This column is addressed to any voters who remain undecided just
seven days ahead of the general election.
“Indecision may or may not be my problem.”
~ Jimmy Buffett
This column is addressed to any voters who remain undecided just seven days ahead of the general election. I’m passionate not only about the presidential election, which is getting lots of attention, but also about several state and local measures that appear on the general election ballot. If you’re undecided about any of these, I hope you’ll consider my recommendations:
– No on Prop 8 – Like interracial marriage before it, same-sex marriage is a civil rights issue. Reject the lies and hate spewed by many Prop 8 proponents. Instead, support all families by voting no on Prop 8
– Yes on Prop 11 – Redistricting reform is the key first step to ending budgetary gridlock in Sacramento. Legislators cannot put aside their own self-interest in drawing districts. Take that job away from them by voting yes on Prop 11.
– Yes on Measure A – A seismically sound hospital is a necessity in earthquake country. Fund it by voting yes on Measure A.
– No on Measures B, C and D – Extending BART to San Jose is a boondoggle that will harm public transportation in South County. Refuse to fund it by voting no on Measure B. Measure C is a vote of confidence that VTA does not deserve, and Measure D reduces VTA’s accountability to the public. Vote no on Measures B, C and D.
I don’t live in Gilroy, so I cannot vote on these issues, but if I could, here’s how I’d cast my ballot:
– No on Measure E – If approved, this self-serving and misguided measure will extend terms for some current city council members and change city council elections from odd years – where they get lots of attention – to even years – where they’ll get buried by other races. Vote no on Measure E.
– Yes on Measure F – Libraries are the best bargain in government, and Gilroy’s library is much too small for this growing community. Vote to construct a new library building by voting yes on Measure F.
– Yes on Measure P – Gilroy needs a second high school. Measure P is the way to pay for it. It replaces a higher rate bond measure that sunsets in 2011 with a lower rate bond measure. Vote yes on Measure P.
Finally, a few words about the presidential race: If you’re still undecided between Barack Obama and John McCain, let me tell you why I’m voting for Barack Obama. Despite being the target of one of the longest primary campaigns and ugliest general election campaigns in history, Obama has stuck to his principles and kept his cool. He has led an extraordinarily disciplined, inspiring and innovative campaign for more than two years. He’ll be a steady leader in difficult times.
Obama’s judgments on foreign policy, national security and diplomacy have been validated by history. Obama’s tax proposals will raise income taxes only for voters making more than $250,000 a year; those making less will see no change or will see a reduction in their taxes. One of Obama’s economic advisors is billionaire Warren Buffett, who has blasted tax policies like those endorsed by John McCain and George Bush that give tax breaks to the wealthy. Speaking at a political fund-raiser last year, Buffett said, “The 400 of us (here) pay a lower part of our income in taxes than our receptionists do, or our cleaning ladies, for that matter. If you’re in the luckiest one percent of humanity, you owe it to the rest of humanity to think about the other 99 percent.”
Obama has a sensible health-care reform plan that’s built around the employer-based health insurance system currently in place. It is not, as many in the right-wing echo chamber falsely claim, “government-run health care.” McCain’s plan to tax employer-paid heath-care benefits for the first time in history would destroy that system.
Obama favors common-sense regulation of our nation’s financial markets; McCain has fought for 26 years to deregulate them to the point that the economy is now on the brink of disaster. Obama will choose sensible justices for the United States Supreme Court, not dangerous ideologues like McCain has promised to appoint.
Do you like where George Bush’s economic and foreign policies have brought us? I don’t. Our beloved nation is in desperate need of a new direction, the direction in which Obama will lead us.
“I will vote my hopes and not my fears.”
~ Wisconsin Senator Herb Kohl
