The Ballot Measures: Prop 10

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 10 - ALTERNATIVE FUEL VEHICLES AND RENEWABLE ENERGY.

Vote: YES

Its not easy to support Prop 10 because of its backer. Oil billionaire, swift boater, and world class asshole T. Boone Pickens is behind the measure. It is part of the "Pickens Plan" you've been seeing commercials about.

Pickens aside, I've decided to back the measure.

Oil is going to run out and we as a society need to take steps to ween ourselves from it. The pain everyone felt when gas prices passed $4 this summer is only a preview of things to come. Prop 10 starts to move us away from oil.

The measure would spend $1.25 billion to fund research and development of green energy, primarily solar. Additionally, it would provide $3.425 billion "to help consumers and others purchase certain high fuel economy or alternative fuel vehicles, including natural gas vehicles, and to fund research into alternative fuel technology." The natural gas is, of course, Pickens' scheme. Lumping natural gas into an "alternative energy" measure is disingenuous, but its certainly not a deal breaker for me.