No on 14 and 16

2010 Multi‐state Survey on Race & Politics

Well, the June primaries are less than a week away, and like any California election this month’s ballot is loaded with propositions.  I don’t have the sufficient level of obsessiveness to go through the pros and cons of all the initiatives, so for this entry I’ve targeted what I feel are the two worst props.  These Propositions are especially deceptive, and I feel the need to inform the voters of their

Prop 14 is being billed as an “open primary” proposition.  It is more akin to an “incumbent protection” bill.  The “Top-two” system described by the bill has been used in Louisiana, where it neither advanced moderate politicians nor increased the viability of third party candidates, as advocates of Prop 14 claim it will do for California.  The “Top Two” system will in fact crush third parties, but it gets worse.  Under a top-two system in an overwhelmingly Republican district the top two could both be Republicans, thus denying the Democrats the chance to even have a candidate, and the reverse in overwhelmingly Democrat districts.  Needless to say, such a system would also mean death to the smaller parties, denying their voters even so much as a chance to vote for their parties’ candidates in the general elections.  It’s no surprise then that virtually every political party in the state, from the big two to the smaller parties such as the Greens and Libertarians, are opposed to Prop 14.

The proposition also allows candidates to choose not to list their party affiliation, allowing politicians to deceive and mislead unwary voters of their true political affiliations.

Proposition 14 is a horribly deceitful ballot initiative, one that seeks to subvert the electorate’s genuine dissatisfaction with the current partisan gridlock in Sacramento and use it to solidify that very crooked system.  It’s little wonder that Governor Schwarzenegger and his “dream team” are behind it.  Sadly, the polls show that most Californian voters are as well, so it is imperative that as many of us work to spread the truth about this deceptive initiative.

Just as disingenuous is Proposition 16, the egregiously named “Taxpayers Right to Vote Act”.  According to Ballotpedia (a site I know nothing about, so I cannot attest to it’s bias or lack thereof):

“ If Proposition 16 is approved by voters, it will take a two-thirds vote of the electorate before a public agency could enter the retail power business. This will make it more difficult than it is currently for local entities to form either municipal utilities, or community wide clean electricity districts called Community Choice Aggregators (CCAs). Forming a local municipal utility or a CCA, if this measure is enacted, will require the approval, through election, of 2/3rds of the voters who live in the area of the would-be local municipal utility or CCA.[1]

Pacific Gas & Electric is the primary financial sponsor of the initiative, having contributed $46.1 million through May 25, 2010. That makes PG&E the Goliath in a David-v-Goliath battle, since Prop 16′s opponents have raised less than $50,000 through mid-May.[2],[3]”

http://www.ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/California_Proposition_16_%28June_2010%29

Like the proponent of Proposition 14, the proponents for 16 are trying to tap into current voter discontent, running ads that mention government takeovers of local electric providers and using your tax dollars to do so.  The reality is that this PG&E-financed ballot initiative is merely an attempt to solidify the company’s strangling monopoly on utilities in California.  Honestly, is there another electric company to which Californians can switch to, one with lower rates and better service?  Yeah, I thought not.   Contrary to it’s naming, the proposition would limit the power of voters; while all state propositions only require a simple majority to pass, this amendment would change the state constitution so that a super-majority of two-thirds of all voters are required to approve before a local government could go into the utilities business.  Luckily, despite the round-the-clock advertising and millions of dollars spent, the polls show that approval for the proposition has been steadily declining for months. I’m hopeful that by next Tuesday the California voters will be well-enough informed to see through the lies and vote against Props 14 and 16.

One Response to “No on 14 and 16”

1. Chris says:

   June 15, 2010 at 1:23 am

   Prop 14 is a scam pushed by the corrupt 2 party system liars, hopefully it gets defeated