News What is the aim of the proposed law and order tax and transit expansion?

[Ivan Seeking]

We had an initiative that will prevent government seizures of property, via eminent domain, for purposes private development. I really liked seeing that one. A big fat aye for that one!

I have a new approach to law and order taxes. I have always supported taxes for law enforcement, but I think there are simply too many laws, so I have decided to vote against all taxes used to support these laws. If the police have less money they will be forced to prioritize and worry about the important issues.

 

[Skyhunter]

Oh that is easy.

City of Berkeley advisory measure H.

Shall the City of Berkeley petition the United States House of Representatives to initiate proceedings for the impeachment and removal from office of President George W. Bush and Vice President Richard B. Cheney and call upon the California State Legislature to submit a Resolution in support of impeachment to the United States House of Representatives?

 

[Apost8]

Oh that is easy.

City of Berkeley advisory measure H.

Oh man I wish I was voting in your district.

 

[Skyhunter]

Oh man I wish I was voting in your district.

Not that it will make a difference, but it sure felt good!

 

[turbo]

Here in Maine, we are voting on a Taxpayer's Bill of Rights that would cap spending at local and state levels with a formula based on population growth and inflation. Right now, Mainers pay about the highest percentage of personal income in state and local taxes (we have been either first or second in the nation in that regard for a number of years). Opponents have been screaming that firemen, police, and teachers will be hurt by this measure. That's pure crap. Every level of government soaks up all the money they can get, and spends every bit of it. It's time that our government learned to live on a budget, like all the citizens have to.

As an example, when you drive by the Elementary school in this tiny town, the parking lot is full. Since the kids can't drive, I can only surmise that there must be at least 3-4 adults per classroom. When I was in grade school, there was one teacher for every two grades, no teacher's aides, one janitor and one of the teachers was the acting principal. Somehow, when we joined up with kids from other towns in Junior High and HS, our little town was very well-represented academically (and in the band, chorus etc, despite having only a circuit music teacher come in one day a week). Since education in this state is paid for by property taxes and is the lion's share of every town's budget, there is plenty of room to save money without causing undue hardship. You wouldn't know it to hear the ads from the opposition, though. In our former town of residence, there was a beautiful brick school building in the center of town. It used to be the High School, until a new HS was built, then it housed the Junior High. The building was allowed to fall into disrepair, while the administration cried about the need for a new Junior High School. Well, they got one, located out of town, near the HS and the brand-new elementary school, so now practically every child in town has to be bussed to school. A developer picked up the old school building for a song, while the taxpayers saw their taxes go up yet again (ours went up over 30% in one year). We no longer live in that town.

 

[loseyourname]

Light rail through Sonoma and Marin counties down to San Francisco.

 

[turbo]

Well, the taxpayer bill of rights failed to pass, so spending at the state, county, and municipal levels will continue to rise unchecked. We Mainers are already about the most heavily-taxed people in the country, and I fail to see how a cap on how fast spending can rise would be a bad thing. Apparently, enough voters bought the Chicken Little stories in the opposition's ads. If someone told me that my income was going to be increased with the rate of inflation and the cost of living, I'd be very happy, but the people in our local governments saw that kind of limit as a dangerous thing and put out dire warnings about cuts in education, fire protection, police protection, etc, none of which would have been necessary with tax revenues at current levels and yearly adjustments for inflation and population growth.

 

[selfAdjoint]

The ballot initiatives on gay marriage and capital punishment both passed, and will become part of the Wisconsin constitution next year, though the professor interviewed on Wisconsin NPR didn't know just when. He explects a lot of litigation over the weasel words in the gay marriage bann (you can'y hav gay-theme union that it "substantailly similar" to traditional maariage. What that means will be up to the courts.

The death penalty initiative allows capital punishment only if the evidence includes DNA matching. That is so dumb! DNA research is a rapidly evolving field, and who's to say that in a year or two there won't be a challenge to some particular piece of DNA testimony, and that it will be upheld.

