NEOBlog: Canonically Irrelevant

With the election coming up, I thought I'd weigh in on the propositions on the ballot in my good state of California, since there are so many of them and several seem to be quite the misleading.

Proposition 1: High-Speed Rail Bonds: YES
This is a great idea that's taken forever to make it to a ballot. High-speed rail is a clean, energy efficient mode of transportation that will severely cut down on travel time and costs between Los Angeles and San Francisco. The people involved have spent years developing this plan, and most of the money is already in place.

Proposition 2: Farm Animal Protection: YES
This will require humane treatment for farm animals and allow chickens and other animals to move around and not be confined to a tiny box. If we're going to eat animals, we should at least not be bastards about it.

Proposition 3: Children's Hospital Bond Act: NO
This one has tricky language, and obviously a no vote makes me seem like I hate children, but apparently there was an act like this a few years ago that passed in which the money allocated has yet to be completely used up. I don't think redundant spending is something we need right now.

Proposition 4: Parent Notification of Abortion: NO
There is some tricky language here as well, however I've always felt that the law should stay out of this kind of an issue. While I don't condone abortion as a method of birth control, restricting teens and forcing them to notify their parents will only lead them to less legal, more dangerous methods of obtaining an abortion.

Proposition 5: Nonviolent Drug Offenses/Parole Restructuring: YES
The main reason this is on the ballot is due to the apparent overcrowding of our jail and prison system that is costing our state more money than it should. Keep in mind that this is all for generally noviolent crimes. It also establishes drug treatment facilities and rehab centers.

Proposition 6: Law Enforcement Funding: NO
As much as I hate to deny our law enforcement funding, this doesn't solve the root of the criminal problem. Also a yes vote on 5 makes part of this redundant. We need to work with what we already have available to us.

Proposition 7: Renewable Energy Initiative: NO
This seems like a good idea in theory, however it imposes way too many restrictions way too quickly. There is already a renewable energy incentive in place that will force companies to use more of it. A constant failure of so many green initiatives is the inability to think long term. It sounds great to turn every energy company into a green company that runs on cow pies, however forcing the issue with such a quick time frame will have disastrous effects on the economy. Moving towards greener industries must be done with careful planning.

Proposition 8: Elimination of Right for Same-Sex Marriages: NO
This should be a non-issue. I understand the traditional, religious definition of marriage, but this obviously extends beyond that. If we're going to allow people of all different religions and beliefs to marry, there should be NO reason why homosexual couples can't get married either. Sure civil unions allow the same thing, in writing, but it's obviously not the same thing in the minds of those couples. If heterosexual couples can have unhappy marriages with divorce, then homosexuals should be able to have happy marriages. All of the reasons about protecting our families and the sanctity of marriage is complete and udder bullshit and is just thinly veiled religious-based discrimination. I guarantee the vast majority of gay families will be a hell of a lot more functional than hetero ones.

Proposition 9: Victim's Rights Ammendment: NO
It seems as though victims already have many rights regarding their cases. I'm not exactly sure what the benefit of this would be.

Proposition 10: Alternative Fuel Vehicle Initiatives: NO
People are already aware of our energy crisis, and sales figures show that they are buying more fuel efficient cars without the government's help. Let the money go someplace else.

Proposition 11: Redistricting Initiative: YES
This allows redistricting to occur based on lines drawn by an independent commission made up of citizens, not politicians.

Proposition 12: Veteran's Bond: YES
This provides farm and home aid for California veterans. Our vets already have a hard enough time as it is, being veterans and all.

Feel free to lambaste my three cents!