It came it came!
Woo hoo!
My absentee ballot is here!
For those of you who have to wait all the way until November 4th to vote, follow along and feel the joy!
This is the first time I've voted absentee. Usually I love going to the polls, but this year our schedules are such that we chose to vote by mail to ensure that we can make it.
Follow me below the fold and see how it goes!
(flippo)
Okay.
There was a big envelope. My wife opened that.
There's a lavender return envelope, at secret ballot holder, a voting guide and a ballot. The ballot looks like a traditional school "scantron" test sheet. There are 312 bubbles.
They say to use blue or black ink.
Alright. It says to flip through the book and choose the number for each vote you want to make. Then you fill in the corresponding bubble on the ballot.
Let's see.... President and Vice President:
Hmmm, Bob Barr & Wayne Root. Bob and Wayne. I've seen Bob grouching around n Politically Incorrect before... oh yeah. He's the adulterer who could not ken Bill Clinton's adultery.
John McCain & Sarah Palin. John and Sarah. Sounds made up. Like someone trying to sound extra biblical or something. Maybe they're like those rich neighbors who always come over empty handed and drink all of your good beer first while you're still greeting the other guests.
Cynthia McKinney & Rosa Clemente. Dynamic. Maybe next time...
Alan Keyes & Wiley Drake. Disowned his own daughter for being a lesbian. Though cold-hearted and insane, I guess Keyes has some kind of moral compass. It's just a screwey one that makes you spurn your children.
Ralph Nader & Matt Gonzalez. Buckle your seat belts, Ralph is running again! (The seat belts were a reference to the good stuff Nader has done.)
Lastly: Barack Obama & Joe Biden.
Phew.
That's quite a list.
This is a 6 party system folks!
I think I'll just choose those last to guys.
Ah, there's their number.* Find it on the ballot, bubble bubble bubble and boom!. The numbers read down in 12 columns. Hey! I just voted for Senator Obama. Woo!
United States Representative: I'll take Debbie Cook for 2008, Alex. Boom vote number 2!
(I gave her money today through Act Blue. you can too.
http://www.actblue.com/...
State Senator: Hmm. Lowenthal. Now is that the ex husband or the ex wife? Oh, It's the Husband Alan. Boom.
Ah, here's the ex-wife: Member of the State Assembly : Bonnie Lowenthal. Boom. Only in California, folks.
Judicial. Ah Jeez. Okay. Need to take a break and read the statements. Judges who mention issuing the death penalty as their best trick don't get my vote.
*****
Okay. We're back.
After looking them all up I can't say that any one is the best choice, so I am voting for the best of each category. (I hope) I choose the most liberal sounding ones.
Cynthia Loo looks promising.
Boom boom boom boom boom
*****
Okay. The measures.
In California the government works like this. The legislature attempts to pass a law. If it's law sponsored by Democrats, then it is passed by legislature and later vetoed by the Governor. If it's a law sponsored by Republicans it looses in the legislature. Once the law has been defeated by the opposing forces in Sacramento someone (think of him or her as a Governmental concern troll) starts a petition to put the idea on the State-wide ballot. 500,000 or so Californians need to sign the petition to force the rest of us to vote on it. If the measure passes, then it is later struck down by the 9th Circuit Court of appeals or the California Supreme Court. Once this happens a new petition is passed around and we have to vote on it again. This happens repeatedly until the San Andreas fault splits asunder and hurls us all into the sea.
(The current initiative signature requirements are as follows:
Initiative Statute: 433,971
Constitutional Amendment: 694,354
http://www.sos.ca.gov/... )
This means that 694,354 or more fascists have already decided that people shoulld not have the right to marry unless it is deemed appropriate by a select band of religious idealogues.
1A High Speed Rail. Speed Baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes. Boom. (That boom was for the voting bubble, not the train hitting a wandering steer up by Harris Ranch.)
2 Standards for confining farm animals. Well, I hope this one day leads to standards for confining humans in out state penal system, so I'll say yes. Boom! Let the chickens stand.
