)
Do I need to say anything? Even without looking at Glassman's voting record... which I favor... we KNOW the evil which is McCain. Alas, abandon hope (but not the papers) all ye who enter here... he's still around.
AZ Dist. 7 Rep: Raul Grijalva (D) v Ruth McClung (R)
McClung's main campaign was "OMG, don't elect Grijalva, he said boycott AZ!!!!!111one" -- which was charming in its purity, since it didn't pretend to be anything but a mud-slinging contest. However, since Grijalva called for a boycott of Arizona in response to SB1070 (the now-infamous Papers, Please Act), I won't fault him for it by ANY means... and besides, the outcry against his recommended boycott spawned a "buycott", which resulted in zero-sum overall change for the economy. (I mentioned this in an earlier post here.) Grijalva's sticking around, and you can bet the Tea Party ain't happy.
AZ Dist. 8 Rep: Gabrielle Giffords (D) v Jesse Kelly (R)
Ignoring the fact that Giffords has already proven herself a champion of the people MANY MANY times over, let's focus on Kelly's ideas. He thought it would be just swell to replace the income tax with a 27% "Fair Tax" on all goods (normally taxed or otherwise, including rent and utilities). Bearing in mind that people at the bottom of the income pole pay around 11% in income taxes, and get most of that back, how is a non-refundable (but very slightly credited) 27% sales tax better for the poor? It isn't... it's only better if you're in that magical top 1%, where you pay a LOT more than 27% on your income. (It's actually slightly worse for people who buy a lot of luxuries, but they can AFFORD the luxuries, after all.)
Oh, and the Fair Tax? Guess what it doesn't fund, unlike your income taxes? If you guessed Social Security and Medicare, you win the grand prize! He wanted to fully privatize Social Security, abolish Medicare, and also wanted to carve MORE chunks out of the Dept. of Education, predominantly anything having to do with racial studies or affirmative-action programs.
Let's all be VERY thankful Giffords won, ne?
AZ Governor: Terry Goddard (D) v Jan "Bruja" Brewer (R)
Brewer has spent the past two years... ever since she inherited the seat when Napolitano was tapped as the Secretary of Homeland Security... driving this state into a xenophobic, gun-toting mob. She made it so guns can go anywhere... but if you don't look lily white, your papers had better go with you. Under her, all official paperwork MUST be filled out in English, all publicly-funded schools must abandon racial studies (as they foster unrest against the government), and every American of slightly tan skin is a possible fence-jumping drug dealer out to murder you after they rape your wife (and possibly your kids), so we all need more guns to protect ourselves against the invaders, and carry them all the time! (Also, thanks to her, all affirmative-action programs at the state and local level are now abolished... but more on that later.)
It's too bad we've got another 4 years of her nonsense... because honestly, I'm not sure the state can handle it.
Proposition 106: Obamacare Must Die
Seriously, that's what they should've called it. Its passage (and yes, it DID pass) means that the entire state (wait, what?) opposes President Obama's health care reform bill and will lead to another legal showdown between AZ and the US government. Really, Bruja? Is that what our drained coffers need, ANOTHER expensive and meaningless legal wrangle?
Proposition 107: The KKK Klause
Again, that's what they should've called it, if they wanted to be fair. This piece of legislation, which actually /was/ backed by a splinter arm of the Ku Klux Klan (as research has shown, though I regret that I don't have the link at the moment -- I shall look that up and edit it in), basically overrules all racial-equality programs and initiatives at the state and local level. So, instead of the modern cry of "reverse racism", the majority of those living in Aryanzona would rather hear the old-fashioned "racism" called out. This, alas, HAS passed.
Proposition 109: Fish and Wildlife Money? Yesprz.
This proposition, which did not pass, would have transferred all responsibility for fish and wildlife from the appropriate group (being Game & Fish) to the Legislature, where it could've been raped behind closed doors without the voters ever knowing what was happening.
Proposition 111: WHY?!
This proposition, which (last I looked, but I took it off my tracker since I find it largely silly) lost, would've changed the title of Secretary of State to that of Lieutenant Governor. Now, why do the voters have to become involved if the state government is merely changing the nametags on the deck chairs of the Titanic, I wondered. Then I looked further.
This ALSO would've made sure that, whoever the winner of the gubernatorial race was, their running mate (of the same party) would end up the Lt Gov. This would've appealed to me in 2006, when Napolitano and Bruja (respectively) were elected as Gov and SoS... since Napolitano's win would've put a Democrat in the direct line of succession. However, with the Republicans firmly in control and whipping the state into a xenophobic, gun-toting frenzy, would this be a good thing? I think my ambivalence should've been my answer... but since there was no space for *shrug*, I voted no. Seemed a silly waste of time and resources (since they'd have people writing up the Lt Gov's responsibilities, which are THE SAME AS HIS CURRENT, for the transfer -- bureaucracy at work).
