I voted!

As a permanent absentee voter I don't have to wait until election day to vote. I filled out my ballot 2 weeks ago but finally got around to mailing it today.

My votes....

President and Vice-President:
Barrack Obama and Joe Biden (Democrat)

United States Congress 22nd District:
James Dietch (write-in*)

State Senator 15th District:
Jim Fitzgerald (Independent)

Member of the State Assembly 33rd District:
Robert Evan Cuthbert (Democrat)

San Luis Obispo Coummunity College School District Governing Board Member:
Daniel R. Chacon (Retired)


*I selected a write-in candidate here since the other candidate, a Republican from Bakersfield, is running unopposed. The person I wrote in is a doctor from my hometown.



Proposition 1A (Allows for sale of bonds to build high-speed rail from LA to SF:
YES

Proposition 2 (Requires that certain farm animals be allowed to move around and not be as confined):
YES

Proposition 3 (Sale of bonds to build children's hospitals):
NO

Proposition 4 (Requires that hospitals notify the parents of minors prior to their abortion):
NO

Proposition 5 (Allocates funds to improve and respond treatment programs to nonviolent drug offenders):
YES

Proposition 6 (Requires minimum of $950M in state funding for police and local law enforcement):
NO

Proposition 7 (Requires that by 2010 20% of electricity is generated by renewable sources. Requirements become 50% by 2025):
NO

Proposition 8 (Eliminates rights of same-sex couples to marry):
NO

Proposition 9 (Requires notification to victim and opportunity for input during phases of criminal justice processes, including bail, pleas, sentencing and parole):
NO

Proposition 10 (Sale of bonds to help fund research for renewable energy):
YES

Proposition 11 (Establishes a group of officials who are in charge of redistricting after every census):
NO

Proposition 12 (Sale of bonds to provide farm and home aid for California Veterans:
YES



--------------------------------
I went against the Democratic party on only one proposition - proposition 3. I am all for hospitals, but I'm not all for creating more hospitals that are designed only for children. Sorry kids. Democrats have no opinion on proposition 10 but I voted yes (Republicans are urged to vote no). I'm not really a big fan of proposition 12 but apparently this proposition is on the ballot every 4 years and has passed every single time and is endorsed by both parties.

Well of course they are encouraged to vote no. If renewable energy is widely available what would happen to all the big oil companies. That's what Republican's are all about. Oil, oil and more oil at any cost.

kharmon wrote:

Well of course they are encouraged to vote no. If renewable energy is widely available what would happen to all the big oil companies. That's what Republican's are all about. Oil, oil and more oil at any cost.

The problem is these renewable energy bills both sucked. 10 is okay as it's just research, but the other one sucks. The Republicans support it while Democrats don't despite the fact Democrats are usually all about the environment.

Why the hell did you Vote No on 9


You don't think Crime Victims have a right to be notified and have a voice in the CJ system

gs78 wrote:

Why the hell did you Vote No on 9


You don't think Crime Victims have a right to be notified and have a voice in the CJ system

They shouldn't have input on the trial before the trial starts. Until the trial is over the accused is that - accused. They should have no say in the other person's bail, etc. They get to say what happened during the trial, not before.

catbox_9 wrote:

gs78 wrote:

Why the hell did you Vote No on 9


You don't think Crime Victims have a right to be notified and have a voice in the CJ system

They shouldn't have input on the trial before the trial starts. Until the trial is over the accused is that - accused. They should have no say in the other person's bail, etc. They get to say what happened during the trial, not before.

What about parole hearings and sentencing?


Victims should have a right to have a say

gs78 wrote:

catbox_9 wrote:

gs78 wrote:

Why the hell did you Vote No on 9


You don't think Crime Victims have a right to be notified and have a voice in the CJ system

They shouldn't have input on the trial before the trial starts. Until the trial is over the accused is that - accused. They should have no say in the other person's bail, etc. They get to say what happened during the trial, not before.

What about parole hearings and sentencing?


Victims should have a right to have a say

I researched the proposition again (I've put very little thought into this one) and here is a better argument. Here is part of the text from the voter guide IN FAVOR of Prop 9.....

Quote :

Marsy Nicholas was a 21-year-old college student at UC Santa
Barbara studying to become a teacher for disabled children. Her
boyfriend ended her promising life with a shotgun blast at close
range. Due to a broken system, the pain of losing Marsy was just
the beginning.
Marsy’s mother, Marcella, and family were grieving,
experiencing pain unlike anything they’d ever felt. The only
comfort was the fact Marsy’s murderer was arrested.
Imagine Marcella’s agony when she came face-to-face with
Marsy’s killer days later . . . at the grocery store!
How could he be free? He’d just killed Marcella’s little girl.

Whether or not he killed "Marcella's little girl" is irrelevant at this point. According to the United States Constitution the "killer" is innocent until proven guilty. If he meets bail that is set by a judge (who is supposed to be fair and consider who the accused is and everything) the victim's family should have no say if the accused is released or not. If someone steals a garden gnome and I press charges it shouldn't matter if I say bail should be 10 billion dollars, of course the victim will want the harshest penalty possible. The victim's mother in this case probably would be all for the death penalty before the trial. That's not how justice works. Once he's found guilty the jury (who is again neutral) and judge can determine if he deserves the death penalty and what type of sentencing he deserves.