I think both of these propositions are possibly federally unconstitutional, if not on 14th amendment grounds then under "too broad and unclear".

 

[moose]

The smoking ban got passed over here. You will no longer be able to smoke in public indoor places! I will be able to go bowling without having smoke puffed in my face. woot

Illegal immigrants now have a lot less rights than they did before. Also a good thing.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

The eminent domain intiative passed as I had hoped.

I don't understand the support for allowing pregnant teens to have abortions without notification of the parents. Intiatives disallowing this practice were shot down in quite a few states I think, including Oregon.

 

[Gokul43201]

I don't understand the support for allowing pregnant teens to have abortions without notification of the parents.

Abusive parents; parents whose religious beliefs are in conflict with their children's futures; parents who can't be bothered; parents who will likely shoot before asking questions...there's all kinds.

 

[Gokul43201]

Light rail through Sonoma and Marin counties down to San Francisco.

...for when your blood-wine level is too high to drive home safely?

...I fail to see how a cap on how fast spending can rise would be a bad thing.

One objection I heard (to what was likely the same proposal in another state) involves a detail in the calculation which determines a particular year's cap based on inflation rates, and the previous year's spending (not the previous year's cap!). Did the Mainers get that flaw fixed? Also, what provisions does this rule make for emergency spending?

 

[gravenewworld]

We just have had a long fight over banning smoking everywhere in Philadelphia and it passed (thank god). Smoke free bars are sooooo much better.

Living in a major city, you also have the problem of some residents who refuse to pay their energy bills. It is illegal to cut off power or heat to them for safety reasons, yet currently the state/city has no authority to do anything about it. I am all for seizure of property, putting a lean on a home, or docking paychecks on people who don't pay their utilities. Philadelphia Gas and Water (PGW) has increased the rates for those who actually pay their bills because the costs from the non-paying customers gets pushed onto the customers that do pay. It really pisses me off.

 

[loseyourname]

...for when your blood-wine level is too high to drive home safely?

It would mostly be for commuters. In my case, getting down to San Fran on the weekends without having to drive would be nice, although I don't go down much as it is. It apparently did pass, rather surprisingly. Every time a similar measure had come up before, Sonoma county had passed it, but Marin county would not.

I actually couldn't vote on it, as I'm still registered in Los Angeles county, but I certainly would have voted yes.

 

[Skyhunter]

It would mostly be for commuters. In my case, getting down to San Fran on the weekends without having to drive would be nice, although I don't go down much as it is. It apparently did pass, rather surprisingly. Every time a similar measure had come up before, Sonoma county had passed it, but Marin county would not.

I actually couldn't vote on it, as I'm still registered in Los Angeles county, but I certainly would have voted yes.

Is this is part of a larger plan to expand transit and build high density, mixed use transit villages?

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Oh that is easy.

City of Berkeley advisory measure H.

...well?

 

[Gokul43201]

...well?

Yes - 69%

http://www.acgov.org/jsp_app/rov/current_election/nofrace.jsp?f=331105.htm

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Yes - 69%

http://www.acgov.org/jsp_app/rov/current_election/nofrace.jsp?f=331105.htm

WOW! Thanks.

In 2004, in Nancy Pelosi's district, Bush got 15% of the vote.

 

[Gokul43201]

WOW! Thanks.

In 2004, in Nancy Pelosi's district, Bush got 15% of the vote.

That's pretty close to what he got in all of DC.

Edit: He got 9% - http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/DC/

 

[loseyourname]

Is this is part of a larger plan to expand transit and build high density, mixed use transit villages?

To be honest, I'm not certain. The measure itself simply created a quarter-cent sales tax to fund a smart-rail line from Sonoma County down to the bay region of Marin County (I'm not sure of the exact start and terminus). I don't know to what extent it would be integrated with existing mass-transit, if at all, or if there are hopes of further expanding it.