State Ballot Measures - Statewide Results

Proposition Title		Yes Votes	%	No Votes	%
Yes	13 Property Taxes and Seismic Retrofit of Buildings	3,155,333	84.5%	581,305	15.5%
Yes	14 Primary Election Participation	2,050,398	54.2%	1,735,596	45.8%
No	15 California Fair Elections Act	1,575,147	42.6%	2,115,040	57.4%
No	16 Local Electricity Providers	1,800,205	47.4%	1,993,053	52.6%
No	17 Auto Insurance Pricing	1,820,336	47.8%	1,980,248	52.2%

Jeb Bush interview in Esquire on Health Care: "Under Obama, we're going to create a system that's not focused on quality; it's focused on access to care."

As opposed to now, where we have a system that's not focused on quality; it's focused on maximizing shareholder value. Both quality and access suffer.

When did we ever have a system focused on quality?

Each of these clips are pretty short.



There are some things that are perfectly ok to say if you're not vice-president.



Oh well, he's no Dan Quayle or Bingo Bob Russell.

Also, Robert Gibbs is no C.J. Cregg...

Chip Johnson, the SFGate Oakand correspondent runs a reasonable list of grievances against Mayor Dellums (masked as a comparison with Berkeley's Bates: Dellums should take some cues from Mayor Bates.

So really, upon reading this I'm wondering if we should be deciding between two unpalatable choices. Do we wait for another 19 months of this while Mayor Dellums fails to prevent the city falling around our ears, or do we recall a public servant who had a distinguished career with an ignominious end?

Some may disagree with me (heck, I don't think 'may' is the best word there). That's ok. We live in a representative republic, and we're all ultimately in the same boat. The CAUTION SHARED PATH icon is representative of that. I try to remember to use this icon when posting about political subjects, because it helps remind me that whichever road we're on as a nation, we're all on it together.

Bob Reich* says what I can't really find the time to say in A Short Citizen's Guide to Kooks, Demagogues, and Right-Wingers On Tax Day. It's true. Taxes are a good thing. They pay for all those things we often take for granted, like co-workers with basic reading skills, roads, and drinking water.

My brother's father-in-law noted on Saturday that the folks who grouse loudest are the same people who complain the most when there's a pothole in their cul-de-sac. I think he might have been talking about a specific person at the time. Anyway, sylphslider said it succinctly enough, "Hurray for paying taxes."

* I don't really call him Bob, though I'm told his friends do.

Roy Zimmerman, "Defenders of Marriage".

Professor Reich (former Secty. of Labor) wrote a post on his blog about the necessary priorities for the coming administration, specifically economics. He writes that since the economic downturn (mini-bagel, not a Great Bagel) is consumer based--which is to say that as consumer wages have failed so far to keep up with costs, consumers have eventually run out of money to spend--that the consumer economy won't improve unless those consumers actually get the money to start spending again. Since consumers account for 70@% of the economy, and investors aren't spending until the consumers will, then the government has to be the kick-start for the economy.

His rather Keynesian idea is that the way to fix the economy is to use government debt to give money to consumers in the form of infrastructure jobs. We should spend lots on infrastructure (you remember those crumbling roads, bridges, levees, ports, and trains?) which will have dual benefit of boosting the economy and making the economy better in the future (by way of better infrastructure).

It's elegant in its simplicity. There's more, but Prof. Reich does it better than I, so read the link above. Funny enough, this spring in Prof. Reich's class, I was tasked with putting together a public policy plan, and it was just this.

I went to last night's Rally Against 8 in San Francisco. It was a great experience, and I loved every minute of it, even the sore feet. I saw many friends and allies there, who were all determined to change this state for the better, returning equal rights to all who would marry.

I'll link to some photos later, but I just wanted to say that I was really pleased to have had the opportunity to add my voice to those who called out for justice.

I heard on KQED that they estimated that it was a thousand marchers at the rally last night. I'm assuming the number is only so small because they only counted people like me (heteros who could marry their loved ones if they want), but opted not to count the second-class citizens, too.

Here's one of my favorite No on Prop 8 vids. There's a bunch of them out there:


Oh, and other one? Priceless.

"I totally gotta Amend her!"



"She'd be even better with a little discrimination in her. You know what I mean?"

We looked at the schedule on that hateful site, so you don't have to:

10/27/2008	12:15 PM - 1:00 PM	Petaluma, CA	Coast Guard Training Center, Petaluma Valley Ford Rd & Tomales Rd.
10/27/2008	2:15 PM - 3:00 PM	San Francisco, CA	Indian Consulate, 540 Arguello Blvd
10/27/2008	3:15 PM - 3:45 PM	San Francisco, CA	German Consulate, 1960 Jackson Street
10/27/2008	5:00 PM - 7:00 PM	San Francisco, CA	Davies Symphony Hall

You know, in case you're in the area.