Posted on 10/08/2004 12:35:18 PM PDT by StoneColdGOP
McClintock on the Propositions
I've been getting a lot of calls about the various ballot propositions.
Here's how I see them:
1A. Watered Down Protection for Local Governments. YES, I suppose. Extends limited protection to local governments against future raids by the state AFTER the state finishes ripping off another $2.6 billion over the next two years. I support it because the protections are a slight improvement over existing law, but if you really want to protect local governments, Prop. 65 is the ticket.
59. Public Records, Open Meetings. YES. Louis Brandeis said it best: "Sunlight is the best of disinfectants." Public business should be public.Period.
60. The Right to the Party of Your Choice. YES. This measure guarantees all parties access to the general election ballot, and was written to knock out Prop. 62.
60A. Selling Long-term Assets for Short-term Spending. NO. Sounds good on the surface - sell surplus state property to pay for general fund spending. Here's my problem: when surplus assets are sold - and they should be - the funds should be used for the purpose for which they were raised. For example, Caltrans land was paid for by highway taxes. When it's sold, it should be used to build highways, not pay for this year's welfare increase.
61. Children's Hospitals Bond. NO. Our borrowing is out of control - general fund supported debt is up 54 percent in 14 months. No matter how appealing the purpose, California needs to stop borrowing until it has brought its credit card binge under control.
62. Election Primaries. NO. They call it an "Open Primary," but what this really does is to trade California's primary election system for a two-step general election. The result: the power to determine the official party nominee is taken away from the voters in the primary and returned to backroom political bosses. A giant step backward from clean and open elections.
63. Soak the Rich - And Then Us. NO. An extra tax on those making over $1 million might sound good to the rest of us - but beware. California's taxes are already so disproportionate that the top 1Ú4 of 1 percent of income taxpayers pays nearly one third of all income taxes. It doesn't take many of them re-arranging their affairs to claim residency in Nevada (where there is NO income tax), before there's a dramatic reduction in tax revenues. And guess who they'll tax then?
64. Honest Work for Lawyers. YES. Puts an end to predatory law firms that extort money by filing huge lawsuits against employers for technical violations of law. About time.
65. Real Local Government Protection. YES. A lost cause - the proponents have abandoned this measure in favor of Prop. 1A - but if you believe in protecting local government funds from continued raids by the state, this is the measure that will do so.
66. Weakens Three Strikes Law. NO. Under current law, in order to qualify for a third strike, you have to be convicted TWICE before for VIOLENT felonies. This bill requires the THIRD strike also be a violent felony. Call me prudish, but after a thug has been twice convicted of raping, assaulting and murdered his fellow citizens, I'm out of patience. California's Three Strikes Law works. Don't weaken it.
67. Phone Tax. NO. A half-billion tax increase - about $60 a year for an average family in both direct taxes and tax-driven price increases. Who says talk is cheap?
68. Casino Grande. NO. I don't believe it's any of government's business how grown-ups chose to spend their time and money as long as they're not hurting anyone. But I object to the extortionate provisions of the measure that would force Indian tribes to accept outlandish conditions or face financial ruin.
69. DNA Samples. YES. Requires DNA samples to be taken from all felons and criminal suspects. It means that violent crimes will become much easier to solve - and with far greater certainty than ever before. It will give "Cold Case Files" lots of new material.
70. De-politicize Tribal Gaming. YES. Provides a standard gaming compact for any legitimate Indian tribe that asks for it, assessing the corporate tax rate while restoring a free market to operations on Indian land. It would remove gaming from the tortured political environment that now has pitted tribe against tribe in winning monopoly franchises. A standardized system is the best protection against the unjust political favoritism that we're seeing today.
71. Stem Cell Research. NO. Stem cell research is a promising field, but why are California taxpayers suddenly responsible for funding research for the rest of the world? Worse, any discussion of research data when making research grants is exempt from the Open Meetings Act and the Open Records Act. Want to know what your $3 billion has bought? Sorry, that's confidential.
72. Health Care Coverage. NO. Here's a great idea. Require every business with more than 20 employees to provide health insurance.
My guess: a lot of businesses with between 20 and 40 employees will suddenly have 19 -and an awful lot of folks will be without health care OR jobs. We're from the government and we're here to help.
Yeah, I have a copy of that history book. It also says John Kerry was a war hero.
I think it is a no brainer to keep the DNA of convicted felons. Suspects who are later released and not tried should not have their DNA kept.
I'm so glad you posted this! I just got my absentee form yesterday so now I am good to go!!
F.Y.I.!
Now I'd like to explore which is the right decision for California, independent of McClintock.
<pHow manevolent of you. I only wish some others were as open minded and less prone to hurling insults at Tom or anyone who is voicing support for Tom, be they well versed in his positions, motives or whatever.
Where did you see that? It's not in this proposition. The proposed law says it must be a federally recognized tribe on existing reservation land. The only involvement of the Secretary of the Interior would be when a tribe requests that new land be considered to be put in trust. That process is subject to separate federal laws and doesn't have anything to do with this law. From what I have read, the feds don't approve the tribal gaming compacts; that responsibility lies with the Governor. The state legislature, however, must ratify them. On the surface, I don't have a problem with the SEC. 6 severability provision.
Bump
Thanks for posting. Bump for later print for reference...
Why do you think that tribes should be 'taxed' at a higher rate than a corporation in the state of California?
Gambling is an industry and should be treated as such, not as a new found cash cow to further indulge socialistic leaders and legislators.
Why wouldn't you want to de-politize the gaming industry in CA ..??
65 is a MUST VOTE YES!
Otherwise the legislature doesn't have to have voter approval .. THAT'S NUTS! That means the state can say to the local cities - too bad, we're going to reduce your revenue amount this year. We cannot allow the state to do that without our express approval.
And you're right .. 68 is a NO!
Good grief .. just look at the title and it should immediately cause you to see downtown Las Vegas .. it says: NON-TRIBAL COMMERCIAL GAMBLING EXPANSION.
NO thank you! I do not want CA to become another Las Vegas. This measure is to expand gambling off the reservation.
THIS IS WHY PEOPLE SHOULD VOTE NO ON 68!!
I'm not "hurling insults" at McClintock and most certainly not at his apologists, though I certainly could.
The fact remains though that he has been paid for by Gaming Tribes, and I'm not the only one to notice this. I'm also quite aware that he tried to play the spoiler in the recall and he robbed Arnold of a clear majority in his win. I'm not ever going to forgive him or his supporters for this.
Now, being that McClintock is against the card club measure and for the Indian gaming measure, it seems to be that he might not be objective here. Arnold is against both. Measure 70 calls for a 99-year compact at the tribes' request. I can't see this as being good policy. The fiscal impact is unknown, and 99 years is way too long for a measure with unknown consequences. I cannot see McClintock being for such an anti-free market, fiscally irresponsible bill unless he has sold out his principles for Indian gaming money again.
Hey, there still tryig to get used to whitey's rules, OK. ;-)
Would it offend you if I said I am against almost everything aRnold does.. until he defines 'special interest',, and quits playing the game he has been playing.. imo, He has become nothing more than davi$ heavy or make that davi$ lite.
They just discussed all the props on Hugh Hewitt. No on everything except 70
No, that wouldn't offend me. I would respect your opinion though I would personally view it as quite a bit of hyperbole. Of course it's a moot question because I know you couldn't possibly believe that and are just trying to get me riled.
Why do some here forget we live in a land of free speech? Must we always be insulted for having contrary positions?
aRnie has thick skin, maybe some of his supporters should grow some too. ;-)
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