Proposition 112: Petitions, Signatures, Challenges
This proposition, if passed, would've allowed for petitions to be open longer for receiving signatures, and also allowed for challenges against open petitions... something which could've been useful in the past (say, oh, when GLBT discrimination or racial discrimination were codified into the State Constitution). Alas, it does not seem to have passed... we don't know for sure, since it's super-close, but it looks like the good Republicans trust their omnipotent, omniscient overseers to do what is best for them. They didn't learn their lesson yet, methinks.
Proposition 113: Labor Unions Organizing? Where?!
113, when it passed (as it did), made it impossible for labor unions to form without going through the full formal process (40%-60%, depending on company size, of the workforce organizing in secret - AT THE WORKPLACE, no less - complete with talk-down meetings by management, and finally secret ballot). Without 113, it was possible for labor unions to form in any company with at least 10 people, and the people organizing could've went door-to-door, as it were. Now the threat of termination if someone tries to organize a union is hanging over their heads... they can't be fired for BELONGING to a union, but if they try to form one, it can be considered disruptive to the workplace and worthy of termination, within this great state. Way to stick it to the little man, Arizona.
Proposition 203: Boddhi Sativa
203 was AZ's attempt at legalizing medicinal marijuana. I have a huge rant on this, which I will place at the end... since it is, as I said, a HUGE rant. At this moment, it's also VERY close, but currently teetering towards a no.
Proposition 301: Land Money, Oi!
In the 90s, as I recall my legislative history, a fund was established called the Land Conservation Fund. Its purpose, as the name implies, is to provide funding to various state parks, keeping them open and making them viable for tourist income. Bruja, not satisfied with the golden egg, wanted to go after the goose and raid all the money in that larder, even though it's specifically earmarked for that fund's intended purpose only. Good on you, Arizona, for slapping her hand back.
Proposition 302: Childhood Education and Health Money, Oi!
Second verse, same as the first. In '06, a fund was established... using a whopping $2/pack cigarette tax... to fund various childhood development, health care and education programs. Bruja, not satisfied with the thought of healthy and happy kids, would rather steal all THAT money for the general fund. Again, her hand was slapped back... keep your filthy claws off the kids' money, you meanie.
Local Propositions
At the time of this writing, I don't have the numbers for local propositions 400 (increased sales tax to pay for public safety, transportation, parks and courts), 401 (some minor amendments to the charter, but most city council positions would become year-round), or 402 (allowing the local school district to sell unused land to help fund itself, since Bruja so horribly brutalized their coffers in an effort to make more money to fight the US government on Obamacare and SB1070). My personal preferences were yes, yes, and no... but we'll see how those turn out.
Prop 203: Boddhi Sativa (cnt'd)
OK, so my rant. Some of you may have heard this before... but it's still true.
1) We spend a LOT of money fighting marijuana growth, sale, and usage. A LOT. Not just locally, but federally. You've got the search-and-seizure, the trials, and the jail/prison time... none of which is cheap on already-drained piggybanks.
2) Especially in border states like AZ, a lot of the marijuana comes across the border, courtesy of criminal groups... groups that would lose a LOT of power and funding if the stuff was legal here. Sure, they might find another means of funding, or they might try to undercut the legal market, but it'll make them lighter on the ground... can't saturate an already-saturated market, and if every Circle K and 7-11 sells ready-rolled joints and dimebags, it's heavily saturated. (Even if it stays medicinal, you'll have market saturation as cannabis clubs pop up to satisfy the demand.)
3) If it becomes legal, it becomes taxable. Stick an age restriction on it, and voila, you have a healthier alternative to tobacco or alcohol, with a ready market. Sure, some of that market is underage, but that's why you have age restrictions. Sure, kids'll try to get around it, just like they do with tobacco and alcohol, but it won't matter, because the stings are already in place, and at worst, a slight increase to the police budgets will account for the difference, at a cheaper rate than the current system -- even before accounting for revenue.
4) It's LESS addictive than tobacco and alcohol (both of which are legal), and FAR less addictive than other street drugs. It has no proven side effects, aside from possible damage to the lungs (surprise, surprise, the damage could be caused by cigarettes, which most marijuana smokers with lung diseases smoke as well), and its known effects are generally considered to be positive-to-neutral (lightheaded, dizzy, calmed, heartier appetite, detached sense of pain/discomfort).
So, let's review: Less money wasted fighting it, more income from taxes, less crime (in some situations), less people in jail/prison for solely marijuana-related charges (again, less taxpayer money being wasted), AND it's not as bad for you as already-legal age-protected merchandise?
(And yes, for those who may not remember, I don't smoke pot, and I HIGHLY doubt that would change if it was suddenly legal. I simply believe in approaching the situation with intelligence, rather than fear and bias.)
Overall, largely displeased with the results, but there's a little good which came from it.