If You Don't Know, Vote NO!

My TrumpNation Guide To California Ballot Propositions.

In the off chance that Hillary won't destroy the Republic if elected or that Donald Trump will benefit from a miracle from God, there are propositions in California that have the potential to do more damage.  My policy positions align with Trump's in that we seek to end to the endless corruption whereby globalist corporations use the forces of government to screw ordinary (that is deplorable) Americans.  Since most ballot propositions proceed from these monied interests or the from the Democratic party, but I repeat myself, follow this simple advice.  If you don't know, Vote No!

Proposition 51. $9 billion in bonds for education and schools. NO
More money for the rat hole of the public education system. Privatizing all schools will kill the teacher's unions, a never ending source of corruption in politics.

Proposition 52. Voter approval of changes to the hospital fee program. NO
It's supposed to save MediCal, so No.  Also, every time we make it harder to use legislative discretion to balance the budget, it is used as an excuse to raise taxes.

Proposition 53. Projects that cost more than $2 billion. YES
Forces a public vote on revenue bonds over $2 billion.  Revenue bonds are supposed to be paid for by future income, which never actually shows up.  This might help reign in the legislature.

Proposition 54. Conditions under which legislative bills can be passed. YES
Publish legislation on the internet for 72 hours prior to a vote.  Sure, why not, just adds to the late Friday bad news dump we're already used to.

Proposition 55. Personal income tax increases on incomes over $250,000. NO
We haven't driven enough business owners and upper middle class out of California?

Proposition 56. Increase the cigarette tax by $2.00 per pack. NO
Of course, they are coming after all you #Deplorables who smoke.  As we have seen in New York City with the death of Eric Garner, cigarette taxes kill.

Proposition 57. Felons convicted of non-violent crimes. NO
More loosening up of criminal justice system, which is already a disaster.  We saw a surge in shoplifting from the last Proposition 47 which reduces sentencing for smaller crimes.

Proposition 58. Repeal ban on Bilingual education in public schools. NO
We're in America, speak English.  Also, English immersion has helped Hispanics assimilate, so the left is pissed and wants to keep them down.

Proposition 59. Repeal the First Amendment. NO
Directs the California delegation to work to overturn Citizens United.

Proposition 60.  Require the use of condoms in pornographic films. NO
Are you f***ing kidding me?  Also, this would make the real names of pornographic film performers public, because... who knows.

Proposition 61.  Prescription drug price regulations. NO
Make the state pay less for drugs. How? Who knows? Unintended consequences?  

Proposition 62. Repeal the death penalty. YES
I don't trust the government to fairly administer the death penalty.  Also, look at all the special circumstances that merit consideration of the penalty; how much longer before being a #deplorable merits death?

Proposition 63. Background checks for ammunition purchases. NO
You bitter clingers aren't getting enough police state surveillance? Take this.

Proposition 64. Legalization of marijuana and hemp. NO
Here is where I change from conservative-libertarian to nationalist. Marijuana isn't good for productivity of working class and upper middle class Americans.  We need to change the culture on this as well.  KTCat would approve of my change of heart.

Proposition 65. Grocery and retail carry-out bags. NO
I have no idea what this is, but the left is saying No, so that Proposition 67 can pass, which is more stupider.  I say vote No on all of them.

Proposition 66. Speed Up Death penalty procedures. NO
Speeds up death penalty procedures.  Since I oppose death penalty, I also oppose this.

Proposition 67. Prohibition on plastic single-use carryout bags. NO
How am I supposed to pick up dog poop without left over plastic bags.  I reuse all the plastic bags i get from the grocery store, so all of the arguments for this are lies.

State and Local Election Results

I was surprised and disappointed by state and local election results.  Filner's victory is really bad news for the city.  I boldly predict he will undermine the implementation of Proposition B.  Most likely, he will block the city's defense of the legal assault on the initiative by the unions.  His victory was not a landslide, but 3% is still substantial.   He doesn't care that the city will be bankrupt in a decade, he'll be probably be addled or six feet under by then.  We will see how well the real fiscal constraints he inherits inhibit his ability to reward his union supporters.  With Filner winning, it seemed inevitable that Bilbray would lose, but its still very close.  We'll see if a principled conservative can defeat Peters in 2014.  Who is ready for that challenge?

Proposition 30's victory also surprised me.  It's victory defied the trend of tax increases not passing when more than one is on the ballot.  It passed well beyond what polling would have indicated.  Make no mistake, these tax increases will not raise the revenue promised, will not be temporary and will hurt the poor more than the rich because of the sales tax hike.  Hard to imagine that it won with 54% of the vote, but there you go.  How soon will the state hit the fiscal wall?