3 Children's Hospital Bond Act. Some sick kids want to put on a James Bond paly? Sure. Go for it. Yes. Boom!
4 Waiting Period and Parental Notification Before Termination of Minor's Pregnancy. Initiative Constitutional Amendment. ... No, f***ing way! Keep your laws off of my kids' bodies. No! BOOM
5 Nonviolent Drug Offenses Sentencing Parole and Rehabilitation. Since we've already voted on this in previous elections, I'll vote again. Yes. Boom. (if you look up 'quixotic' in the dictionary it describes the pursuit of justice in California as the most extreme example.)
6 Police and Law Enforcement Funding. Criminal Penalties and Laws. More jails and more ways to put people in jails while making it harder for local Police to do their jobs. No. Boom!
7 Renewable Energy Generation "Big Solar"- From what I read it's flawed. No. Boom. (We'll be voting on it again next year.)
8 Eliminates Right of Same Sex Couples to Marry. It says right there in the title, "Eliminates Right." People have the right to marry today This heinous jumble of words is seeking to deny people their basic civil rights. I'll go with a big fat f***ing No!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Boom. Take that, you hate mongers. You and the bigoted horse you rode in on can go back and deny people liberty, equality and justice in Hateoslavia or wherever it is you were spawned. No on 8. No on 8. No on 8!
(I voted "no" on Proposition 8.)
9 Criminal Justice System Victim's Rights Parole Initiative. Looks to be one (recently indicted) person's plan to make big changes with little net result. La Opinion says "no". (So do the LA Times, SF Chronicle, SD Union Tribune, Sacramento Bee and the OC Register
No. Boom.
10
******
Damn. How long is this ballot? Only 7 more to go. Sigh
******
Alternative Fuel Vehicles and Renewable Energy. "Big Wind" Let's see how T. Boone Pickens does with this idea in Texas before he lays it on us. No. Boom.
Side note: I'm all for renewable energy and believe in energy independence. (That's one of the reasons I voted for Debbie Cook above.) These two ballot measures are the kinds of things we get here in California. Someone paid signature gatherers to collect signatures out in front of Walmart and Target by saying, "Hey should we vote on renewable energy?" I probably signed the petitions myself. This does not mean that the people who signed knew what was behind the legislation.
A better measure will come along in March or June or next November. I promise.
11 Redistricting.
For: ACLU - Southern California
Against: U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer
Don't do this crap to me. Mom, Dad, Stop fighting!!!!!!!!!!
Schwarzenegger and Bloomberg (He gave $250,000 for some reason) are for it, so I'm going to have to go with our beloved Senator and say, "No." Boom. (It does not address congressional seats either, Also seems to codify the two major parties which is weird; 5 Democrats, 5 Republicans and 4 non. By 2020 everyone in CA will be in the Green Party or the Psycho Social Conservative Party, so making us use those other old parties does not make sense.)
12 Veterans Bond Act. Let me go ask those guys who live near the off ramp.... Yes. (It was decided unanimously by both houses of the Legislature to put it on the ballot.) Boom.
County Measures:
LA County.
R - Traffic Relief. 1/2 cent sales tax for 30 years. Yes. Boom. Regressive, but I like buses and synchronized traffic lights.
School.
Local unified.
K Classroom Repair. Student Safety Measure.
There's a sign in the front yard, saying, yes so I guess that's how I'll vote. Yes. Boom.
City
G Utility Users Tax Modernization. Tax cell phones like regular phones. Yes. Boom.
I City Infrastructure reinvestment. Now we have to pay for those new sidewalks? Sigh. Yes. Boom.
Finally. Done.
Okay Checking answers.
Obama, Check
Cook, Check [Did not vote for Rohrabacher phew.]
No on 4., Check
No on 8., Check
Okay. Putting the ballot in the holder.
Tearing off stub.
Putting secret holder thing in envelope.
Signing envelope.
Sealing envelope.
Putting Stamp on envelope.
There's some weird thing saying to print address. I did that even though it was already printed by the Registrar. Hmmmm.
Will mail tomorrow.
Woo!
Hey. Where's my little "I voted" sticker?
This was a great resource.
http://ballotpedia.org/...
* Please note the order of candidates may vary on your ballot.