In some states the family of the guilty party and victim can speak before the jurors and judge prior to sentencing. This is inherently unfair as some people (e.g., politicians, celebrities, etc.) are going to find tons of people to say things like "he's a good guy and made an honest mistake" while people with no friends and family who are otherwise "good guys" will have nobody to plea their case.

Other than bail and pre trail proceedings

I agree with the Proposal

And as far as politicians, celebrities, athletes and wealthy go

the system favors them anyway

regardless whether this passes or not in California

gs78 wrote:

Other than bail and pre trail proceedings

I agree with the Proposal

Well there you go. You don't agree with all of the proposal therefore vote no and wait until a better proposal is on the ballot.

catbox_9 wrote:

gs78 wrote:

Other than bail and pre trail proceedings

I agree with the Proposal

Well there you go. You don't agree with all of the proposal therefore vote no and wait until a better proposal is on the ballot.

Which I am sure you will be able to vote on in the next election

FYI I didn't read the whole thing about bail until you brought it up

It is late and I am tired

But I wonder if anyone will misread or not read the whole thing

Come Election Day

And there are a lot of proposals on the ballot


People voting on their lunch break or before work may miss something because they in a hurry

gs78 wrote:

And there are a lot of proposals on the ballot


People voting on their lunch break or before work may miss something

Being the largest state in the union (10% of Americans live here) we tend to get tons of proposals on every ballot. There are tons of local propositions, too - I didn't vote on them since my dad lives in another town and I registered with his address instead of my own and for some reason they don't let me vote on the local stuff (he still has a Paso Robles address even though he lives in a different city).

And yeah, lots of people will screw up. Since a lot of voters don't really care they probably have no idea what the difference between the two energy proposals are but if you read through them you probably shouldn't be in favor of both and probably shouldn't be opposed to both either.

catbox_9 wrote:

gs78 wrote:

And there are a lot of proposals on the ballot


People voting on their lunch break or before work may miss something

Being the largest state in the union (10% of Americans live here) we tend to get tons of proposals on every ballot. There are tons of local propositions, too - I didn't vote on them since my dad lives in another town and I registered with his address instead of my own and for some reason they don't let me vote on the local stuff (he still has a Paso Robles address even though he lives in a different city).

And yeah, lots of people will screw up. Since a lot of voters don't really care they probably have no idea what the difference between the two energy proposals are but if you read through them you probably shouldn't be in favor of both and probably shouldn't be opposed to both either.

Not to mention;


I bet the TV ads for these proposals don't help clarify things

Night Catbox

Michigan hardly has any propositions. Here's how I'd vote....


Proposition 1 (Medical Marijuana): Yes
Proposition 2 (Stem Cells): Yes

Other states with members on here (sorry if I forget anyone):
OHIO...
Ohio 1 (Need more time between submission of signatures for initiative and the election): Don't really care....no?
Ohio 2 (Bonds to protect environment): Probably yes
Ohio 3: (Property rights): Need more info....yes?
Ohio 5: (Stops legislation that would put cap on payday loan interest rates): No....they're businesses and should be able to have whatever rates they want....I guess
Ohio 6: (Would allow a $600,000,000 casino): Yes - Vegas is too far to go and they generate money.

Ohio is hard so I don't really feel 100% sure on any of those.

FLORIDA:
1: Removes provisions on right of illegal aliens to own property....Yes? If they are buying it why not?
2: Defines marriage as one man and one woman.....No!
3: Excludes certain improvements from being factored into property value....Don't care but if I had to guess based on that...yes?
4-6: I really don't care and have no opinion.

NEVADA:
None. What fun is that?

LOUISIANA:
They all deal with things that are just financial and stuff like that. I don't live in Louisiana so I really don't have an opinion on any of them.

i wish i could vote .. i would like my opinion to be heard

detroitwings82 wrote:

i wish i could vote .. i would like my opinion to be heard

Me too! :lol: I wish i could vote in the US right now.

catbox_9 wrote:

A
My votes....
President and Vice-President:
Barrack Obama and Joe Biden (Democrat)

Good choice.

I'm voting no on both Michigan propositions...

swiss_tiger wrote:

detroitwings82 wrote:

i wish i could vote .. i would like my opinion to be heard

Me too! :lol: I wish i could vote in the US right now.

I still say Europe should get a vote...or at least Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Northern Mariana Islands (their residents are US citizens after all).

catbox_9 wrote:

swiss_tiger wrote:

detroitwings82 wrote:

i wish i could vote .. i would like my opinion to be heard

Me too! :lol: I wish i could vote in the US right now.

I still say Europe should get a vote...or at least Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Northern Mariana Islands (their residents are US citizens after all).

Why the hell should Europe get a vote?

