The Ballot Measures: Prop 9

Over the next couple weeks, we at Skynet will be bringing you our suggestions regarding the 12 ballot measures that qualified for the November 4th election.

Prop 9 - CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM. VICTIMS’ RIGHTS. PAROLE.

Vote: NO

A harsh stance? Perhaps, but absolutely necessary to keep any measure of impartiality in our justice system. I have nothing but sympathy for victims of crime, but allowing victims to have an "opportunity for input during phases of criminal justice process, including bail, pleas, sentencing and parole" will lead to the interjection of emotion into judicial decisions. Beyond that, the provisions included in this measure to extend the time between parole hearings would continue to overcrowd our already overflowing prisons.

The Ballot Measures: Prop 8

Over the next couple weeks, we at Skynet will be bringing you our suggestions regarding the 12 ballot measures that qualified for the November 4th election.

Prop 8 - ELIMINATES RIGHT OF SAME–SEX COUPLES TO MARRY.

Vote: NO

The thought process behind the "Yes on 8" folks is something I will never fully comprehend. Why, WHY do people who aren't gay care so god damned much what gay people do with their lives?

Prop 8 is a truly vile measure that would write discrimination into the California constitution. The Republican packed state supreme court ruled that the state's equal protection clause applies to marriage and this would take that away. Fortunately, Attorney General Brown insisted that the measure be truthful in its goal before it could go on the ballot: eliminating rights.

Beyond the blatant bigotry, the "protecting traditional marriage" arguments don't hold water either. Marriage is not one-man/one-woman to everyone even in this country(*cough*fundamentalist mormons*cough*) and up until recent times it was largely for property rights more than anything else. Also, traditional marriage is crumbling just fine on its own as this country has a 50% divorce rate. Allowing gays to marry isn't going to damage anyone's marriage.

The Ballot Measures: Prop 7

Over the next couple weeks, we at Skynet will be bringing you our suggestions regarding the 12 ballot measures that qualified for the November 4th election.

Prop 7 - RENEWABLE ENERGY GENERATION.

Vote: YES

The utility monopolies are up in arms about this one and that should be your first indication that this is a good move. The measure would mandate 20% of our energy be generated from renewables by 2010, increasing to 50% by 2025. Not surprisingly, the power companies are saying it can't be done.

Sometimes a state mandate is required to move forward. Look at AB 939, the California Integrated Waste Management Act. It set specific goals of how much waste had to be diverted from California landfills. It couldn't be done they said at the time. Today, few jurisdictions in the state are failing to meet their diversion requirements and many exceed the mandate.

Prop 7 sets a goal that our state must strive for.

The Ballot Measures: Prop 6

Over the next couple weeks, we at Skynet will be bringing you our suggestions regarding the 12 ballot measures that qualified for the November 4th election.

Prop 6 - POLICE AND LAW ENFORCEMENT FUNDING. CRIMINAL PENALTIES AND LAWS.

Vote: NO

Prop 6 is too expensive and an unwise allocation of resources. At a time when our state is practically broke, the proponents of this measure are asking voters to approve a $1 billion dollar annual increase in prison funding. Perhaps if more common sense measures like Prop 5 passed, we wouldn't have a shortage of beds in our state prisons.

Worth noting, the official state analysis of this law points out that if it passes, in addition to the $1 billion annually, the state is looking at another $500 million to build new prisons.

The Ballot Measures: Prop 5

Over the next couple weeks, we at Skynet will be bringing you our suggestions regarding the 12 ballot measures that qualified for the November 4th election.

Prop 5 - NONVIOLENT DRUG OFFENSES. SENTENCING,
PAROLE AND REHABILITATION.

Vote: YES

This was a tough one to call, though probably not for the reasons you imagine. Keeping non-violent drug offenders out of our already overcrowded prisons is absolutely the right way to go and this measure is a good step in that direction.

My issue with the measure is the funding. Ballot measures that allocate budget dollars are a big part of the reason our budget is perpetually late and thrown together like a patchwork quilt. Here though, we have a situation where the measure will pay for itself and then some. This state spends an obscene amount of money to incarcerate people. There is no reason to waste money locking up people who just want a harmless high.

The Ballot Measures: Addendum to Prop 2

According a study by the University of California Agricultural Issues Center, Proposition 2 would result in "the almost complete elimination of egg production in California within the six-year adjustment period." [1] This study claims that because of the difference in prices between eggs produced by caged and cage-free hens, egg producers would shift their production to other states. This is important because not only will the Californian economy suffer, but the proposition will be rendered useless as well, as egg producers will continue to produce eggs from caged hens in other states. Because of this dilemma, an additional law should be passed which requires that all eggs sold in California meet the standards of Proposition 2.



However, one may argue that Californians will be forced to pay higher prices for the non-caged eggs they consume, which will excessively burden consumers. Let's examine this claim more closely. The average price that consumers pay for eggs each year can be calculated by multiplying the total number of eggs each person consumes by the cost per egg. According to the UC study, the average Californian consumed 187 eggs per year in 2007. Additionally, in 2008, the average prices for one dozen caged and cage-free white eggs were $2.92 and $3.69, respectively.

