Year: 2010

First, some guiding principles:

1. Consider who is backing each bill and how much they’re spending to back it.  The more they are spending, the more valuable it is to them.  Ask yourself why.
2. Remember that every law has overhead – a new commission, a new study, a new enforcement, etc.  Even if the burden is placed on existing agencies (like our police officers or our firefighters or our court systems), each law usually costs money.  Unions (teachers, firefighters, police) usually support more work, because they get bigger.
3. Be skeptical.
4. If everything looks equal, vote no.

Second, some resources:

1. BallotPedia.  I have found this site to be pretty comprehensive, well organized, and fair.
2. OpenSecrets.  OpenSecret tracks political contributions and lobbying.  Their coverage is mostly at the federal level, however.

Finally, the votes!

Prop 19:  Legalize Marijuana.  As with alcohol, legalize it and deal with the consequences.  I won’t touch the stuff.

Prop 20: Redistricting of Congressional Districts via committee.  Committees are just as corrupt as congress.  A computer should draw the lines, but this is better than today.

Prop 21: Tax to fund state parks.  The park system is plagued with administrative overhead.  Supporters should donate to the parks rather than to this bill.

Prop 22: Prohibit State Spending against Local Funds.  Our governors need to be able to legislate holistically.  This creates unnecessary boundaries.

Prop 23: Suspend the “Global Warning Act” until unemployment drops below 5.5%.  I don’t like California at an economic disadvantage in the global market.

Prop 24: Increase business taxes in California.  Check out the Teacher’s Union support on this bill.  This is just a tax to prolong big government.

Prop 25: State budget via simple majority.  The teacher’s union working to expand big-government.  I don’t want the budget controlled by the ruling party.  This is downright scary.

Prop 26: Make “fees” require 2/3 vote since they are taxes.  The state doesn’t have a revenue problem, it has a spending problem.  Act now, or “fees” will cripple California.

Prop 27: Abolish committee for State Legislature redistricting.  It’s either Prop 20 or Prop 27.  Prop 20 is better.

It’s no secret that I’m not a fan of unions.  But I’m even less of a fan of public-sector unions for two reasons:

1. As a taxpayer, I’m on the hook for the bill.
2. Politicians simply can’t resist giving unions money in exchange for votes.

I apologize to the firefighters, police officers, and teachers.  Your jobs are extremely important.  But we can’t afford your unions, and we need your help to bust them apart.  Unions are the same cancer which bankrupted America’s once-largest-company, General Motors.  Why do we let this cancer invade our state?  (Oh yeah, Jerry Brown did it – so don’t vote for him now)

Shedlock puts it well:

In the case of public unions, if politicians strike a bad deal, taxpayers foot the bill. In the case of private corporations, if management strikes a bad deal, the company goes bankrupt, shareholders take a hit, or the jobs move elsewhere, as soon as the contract is up.

If you aren’t convinced, here are some articles to read:

Here’s The Real Problem With Labor Unions

The Beholden State

Plundering California

Public-sector unions bankrupting America

This week, shopping addicts Obama and Pelosi, spent another $26B on stimulus.  They’d have you believe this is about saving jobs for teachers and firefighters.  But that is such a mischaracterization.

To understand the problem, you first need to fully understand how local unions have bankrupted the states.  This has hit California particularly hard over the past 30 years, but the same drama is playing out in states across the country.  For the full details, go read this article to understand how Jerry Brown enabled public service workers in California to unionize, and how ever since then, California has fallen from grace.

At this point, the Unions have tapped out the states.  In the past, they’ve always been able to squeeze a little more money out of California.  But California has been bled dry.

Recognizing that they’ve exhausted local money, the massive, cash-rich unions are turning to their only available savior:  the federal government.  Unfortunately, Obama and Pelosi are too clueless to know what is happening.

It’s sad to hear this – but it is true.  We pay our public workers too much.  The only solution is to cut pay or to cut workers.  Federal bailouts will not cure the disease.  We need to eliminate unions from our public jobs and start anew.