Most of my proposition recommendations went down to defeat.  A couple of exceptions were the revision of the three strikes law and genetically engineered food labeling.

Results from the state office.  Changed the color of the props to indicate how I did, red, I lost and green my position won:

Proposition Title			Yes Votes	%	No Votes	%
Yes	30	Temporary Taxes to Fund Education	4,967,039	53.9%	4,251,558	46.1%
No	31	State Budget, State and Local Government	3,376,286	39.2%	5,229,659	60.8%
No	32	Political Contributions by Payroll Deduction	3,983,603	43.9%	5,094,492	56.1%
No	33	Auto Insurance Prices Based on Driver History	4,056,302	45.4%	4,879,954	54.6%
No	34	Death Penalty	4,276,463	47.2%	4,787,677	52.8%
Yes	35	Human Trafficking	7,324,721	81.1%	1,701,734	18.9%
Yes	36	Three Strikes Law	6,193,431	68.6%	2,832,602	31.4%
No	37	Genetically Engineered Foods Labeling	4,285,787	46.9%	4,845,291	53.1%
No	38	Tax for Education. Early Childhood Programs	2,493,398	27.7%	6,509,127	72.3%
Yes	39	Business Tax for Energy Funding	5,305,400	60.0%	3,530,537	40.0%
Yes	40	Redistricting State Senate	6,081,071	71.4%	2,431,524	28.6%

Eventually this state will come to its senses, or run out of money.

My Tea Party California Proposition Ballot Recommendations

Voting by mail has started and as promised, I have put my recommendations for the ballot propositions in one post.  I consider myself a tea partyer, but the tea party is not an official organization, so my recommendations are my own.  I reviewed recommendations from Temple of Mut, LeftCoastRebel, Richard Rider and Ballotpedia as part of research for these recommendations.

Proposition 30. Jerry Brown's Tax Increase. NO
The California Teacher's Association is by far the biggest donor to this initiative, which is all we need to know to vote against it, as they are the nexus of evil, the very nadir to all that is good in politics in this state (and their ain't much good.)  Brown is hinting at horrible outcomes, like closing schools, if this initiative doesn't pass.  Since it won't, I hope he makes good.  One argument in favor is a bald face lie, that only the rich will pay, because this increases sales taxes that the poor pay.  California's schools are terrible, and not for lack of funding. SLOB consensus is also NO.

Proposition 31. Two Year Budget Cycle. YES
This is not a perfect proposition, but it's not all bad.  It reforms some of the state budget processes and shifts some revenue to local government while taking it away from Sacramento and gives local government some tools to fight unfunded mandates.  I don't like the two year cycle, which will be used by the legislature to cook the books, even worse.  The question is how much worse could it get?   That's a judgement call and call me a cock-eyed optimist, but I don't think the legislature and the governor could screw things up any more than they have done to date. SLOB consensus is mixed.

Proposition 32. Paycheck Protection Initiative. YES
I am not a fan of banning contributions to political campaigns by classes of organizations, but restrictions on corporations are already in place.  This proposition prohibits corporations and unions from donating directly to political campaigns with money collected from employee payroll deductions.  In general, this is a good idea, but the unions hate it.  Once again, the CTA is the biggest donor fighting this proposition.  This has a chance of becoming somewhat of a Wisconsin style reform that turns the tide against union control of state government.  SLOB consensus is YES.

Proposition 33. Some Technical Changes to Auto Insurance. YES
I can barely bring myself to care, since insurance companies shouldn't be subject to this kind of micro-management of their policies in the first place.  The changes make sense because they give the insurers some more options to reward good behavior and give military a chance to retain favored treatment if their coverage lapses due to deployment.  SLOB consensus is YES.

Proposition 34. Death Penalty Repeal. YES
I will state upfront that I am out of synch with many tea partyers on this one.  I feel deeply and passionately that the death penalty should be repealed.  Even though some crimes are so heinous as to deserve death, it is not good for our society to suffer that any should die with the acquiescence or action of the government.  I oppose abortion, euthanasia and the ACA on the same basis.  Some quotes from a previous post on the subject:

The tea party is nothing if not skeptical of government. Yet through the death penalty, we entrust to government the ultimate power of deciding the life or death of American citizens. I do not trust that our institutions of justice can apply the penalty fairly or without error. The thought of a man (and it is usually men) who would be wrongfully put to death is too horrible to contemplate. Yet, we have any number of cases where those on death row have been exonerated. My skepticism of government leads me to conclude that it cannot be trusted with a task such as deciding life and death, even of criminals.