We can't vote in their elections

gs78 wrote:

catbox_9 wrote:

swiss_tiger wrote:

detroitwings82 wrote:

i wish i could vote .. i would like my opinion to be heard

Me too! :lol: I wish i could vote in the US right now.

I still say Europe should get a vote...or at least Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Northern Mariana Islands (their residents are US citizens after all).

Why the hell should Europe get a vote?

We can't vote in their elections

I was kidding about that. But I was serious about the other US territories - especially Puerto Rico as they have a population of around 4 million United States citizens.

catbox_9 wrote:

gs78 wrote:

catbox_9 wrote:

swiss_tiger wrote:

detroitwings82 wrote:

i wish i could vote .. i would like my opinion to be heard

Me too! :lol: I wish i could vote in the US right now.

I still say Europe should get a vote...or at least Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Northern Mariana Islands (their residents are US citizens after all).

Why the hell should Europe get a vote?

We can't vote in their elections

I was kidding about that. But I was serious about the other US territories - especially Puerto Rico as they have a population of around 4 million United States citizens.

We outta make them U.S States

Iraqi Americans got to vote in Iraq's elections

gs78 wrote:

catbox_9 wrote:

gs78 wrote:

catbox_9 wrote:

swiss_tiger wrote:

detroitwings82 wrote:

i wish i could vote .. i would like my opinion to be heard

Me too! :lol: I wish i could vote in the US right now.

I still say Europe should get a vote...or at least Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Northern Mariana Islands (their residents are US citizens after all).

Why the hell should Europe get a vote?

We can't vote in their elections

I was kidding about that. But I was serious about the other US territories - especially Puerto Rico as they have a population of around 4 million United States citizens.

We outta make them U.S States

Especially Puerto Rico. The other ones all have populations far lower than any state so I'm not so sure on them. Plus I'm willing to bet you can't tell me one thing about the Northern Mariana Islands (I know I can't!). I'm sick of 50 states - there hasn't been a new state in my life. I think it'd be exciting. Bring on Puerto Rico!

catbox_9 wrote:

gs78 wrote:

catbox_9 wrote:

gs78 wrote:

catbox_9 wrote:

swiss_tiger wrote:

detroitwings82 wrote:

i wish i could vote .. i would like my opinion to be heard

Me too! :lol: I wish i could vote in the US right now.

I still say Europe should get a vote...or at least Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Northern Mariana Islands (their residents are US citizens after all).

Why the hell should Europe get a vote?

We can't vote in their elections

I was kidding about that. But I was serious about the other US territories - especially Puerto Rico as they have a population of around 4 million United States citizens.

We outta make them U.S States

Especially Puerto Rico. The other ones all have populations far lower than any state so I'm not so sure on them. Plus I'm willing to bet you can't tell me one thing about the Northern Mariana Islands (I know I can't!). I'm sick of 50 states - there hasn't been a new state in my life. I think it'd be exciting. Bring on Puerto Rico!

Puerto Rico State Quarter be cool too

catbox_9 wrote:

gs78 wrote:

catbox_9 wrote:

gs78 wrote:

catbox_9 wrote:

swiss_tiger wrote:

detroitwings82 wrote:

i wish i could vote .. i would like my opinion to be heard

Me too! :lol: I wish i could vote in the US right now.

I still say Europe should get a vote...or at least Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Northern Mariana Islands (their residents are US citizens after all).

Why the hell should Europe get a vote?

We can't vote in their elections

I was kidding about that. But I was serious about the other US territories - especially Puerto Rico as they have a population of around 4 million United States citizens.

We outta make them U.S States

Especially Puerto Rico. The other ones all have populations far lower than any state so I'm not so sure on them. Plus I'm willing to bet you can't tell me one thing about the Northern Mariana Islands (I know I can't!). I'm sick of 50 states - there hasn't been a new state in my life. I think it'd be exciting. Bring on Puerto Rico!

Or divide a couple states up. Have a West Texas. Why should West Virginia be the only "West" state?

gs78 wrote:

Puerto Rico State Quarter be cool too

Congress agrees. The state quarters program has been extended one extra year. Next year there will be 6 quarters as part of the D.C. and territories program. Here are the designs (or finalists for territories that haven't yet picked)...

1st up will be D.C.:


Next will be Puerto Rico:


Third is Guam:


The antepenultimate quarter will be American Samoa:


The penultimate quarter is the United States Virgin Islands:


Finally, the Northern Mariana Islands:

bobrob2004 wrote:

Or divide a couple states up. Have a West Texas. Why should West Virginia be the only "West" state?

Or cut up Virginia so that there is an East Virginia and West Virginia (along with regular Virginia). Or simply rename Virginia East Virginia.

New Mexico probably should be divided as well into New Mexico and Old Mexico.

catbox_9 wrote:

bobrob2004 wrote:

Or divide a couple states up. Have a West Texas. Why should West Virginia be the only "West" state?

Or cut up Virginia so that there is an East Virginia and West Virginia (along with regular Virginia). Or simply rename Virginia East Virginia.

New Mexico probably should be divided as well into New Mexico and Old Mexico.

The UP part of Michigan should also be its own state...