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June 8, 2010

OMG: It's Election Day and I have so not done my homework!

And, I can't even find my voter guide.

It's in a pile somewhere of mail I was supposed to go through, I don't know weeks ago. Maybe it's sitting there with my unopened health insurance cards.

Am I a bit scattered? Does my stupid pretty cat me-ow desperately when she wants to be let outside?

The Walnut Creek Patch job has been keeping me extremely busy. As you can tell, I have not been able to do my Crazy in Suburbia blogs as much as I would like. :(

I don't see my husband and son as I often as I should either. My son gave me a talking to last night.

And, now we have election day, and I realize that I'm not measuring up in that arena either. I am not the engaged, informed member of our democratic system that I like to be.

OK, here's the extend of my ignorance: Those state propositions: who, what where, and why 13, 14, 15, 16, 17. Actually some pro-Proposition 14 guys tried to hit me up with some literature at the farmers market Sunday. Yeah, I think was proposition 14. It could have been Proposition 15 they were touting. I honestly don't know. Well, I guess both propositions have something to do with reforming the elections process--maybe to keep idiots like me out of the voting booth.

Oh, but that wouldn't be very democratic, would it? Even idiots like me should have the right to vote. We do, I believe, with some frequency. :)

OK, I have some familiarity with some races, including local ones: the District Attorney's and Sheriff's races, the county Assessor battle. Too bad I can't vote on the Mount Diablo Unified School District's Measure C bond measure. I probably know more about that race than any other because I've been editing and writing and reading stories about it. Unfortunately, I don't live in that district, so I won't have a say.

Then we have, of course, the gubernatorial primary. That's the biggie. Oh, then there is the U.S Senate GOP primary, and the 10th congressional district race. Wait! Didn't I just vote in that? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Back in 2009 or something: the special election to replace former U.S. Rep Ellen Tauscher.

Well, thanks for letting me write this. I think I am slowly becoming more knowledgeable about some things I should be knowledgeable about. I'll probably do what I typically do when there are races I must vote in, and of which I'm totally ignorant. I peruse endorsements in major local and state newspapers. Hey, mainstream media is good for something, right?

Meanwhile, if any of you have any useful advice and tips, send them this way.


16 comments:

Huston Meadows said...

When I need thorough background material, I usually check the League of Women Voters. They have a Nonpartisan Analysis area on their website. That section gives advice on how to evaluate balot measures.

The League also take positions on ballot measures.

Anonymous said...

Absentee ballots are the best option. Why wait until the last minute?

Femme Fatale said...

So you're another uninformed voter... like the masses that voted in the idiot in the White House.

Anonymous said...

Vote NO on all the props.

Anonymous said...

I happen to be very informed, which is why I can vote absentee. It's a shame you are such a right wing extremist. Do you still believe in chain-gangs and floggings?

Anonymous said...

People need to stop signing these petitions to get props on the ballots without knowing what they're about.

The itinerant signature gatherers are really good about reading people and telling them what they want to hear. People sign the petition because it sounds good and they figure since it's not a vote it's ok if they don't know too much about it.

Yeah, California's broken. But we broke it and every time you sign a petition to put "Protect taxpayers right to blah blah blah" on the ballot you contribute to the ongoing breakage (and to the proposition-ballot-permanent-campaign industry).

Anonymous said...

Femme Fatale I'm so sick of your liberal rantings. Bush II is now out of the White House, he is your former president so stop calling him an idiot.

Anonymous said...

Femme Fatale,

A quote from your hero Karl Rove:

“As people do better, they start voting like Republicans - unless they have too much education and vote Democratic, which proves there can be too much of a good thing”

Dems, on the whole, are far more educated than Repubs.

Karl knows it, and you know it. The only true idiot that's been in the White House recently is Bush. Everyone knows he's a dummy.

Anonymous said...

Vote YES on the campaign financing and the seismic improvements.

Vote no on everything else -- ESPECIALLY the open primary and the PG&E rape-the-customers prop.

Anonymous said...

11:57,

Can Shrub not be a former president AND an idiot? Most people believe him to be both.

Beau Hunk said...

Just do like my wife and I do. She's a former schoolteacher and receives the California Teachers Association official recommendations. Then we vote exactly the OPPOSITE on all issues and candidates - never fails.

Femme Fatale said...

People, people, people... My rant was towards the title of this blog post.

Effin' defensive some of you people are.

Btw, when someone asks you to sign a petition, please ask how and who will pay for it. I mean, there are alot of good ideas but the bad part is usually funding it. That is of course you're up for another unfunded liability.

Anonymous said...

I'm a former teacher as well and I HATE the California Teachers Association. I also vote the exact opposite of what they recommend.

LeftCoast said...

Femme Fatal at 5:45 said

"People, people, people... My rant was towards the title of this blog post."

It may have been that but it was just as much against anyone with an education that was smart enough not to vote for the Palin ticket.

You are a disingenuous liar about your intent.

Anonymous said...

Femme Fatale ..... I would agree with Left Coast. When you referred to the "idiot in the White House" you were not referring to the masses voting for him and thus not to voters who might have neglected their home work.

Showing your prejudice is one thing but then to try to lie about it simply stupid.

Anonymous said...

What we REALLY need is a law prevents special interests from hiding behind misleading names when circulating petitions and when advertising.

Taxpayer Bill of rights, my ass. And, the petitioners were explaining to me how my insurance rates would decrease if I signed the auto insurers' petition. I DID NOT sign it.

Let's face it. All you need to know is who is backing these petitions and measures. Once you know that, you usually know how you'll vote. If auto or health insurers back a measure, it's not likely to be in our best interest.

I am a Democrat and a union member, but I have NO problem with transparency and disclosure during the petition and advertising processes. This lying (and it's lying) by special interest groups has to stop.

This is my one big issue. It just drives me crazy when a paid petitioner approaches me at Safeway or Target and is pushy about me signing a petition and outright lies to my face about what the measure will actually do.

OK, rant over.