SLOBs consensus is NO.

Proposition 35. Human Trafficking. NO
Human traffickers are the scum of the earth, but there are plenty of laws that already provide punishment.  I oppose any law that subverts the rule of law enshrined in the constitution.  This law limits defendants rights to cross-examination and could taint those not connected to the crime of trafficking.  Temple of Mut points out that the costs of enforcement are probably wildly underestimated.  SLOB consensus is mixed.


Proposition 36. Limits on Three Strikes Law. YES
I was never a big fan of the three strikes law, but I was more angry at career criminals being returned to the streets, so I supported that effort.  This is a reasonable attempt to reign in some of the absurd outcomes that have come out of that law.  It imposes the third strike life sentence only when the offense is violent or involved sex, drug or weapons related charges.  That seems sensible to me; the prisons are already overcrowded, I would only like to ensure that violent felons are in prison for life.  This is a management trade-off, given limited resources.  SLOB consensus is mixed, but leaning no.

Proposition 37. Mandatory Labeling - Genetic Engineered Food. NO
I don't need to do much research to know that this is more busybody legislation that will only drive up the price of food with compliance costs for agriculture and business.  Man has been genetically altering food since we planted the first crops millenia ago, all that has changed are the specific methods.  LeftCoastRebel points out that some genetic engineering reduces the need for pesticides, so shouldn't the greenies be for that?  Of course not, they only want to appear to help the environment as they tighten their grubby little socialist paws in a stranglehold on the economy.  SLOB consensus is a resounding NO.

Proposition 38. Molly Munger's Even Worser Tax Increase. NO
Since Governor Brown isn't really left wing enough to appease the California left, we actually need higher taxes than he is proposing in Proposition 30, according to the authors of this little gem.  Not content to raise taxes on "the rich," this proposition would raise taxes on most everyone.  SLOB consensus is NO.  By the way, I am happy to see two tax hikes on the ballot.  Conventional wisdom, supported by research says this makes it more likely that both will be defeated, see Ballotpedia.

Proposition 39. Complicating the CA Tax Code Further to Drive More Business Away. NO
I only had to read this line to know I would be opposing this measure: "Initially, this extra revenue would fund green energy projects, construction projects, public schools, and boost the state’s general fund."  Our very own Solyndra, funded by making life hell for businesses that have a partial presence in California.  How special.

Proposition 40. Confusing Measure Regarding State Senate Districts. NO
Here is a case where yes appears to mean no.  Voting for this measure would affirm the State Senate districts and No would overturn them.  Chris Reed documented the underhanded way in which these districts were drawn.  The question is whether overturning and letting the legislature or some other body redraw them is worth the effort.  Also, weighing on this vote is the fact that the State Supreme Court has already affirmed the redistricting process.  I am recommending NO simply as a protest against the way the process worked.  SLOB consensus is YES.

My Tea Party California Proposition Recommendations - Part 2

Here are my second set of ballot recommendations for California's November election.  I will put them all together in a single post later.  I reviewed recommendations from Temple of Mut, LeftCoastRebel, Richard Rider and Ballotpedia as part of research for these recommendations.

Proposition 36. Limits on Three Strikes Law. YES
I was never a big fan of the three strikes law, but I was more angry at career criminals being returned to the streets, so I supported that effort.  This is a reasonable attempt to reign in some of the absurd outcomes that have come out of that law.  It imposes the third strike life sentence only when the offense is violent or involved sex, drug or weapons related charges.  That seems sensible to me; the prisons are already overcrowded, I would only like to ensure that violent felons are in prison for life.  This is a management trade-off, given limited resources.  SLOB consensus is mixed, but leaning no.

Proposition 37. Mandatory Labeling - Genetic Engineered Food. NO
I don't need to do much research to know that this is more busybody legislation that will only drive up the price of food with compliance costs for agriculture and business.  Man has been genetically altering food since we planted the first crops millenia ago, all that has changed are the specific methods.  LeftCoastRebel points out that some genetic engineering reduces the need for pesticides, so shouldn't the greenies be for that?  Of course not, they only want to appear to help the environment as they tighten their grubby little socialist paws in a stranglehold on the economy.  SLOB consensus is a resounding NO.

Proposition 38. Molly Munger's Even Worser Tax Increase. NO
Since Governor Brown isn't really left wing enough to appease the California left, we actually need higher taxes than he is proposing in Proposition 30, according to the authors of this little gem.  Not content to raise taxes on "the rich," this proposition would raise taxes on most everyone.  SLOB consensus is NO.  By the way, I am happy to see two tax hikes on the ballot.  Conventional wisdom, supported by research says this makes it more likely that both will be defeated, see Ballotpedia.

