I voted

I haven't had much time to check in here for awhile. Some interesting stuff has happened along the way. I've been to San Diego. I spent a lot of time looking for an anti-virus and firewall program that didn't screw up my computer as Norton did. And I voted.

 

We had an election last week. Measure W, to approve a study to consider the implications of a public takeover of Cal-Am, died on the vine. I thought it was amusing to see all of the NO on W signs. The "on" was in small type, so it looked like NO W from a distance, blazing in Republican Red. Amen to that, the W in the White House, naturally.

 

I actually voted for Measure W. I went back and forth on it for a long time. My problem was that my distaste for Cal-Am and the Water Board are equally strong. In the end I decided I could afford $14 dollars for more information. After all, it didn't commit us to anything but a study. But everyone else was tired of studies. Can't blame them for that.

 

I was disappointed that Prop 77, the redistricting initiative, failed. It would have brought an end to political Gerrymandering. The idea that it would have given power to three judges was a  pile of poop.

 

I voted against Prop 73. Nobody had made the case that there was an actual problem that needed to be solved. Nobody was offering any actual examples of parents who were not notified their daughters were having abortions. It seemed like a non-issue.

 

I voted for 76, which would have smoothed out the peaks and valleys of the state budget by requiring us to put aside some money in good times to get us through the bad times. Isn't that basic common sense? The allegations that it gave the Governor too much power were exaggerated. The only time the Governor would have extra power is if the legislature failed to act on a declared budget emergency within a specific period of time.

 

As for the others, they were too complex for me to understand. I felt they were all matters that should be taken up by the legislature because we elected them to do that sort of work for us. So I voted No.

 

We had electronic voting for the first time. It was easy to use and fast. A roll of paper tape, sort of like a cash register tape but with better printing, left a paper trail that rolled back up into the machine after giving me a chance to verify that it recorded my vote accurately. It was a good system. But if it hadn't been for the paper roll, I would have asked for a paper ballot as the only way to assure an accurate record of my vote.