Wednesday, November 08, 2006

can we all just agree that voting is, unlike most other bullshit that passes for it, an actual reason to adorn one's body with our national symbol?

thank you, guest blogger N! you were super then, and you're super now. i love you.

oh and ps: good job democrats! now don't screw it all up. at least not all at once.

Monday, November 06, 2006

can we all just agree that california's prop 90 is a terrible idea?

here's the very short version: prop 90 has two provisions. the first increases protection against property seizures by the state under eminent domain (you know, when the state forcibly buys some little old lady's house where she's lived for 55 years and then bulldozes it to build a freeway expansion?) the second provision totally destroys any ability of state or local governments to reject any proposed development project.

"what?!?" you might say.

yeah. the first provision seems reasonable. the second is totally ridiculous. but a lot of people are so hung up on provision one that they don't really pay attention to provision two.

if a developer submits an application to build 200 condos, and the county decides that he only has room (zoning/density and health and safety-wise) to build 50, then the developer can demand that the county pay him "fair market value" for his lost revenue. so he doesn't build the 150 other condos, and then the county has to pay him all the money he would have been able to earn if he was able to build and sell (or rent) the 150 condos.

pretty clearly a bad idea? i think so too. tell your friends. no on 90.

can we all just agree that california's prop 85 is a terrible idea? still?

so last year, california voters rejected prop 73. and tomorrow, i hope we reject prop 85 as well. it's a law that would require parental consent for all minors seeking abortions. and it's a bad plan. in a super ideal world, no minors would have to seek abortions, period. (you know, that world in which no one is ever a victim of sexual assault, and all birth control is 100% efffective? that super ideal world.) in an ideal world, all minors would be able to talk to their parents and those parents would be supportive, emotionally and financially, if a minor decided to seek an abortion.

but here's the thing: we don't live in either of those worlds. sometimes girls can't talk to their parents about needing an abortion. because sometimes their parents would kick them out of the house, or kill them, or force them to keep a baby they didn't want and couldn't care for. and sometimes, those dads or stepdads are the fathers of the babies, or those moms or stepmoms are the ones who knew that girls were being raped and didn't stop it.

so seriously, california voters, think about this. sometimes girls will not be safe, and cannot get what they need, from their parents. awesome for you and your kids if that isn't your situation. but realize that this isn't the case for everyone. think of the girls who can't talk to their parents. and vote no on prop 85. it's a horrible idea, just like prop 73 was last year. no on 85.