Proposition 39. Complicating the CA Tax Code Further to Drive More Business Away. NO
I only had to read this line to know I would be opposing this measure: "Initially, this extra revenue would fund green energy projects, construction projects, public schools, and boost the state’s general fund."  Our very own Solyndra, funded by making life hell for businesses that have a partial presence in California.  How special.

Proposition 40. Confusing Measure Regarding State Senate Districts. NO
Here is a case where yes appears to mean no.  Voting for this measure would affirm the State Senate districts and No would overturn them.  Chris Reed documented the underhanded way in which these districts were drawn.  The question is whether overturning and letting the legislature or some other body redraw them is worth the effort.  Also, weighing on this vote is the fact that the State Supreme Court has already affirmed the redistricting process.  I am recommending NO simply as a protest against the way the process worked.  SLOB consensus is YES.

California State Propositions Ballot Recommendations

My ballot recommendations for the state propositions are the same as that of the Southern California Tax Revolt Coalition with one exception.

PROP 19 - B-Daddy Yes, SoCal Tax Revolt - NO

Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010
• Regardless of one’s position on Marijuana use, this initiative creates an ENTIRELY NEW BUREAUCRACY (i.e. new state employees) to regulate the industry.

• B-Daddy's response. We will never end drug prohibition unless we first move through some regulation, just like we have with alcohol. Doesn't make it right, just being realistic about what is needed to end the drug war.
  

PROP 20 - YES

Redistricting of Congressional Districts
• A voter-approved independent Citizens Redistricting Commission, vs. politicians, will be in charge of REDISTRICTING OF CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS in addition to drawing state legislative districts.

PROP 21 - NO

Vehicle License Fee for Parks Act
• Would increase vehicle license fees in the state by $18 a year on most vehicles in order to raise about $500 million a year in a dedicated fund for the state's 278 parks. Drivers will be allowed to enter parks for free, but fees INSIDE parks will increase. Just another Car Tax, not budget reform.

PROP 22 - NO

The Local Taxpayer, Public Safety, and Transportation Protection Act
• Trickiest measure on the ballot. Worthy intentions of sending tax dollars back to local governments, but the ACTUAL LANGUAGE will codify redevelopment agencies and severely restrict how local governments can use their own tax dollars. Strengthens eminent domain powers. Needs a re-write.

PROP 23 - YES * YES * YES

Initiative to Suspend AB 32, the Global Warming Act of 2006
• Would suspend AB32 until unemployment drops to 5.5 percent or less for a full year. AB32 is Cap & Trade...a massive tax and regulation scheme that will cost California 1.1 Million jobs and the average family upwards of $3000 in added household expenses every year. Homeowners, businesses and municipalities will suffer under massive unfunded mandates and regulation. California’s economy is on the verge of collapse and cannot afford to become an even more hostile environment for businesses and families. SAVE A MILLION JOBS.

• B-Daddy adds - Cap and trade is the lousiest way to advance an agenda of carbon reduction, and will in fact do nothing. Further, carbon production will just move out of state and harm our economy while doing nothing to actually reduce emissions. A single state can not do anything about this issue.

PROP 24 - NO

Repeal of Corporate Tax Breaks
• At a time when unemployment is spiraling, California cannot afford to drive away MORE companies and employers.

• B-Daddy adds: This proposition will impact small businesses, not just multinationals. While the subject of how to appropriately tax businesses is somewhat arcane, burdening small businesses at this time seems especially fool hardy.
  

PROP 25 - NO * NO * NO

Majority Vote for Legislature to Pass the Budget
• HIDDEN in the language of this initiative is the authority of the legislature to USE A SIMPLE MAJORITY RAISE SALES, INCOME & GAS TAXES if those taxes are IN the budget...undoing Prop 13’s 2/3’s majority that protects taxpayers. It will also make it too easy to pass budgets that are full of gimmicks.

PROP 26 - YES

Supermajority Vote to Pass New Taxes and Fees Act
• Would require a two-thirds supermajority vote, instead of a simple majority, in the California State Legislature to pass many fees, levies, charges and tax revenue allocations. Would stop the growing number of hidden taxes that plague Californians.

PROP 27 - NO

Elimination of the Citizen Redistricting Commission
• Would eliminate the citizen based State Commission on Redistricting and consolidate authority BACK in the hands of the California Legislature.