California Propositions

Once again, Tom McClintock is channeling me and making exactly the recommendations I would. Well, at least I think I’ll go along with him on Prop 6. His reasoning on each seems solid. Here he is, with my two cents in italics:

Prop. 1A High Speed Rail Bond.  NO: This is the most outrageously expensive boondoggle in California’s long history of outrageously expensive boondoggles.  The ultimate cost of this project could end up exceeding $90 billion – or $10,000 per family – all for a train that goes from Los Angeles to San Francisco in two hours longer than it takes to fly.  It’s brought to you by the same folks who botched Boston’s “Big Dig.”  (I’m one of the official opponents of this measure.)

Prop. 2 Farm Animals.  NO: Sorry, but farm animals are food, not friends.  Plan on somewhat happier cows and much higher grocery bills if this one passes.

Prop. 3 Hospital Bond. NO: Here’s a rather cynical measure that uses children as a front in order to lavish taxpayer funds on private hospital corporations.

Prop. 4 Parental Notification.  YES: Parents must give written consent before their teenage daughters use a tanning booth or get their ears pierced.  This measure simply requires them to be notified if their daughter is having an abortion.

Prop.5 Non-violent drug offenses.  NO: The fatal flaw in this otherwise decent measure would allow criminals to use their drug offense for leniency for other non-drug-related crimes.

And note that George Soros is paying for the ads.

Prop. 6 Police and Law Enforcement Funding. YES: This is a tough call.  My favorite provision is prohibiting the release on bail of illegal aliens charged with violent crimes.  Its principal purpose is to lock up an increasing portion of the state budget for local law enforcement.  Law enforcement should be government’s top priority, but I don’t like auto-pilot spending or using state resources for local programs.  I also don’t like its weakening of the hearsay rule.  On balance I think it does more good than harm, but it’s a very mixed bag.

My usual default position is “when in doubt, vote No on everything.” I worry about the mixed bag.

Prop.7 Renewable Energy Subsidies.  NO: This will send electricity prices through the roof.  It requires the most expensive energy generation to comprise 20 percent of our electricity needs.  Government should get out of the way and let simple economics determine the mix of energy generation in this state.

Any time they want you to vote for something the market is supposed to do, vote No!

Prop. 8 Defense of Marriage Act. YES: Marriage is a unique institution in which a man and a woman summon a child into the world – creating a unique tapestry of responsibilities.  Our marriage laws are designed to support those responsibilities and are simply inapplicable to any other kind of relationship.  Lincoln asked, “If you call a tail a leg, how many legs has a dog?  The answer is four.  Calling a tail a leg doesn’t make it one.”  And calling a homosexual partnership a marriage doesn’t make it one.

The family is the basic unit of society. Marriage is something we’ve evolved with, just as much as any other part of society. It really is the bedrock of civilization. Don’t mess with it. And don’t open the door to dangerous substitutes like polygamy.

Prop. 9 Parole Reform. YES: This requires the victim to be considered when a suspect’s bail is being set or a criminal’s parole is being determined.  About bloody time.

Prop 10 Fuel Subsidies.  NO: This $5 billion bond will cost taxpayers $10 billion with interest to subsidize “alternative fuel vehicles” and “renewable energy.”  I’m all for alternative fuel vehicles and renewable energy as long as the consumers who want them pay for them.  But don’t reach into my pocket to pay for somebody else’s choice.

Again – this is the market’s job. Anything that can’t survive without subsidies should be strangled. This is nothing but socialism or, as it’s now called, “spreading the wealth around.”

Prop 11 Redistricting.  YES: This should be the all-time no brainer: voters should choose their politicians and not the other way around.  This measure takes redistricting out of the hands of the legislature, removing an obvious conflict of interest.

Oh, please let this pass.

Prop 12 Veterans Bond Act.  YES: This is a self-liquidating bond (meaning taxpayers aren’t on the hook) to assist veterans with home purchases.  The state has done this for many years and it has never cost taxpayers a dime.  I co-authored this one.

Update:

For some reason lots of folks are finding their way here after the election. I welcome you all and suggest you may want to see what silver linings I found in the results.