Yearly Per Capita Cost of Caged Eggs = 187 * $2.92 / 12 = $45.50
Yearly Per Capita Cost of Cage-Free Eggs = 187 * $3.69 / 12 = $57.50
Yearly Per Capita Price Differential = $12

The cost of buying cage-free eggs is only $12 per person, per year. This is hardly excessive. The vast majority of people in California can afford to buy cage-free eggs. Honestly, everyone should already be buying cage-free eggs at these prices. Especially the cocksuckers in LA and Orange counties who are driving Mercedes and BMWs.

Reference

1. Sumner, Rosen-Molina, Matthews, Mench and Richter, "Economic Effects of Proposed Restrictions on Egg-laying Hen Housing in California." University of California Agricultural Issues Center, http://aic.ucdavis.edu/publications/eggs/egginitiative.pdf, July 2008.

The Ballot Measures: Prop 4

Over the next couple weeks, we at Skynet will be bringing you our suggestions regarding the 12 ballot measures that qualified for the November 4th election.

Prop 4 - WAITING PERIOD AND PARENTAL NOTIFICATION BEFORE TERMINATION OF MINOR’S PREGNANCY

Vote: NO

Sometimes people just don't get the message. This is the third time right wing religious zealots have put this measure on the ballot. It was defeated twice and hopefully it will be defeated again.

Family relationships are not something governments can legislate. Requiring a physician to notify a teenager's parents prior to performing an abortion puts teenage girls in danger. If these girls could talk to their family, the likely would have done so already. Girls who can't talk to their parents, for whatever reason, may opt for risky illegal abortions instead.

Worth noting from the LA Times:

The story behind "Sarah's Law" says a lot about it. "Sarah" was, according to Proposition 4 supporters, a 15-year-old girl who died from an abortion gone wrong 14 years ago, a death that might have been prevented had her parents been notified beforehand. Much of that is false. The girl's name wasn't Sarah; she lived in Texas, not California; and though she was 15, she already had a child and was in a common-law marriage, which means she wouldn't have been covered by the law Californians are being asked to consider.

The Ballot Measures: Prop 3

Over the next couple weeks, we at Skynet will be bringing you our suggestions regarding the 12 ballot measures that qualified for the November 4th election.

Prop 3 - CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL BOND ACT

Vote: NO

He's not going to oppose a children's hospital bond is he? Yes he is.

As I mentioned in the Prop 1A post, it is my sincere belief that bonds are the wrong way to fund state projects unless there is an overwhelming need.

To put it simply, there is no need here. The prop would authorize a $980 million dollar bond, which by the time its paid back would cost the state $2 billion. Only four years ago, voters authorized $750 million in bonds to construct children's hospitals. They have not spent this money yet.

As multiple newspapers have stated, now is just not the time for this. The entire country is hemorrhaging money and while this is a noble endeavor, they need to use the money they already have before asking for more.

The Ballot Measures: Prop 2

Over the next couple weeks, we at Skynet will be bringing you our suggestions regarding the 12 ballot measures that qualified for the November 4th election.

Prop 2 - STANDARDS FOR CONFINING FARM ANIMALS

Vote: YES

Prop 2 is common decency and to be perfectly honest, I don't really want to know anyone who would vote against this measure. It calls for veal calves, egg-laying hens, and pregnant pigs to "be confined only in ways that allow these animals to lie down, stand up, fully extend their limbs and turn around freely." A diabolical socialist plot if I've ever heard one...

I am a meat eater and am not trying to convert anyone to vegetarianism, but there is no reason imaginable to make these creatures' lives a living hell. Raising an animal for food and treating it humanely are not mutually exclusive ideas.

The Ballot Measures: Prop 1A

Over the next couple weeks, we at Skynet will be bringing you our suggestions regarding the 12 ballot measures that qualified for the November 4th election.

Prop 1A - SAFE, RELIABLE HIGH-SPEED PASSENGER TRAIN BOND ACT

Vote: YES

We are normally not in favor of using bonds to pay for things the state should be laying out tax dollars for (although, bonds are paid off with tax money so don't let the right wing fool you) because its essentially using a credit card and the state ends up paying about twice as much as the bond is initally issued for due to interest. Periodically though, a bond is proposed for something the state truly needs and that is the case with Prop 1A.

The Prop is not without its flaws. As we mentioned above, the funding source is wrong and the route is hardly ideal. Overall though, the need to establish a beachhead for high speed rail in this country is imperative. A $57, 2 hour 44 minute trip from Irvine to Sacramento? Sign me up.

As America wrings her hands over energy independence, the need for reliable public transportation is overlooked. The railroads are woefully underused in this country for the transport of people. Amtrak is a mess and many major cities don't even have an adequate light rail system yet (for example, Phoenix, the 5th largest city in the country, is only now building such a system). We have an opportunity to once again make California the nation's leader in somthing other than smog.