Prop. 1A - High Speed Rail Bond. I am voting no. The cost of this project is extremely high. It could end up exceeding $90 billion - with no proof that the project will be finished in time, or at all . . . and after watching some of the failures of MetroLink, there are no assurances that this rail system will be safer, or actually draw enough passengers to make all of the money put into it worth it.
Prop. 2 - Farm Animals. I am voting no on this one too. The proposition reads that farm animals must be required more space, and time to walk around - specifically directed at hens and the egg industry. It seems everyone is so worried about business leaving the state, but then they wish to put something like this into play that will harm the egg industry here, making it more expensive to run the business in California. As a result this proposition will drive farms out of California, which in turn will increase the cost of the food. For any that stays, the cost will go up to cover the cost of implementing the plan - and allowing the hens to be cageless opens them up to disease from migratory birds like the bird flu, as well as create an environment where Salmonella can breed.
Prop. 3 - Hospital Bond. No on this one too. Private hospital corporations are using children as a front to entice taxpayers to give them a little more funding - this while the state is in an economic pinch, and the funding they are asking for will offset costs unrelated to treating children as the supporters of the proposition claim.
Prop. 4 - Parental Notification of Teenage abortions. Yes! When my daughter was in high school, she could not get an aspirin from the school nurse without my consent. Any dental or medical procedure, from a tooth ache to tonsillitis to surgery, also required my consent. Yet the proponents of this proposition desire that a girl go through a medical procedure, which may be in conflict with a family's moral beliefs, without notifying the parents at all? I expect to be notified if my daughter is stranded at the mall, sick at school, and if she gets into any kind of trouble - a medical procedure to end the life of an unborn child should be no different.
Prop. 5 - Non-Violent Drug Offenses. No. This measure would allow drug offenders to use this for leniency for other non-drug related crimes. It is called the "Drug Dealers Bill of Rights" for a reason.
Prop. 6 - Police and Law Enforcement Funding. I will be voting Yes on this one, but it took a lot of thought. This proposition has a lot of good and bad facets, but the fact that it prohibits the release on bail of illegal aliens charged with violent crimes, creates tougher punishments for gang violence, and ensures funding to increase the number of cops on the streets makes it worth voting yes for.
Prop. 7 - Renewable Energy Subsidies. No. The technology for alternative energy is not ready. Let the market lead us in that direction, don't waste taxpayers money on it that in turn increases electricity prices. A nuclear power plant near Sacramento was shut down by a bunch of anti-nuke groups, and as a result the alternative energy up there produces only ten percent of what the nuclear power plant produced, at twice the cost. Government needs to step aside and let the economy moves us in the direction of alternative fuels as they become more necessary, and the technology catches up with the demand.
Prop. 8 - Defense of Marriage Act. Yes. Marriage is an institution in which a man and a woman form a union ordained by God. Homosexuality is a behavior, not a race or ethnicity. There is no comparison. Failure to pass Proposition eight opens up the possibility of gay lifestyles and marriage being taught to our children in the schools (as has happened in Massachusetts), Churches could be sued for refusing to marry gay couples on the grounds of moral convictions, preaching against homosexuality could be deemed to be "hate speech." Don't forget there have been cases of photographers sued for refusing to photograph gay couples, doctors have been sued for refusing to artificially inseminate gays on moral grounds, and in Colorado a law was passed labeling any literature published that calls homosexuality a sin "hate literature," which has essentially outlawed the Bible - though it has not been challenged yet.
Prop. 9 - Parole Reform. Voting Yes on this one as well. This requires victims to be considered when suspect's bails are being set, or a parole is being determined.
Prop. 10 - Fuel Subsidies. A big No on this one. This is supposed to be a $5 billion bond that is supposed to subsidize alternative fuel vehicles and renewable energy. The bond with interest will wind up costing the taxpayer $10 billion. If someone want to buy alternative fuel vehicles, that is their business to do so, but the government has no business reaching into everybody's pockets in an attempt to encourage such behavior.
Prop. 11 - Redistricting. Absolutely Yes. The politicians currently choose the lines of the districts, giving them the ability to draw the lines in ways that can ensure they remain in office. Being a politician shouldn't be about worrying about the next election - they are supposed to be serving the people. This measure takes the redistricting out of the hands of the legislature and puts it in the hands of the voters.
Prop. 12 - Veteran's Bond Act. Yes. This one is a no-brainer. It is simply replenishing a fund that has been in place since 1921, and has never cost the taxpayers any money. It assists veterans with home purchases, and is repaid with interest, allowing it to be self-sustaining. The only way this could cost the taxpayer any money is if the Veterans began to default on their loans, and historically, they always fulfill their debt.
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