Jeff's election recommendations, Nov 2014 -- 1st draft!
Jeff Hobson
Take care, and make sure to go out and vote!
-- Jeff
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Jeff Hobson
JeffI was disappointed you hadn't waded into recommendations on the state wide ballot as I couldn't copy what you wrote. You are welcome to use any of this information below for that part of your service to voters.I hope to catch up with you in person some day.KevinProp. 1 – Water Bond – Vote NO.
The drought is benefiting California because we finally are passing legislation such as ground water management laws. But Prop. 1 the water bond will end up hurting the state more than helping it. It puts over $2B into partial payments for dams that won’t be built probably for another ten years and almost no money into water recycling, capture of storm water runoff and water efficiency programs that can produce more water quickly and much more cheaply than the proposed dams can. Voting down Prop. 1 will give lawmakers the chance to fund much cheaper and more sustainable solutions than building dams on river systems with many dams already on them.
For example Prop. 1 would provide funds that will have to be matched with federal tax dollars to pay for the $2.5-$3B costs of building the Temperance Flat Dam on the San Joaquin River. The users of the water will pay a small portion of the cost and will be massively subsidized by the taxpayers. Jeffrey Michael, University of Pacific economist and professor cited the Bureau of Reclamations own environmental document, which shows the average additional yield at about 75,000 acre-feet. "More than $2.5 billion is a lot of money for a project that adds only 75,000 acre-feet more each year for the area," he said. And Temperance Flat Dam actually reduces the amount of hydro electric power produced by the river. (See http://www.fresnobee.com/welcome_page/?shf=/2014/09/13/4121769_temperance-flat-reservoir-its.html)
Prop. 2 - Rainy Day Budget Stabilization Fund Act. Vote YES
My main reason for voting Yes is so that we take away future arguments against increasing taxes on the wealthy. There are some who argue that taxes on capital gains related income fluctuates too much from year-to-year and thus we shouldn’t use this tax on the rich because it is unreliable. A “rainy day” fund counters that argument and reduces the “boom and bust” that comes in part from progressive taxation on capital gains made mostly by multi-millionaires.
Prop. 45 - Insurance Companies Required to Justify Their Rates to the Public Initiative. Vote YES.
The insurance companies don’t like this initiative and that alone makes me want to vote for it. Prop. 45 requires that when a health insurance company makes changes to what they charge their customers, it has to be approved by our state’s Insurance Commissioner before the changes take effect. And they have to include a sworn statement on the accuracy of the information they give on why they are charging higher rates. The result will be that rate hikes will slow down and consumers will safe money while the insurance companies don’t make as much profit. My sense is that the main progressive argument against, that it will interfere with Obamacare is a red herring and won’t negatively impact this program at all. In fact it could strengthen Obamacare because now the insurance companies risk perjury if they lie about why they need to increase their rates. Also, California is one of the few states where regulators don’t have the authority to reject excessive insurance rate increases.
Proposition 46 - Medical Malpractice Lawsuits Cap and Drug Testing of Doctors - Vote NO.
As with many propositions, this is a mixed bag in that it does some good (e.g. increase the amount that a person can sue for malpractice so that it catches up with the amount of inflation that has occurred on since cap was last set). Prop 46 does this but then its authors added on more clauses that result in me voting against it. For example, I am not in favor of random drug testing of doctors as this violates their rights. The supporters of Prop. 46 added this to the measure because it polled well. For more information on the many editorial boards that have similar arguments against Prop. 46, see the Ballotopedia.com website.
Prop. 47 Reduced Penalties for Some Crimes – Vote YES
For me, this is the most important measure on the ballot. It stops the injustice that occurs when some more privileged people committing the same crime get sentenced with a misdemeanor and others, usually people of color and poorer people who can’t afford a lawyer get sentenced with a felony. These minor and non-violent crimes (e.g. shoplifting, forgery or grand theft of less than $950 and personal use of drugs) should be misdemeanors only.
The hundreds of millions saved each year by thousands of less people serving long prison terms will be used to further reduce crime rates through funding truancy prevention in schools and supporting substance abuse treatment.
Though some in district attorneys and law enforcement leaders support Prop. 47, many don’t and they use hyperbolic and extreme examples to scare people into voting no. For example, they say that anyone caught with a date rape drug will get away with a misdemeanor instead of a felony but Prop. 47 says that it limits its benefits to drug possession for personal use so date rape drugs shouldn’t qualify.
Prop. 48 - Referendum on Indian Gaming Compacts - Undecided.
The tribes are split on this ballot measure with some supporting and some opposing it. Gambling sucks money out of communities and many of the tribes who have casinos don’t use their profits wisely. I will probably end up voting No.
Governor, Congressman, State Assembly, and Candidates for State Office
I am voting the Democratic ticket. It is inconceivable to me why anyone would vote for a Republican when that Party denies Global Warming, seems to not want to teach evolution, apparently would like to make birth control illegal if they could, wants to deny gay people the right to marry, supports the wealthy and powerful over the weak and the poor, and in general is against everything I care about. So, even though Congressman John Garamendi and Governor Brown support building dams, I have to vote for them because the alternative is so much worse.
Judges - Yes
It always makes me feel weird about voting on the judges as I know nothing about them and wouldn’t be able to evaluate much about them without a lot of research. So my philosophy is that most judges are very good and need to be able to make decisions without fear of voter retribution. If there is someone very bad, the word will get out and we can vote against that person. But not hearing anything about judges likely means they are worth reelecting and the higher their election percentage of support, the less they have to worry about how a just decision might piss off some part of the political spectrum.
DJUSD Candidates
I am endorsing three candidates for School Board– Tom Adams, Barbara Archer and Madhavi Sunder. All three will bring experiences, wisdom and a proven ability to work smart and diligently to our school board. With these three, we have an opportunity to create a truly stellar group to lead our school district.
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