Don’t forget to vote today

6 Responses to “Don’t forget to vote today”

1. 1
   Chris Kidd Says:
   May 19th, 2009 at 1:16 pm

   I voted by mail a few weeks ago. It’s not nearly as viscerally satisfying as voting in person, but all it took was one missed election (I’m not telling which) to convince me to take the more fool-proof route. And by ‘fool’, of course I mean ‘me’.

2. 2
   VivekB Says:
   May 20th, 2009 at 8:30 am

   btw Chris for the future, my kids & I took my absentee ballot and dropped it off at the polling location before taking them to school.

   Plus that way I got, I mean my kids got, the “I voted today” stickers. (oh, i suppose the semi-annual civics lesson about how important it is to stand up & be counted even when our dumbass legislators schedule an expensive special election because they want us to do their jobs for them)

3. 3
   Helen Says:
   May 20th, 2009 at 10:07 am

   I worked at the polls yesterday and I can’t tell you the number of people who came in to vote who had received vote by mail ballots, but either had lost them or just looked at us blankly when we said that they needed to return them to us before they could vote at the polls. The lesson that I learned was that just receiving a vote by mail ballot does not mean that it will be voted.

4. 4
   len raphael Says:
   May 23rd, 2009 at 11:17 pm

   curious Becks and V, why did you vote no on the state ballot measures? Was it that you thought it didn’t provide a permanent solution, it didn’t cover the entire likely deficit, or because you opposed the combo of funding meaures, or did you want more or fewer spending cuts? the people i know seemed to fall into the extremes of no tax increases, cut spending drastically vs raise all taxes especially income taxes on any upper middle ind and all businesses and maintain current spending levels.

   i wasn’t thrilled, but i voted for all the props on the idea that the resulting human suffering and fiscal chaos wasn’t worth ideological purity and finding a long term solution.

   -len

5. 5
   Ralph Says:
   May 24th, 2009 at 1:38 am

   Len, though you did not ask, I will be glad to share why I voted no across the board, including 1F.

   First and foremost, the measures did not address the underlying structural problem. So next year, when we find ourselves, in this situation again, I will be at the ballot doing the work of our legislators. Second, the idea of increasing taxes during a recession is just sickening. Third, ballot box budgeting has resulted in a number of propositions which must be funded but include no revenue mechanism. I hate ballot box budgeting but if CAs approve BB budgeting measure then we must be prepared to make cuts when we can’t fund basic services. Finally, 1F was mostly symbolic; it wasn’t going to save a whole heap of money; legislators must know that enacting raises when everyone else is taking cuts is pure folly and if they do we can vote them out of office.

6. 6
   len Says:
   May 24th, 2009 at 8:00 am

   R, only part i disagree w you, is the conclusion. By the time the next set of proposals come come back, the tax increases will be bigger than the additional spending cuts because a heck of a lot of middle and lower income voters will realize how much they count on state subsidized benefits. Will have to raise business taxes, and individual tax rates on incomes above 150k. Meanwhile this dithering on the brink of insolvency will cost CA higher borrowing costs from reduced credit rating etc.

   Will any of that be the structural change you’re hoping for or just emergency surtaxes and temporary layoffs/cutbacks for a few years?

   -len raphael
   temescal