Kushibo's voter guide, November 2008 edition

So I'm sitting here in McDonald's filling out my ballot and, just as I did in June 2006, I thought I'd share with my sliver of the world the entire ballot filling-out process. Actually I received my absentee ballot a couple weeks ago, but I just haven't been able to bring myself to vote for Obama, given his gratuitous (and misleading) bashing of South Korea and Japan on issues of trade (more on that in a separate post).

I've been waiting for a sign that he's merely telling Michigan residents and Rust Belt voters what they want to hear but after he becomes president he'll pass the Korea-US FTA after giving it a few tweaks, telling those Midwestern voters that this is going to help more Americans sell more American goods in Korea. (And maybe making it clear that the reason Detroit is doing so poorly in Korea when Japanese and Germans have thrived is that they're not selling the kinds of cars Koreans would want to buy). [UPDATE: Two years later, that's kinda sorta how it played out.]

So with eight days to go, I'm filling out my ballot. All mail in Oahu that leaves Oahu is "air mail" (God, I hope that's true, though it did take almost three weeks for me to get my RAM upgrade from Illinois) so I'm confident that my ballot will arrive in Santa Ana (the Orange County seat) in time for me to participate in this essential democratic exercise.

In mid-2006 I did the voting and the blog write-up in a Lavazza Coffee House in Seoul. A devastating family crisis almost prevented me from voting in fall of 2006, but I did manage to give a thumbs-up to Governor Schwarzenegger, the first time ever that I knowingly voted for a Republican. But the guy deserved credit for sticking his neck on the line with his own party to pass certain environmental measures, so I figured I'd cut him some slack.

But don't expect the same this time. As much as I dislike Obama's bashing of Korea and Japan, I don't know if I can bring myself to vote for John McCain. Don't get me wrong here: I think McCain is worlds better than Bush-43 and I think it's a tragedy that he was thrown under the bus and steamrolled by his own party—at the hands of Karl Rove and his dirty tricks in South Carolina in 2000—but I have serious reservations.

Though I think Sarah Palin has some potential value as a maverick (did subliminal forces make me say that?) and I think she and especially McCain could cut into the monied special interests that dominate Washington, I think his health care plan is largely a catastrophe waiting to happen (among other problems, some of his proposals would allow for insurance companies to "cherry pick" healthier clients and leave the government left to insure the rest of the pool, which would be an unmitigated disaster).

His choice of Sarah Palin leaves me worried for other reasons. She's painfully inexperienced and uninformed about international issues, and with McCain being a 72-year-old cancer survivor, I'm not so sure she'd have enough time to learn on the job. Back in 2000 a lot of people chose Bush because they thought global issues weren't important, and they chose a guy who was clueless about international relations and instead let himself be influenced if not out right controlled by people who did not have America's best interests in mind. Here's my subliminal message: Halliburton! Oil companies!

Okay, I'll leave "president" last. Damn, this must be the coldest McDonald's in Honolulu. I'd go outside onto the lanai, but there are no electrical outlets there.

So I've got my black ink pen in hand, and I'm ready to go. House of Representatives? I'm voting party line. Orange County is wholly or partly in six House districts and all but one are reliably Republican (and even that one only dates back to the 1990s); my vote is not likely to sway things barring a sudden scandal.

For State Senator and State Assembly, same thing. Supposedly California has a particularly gridlocked government, which Governor Arnie is trying to change. If a third party were actually running for either of these seats, I'd consider voting for one of them.

For other local elections, including judgeships and school boards, I must admit I have no idea who is who, so I'm inclined to leave those blank.

The good stuff (besides the presidential election) is in the propositions. There are mercifully fewer than in past years (it used to take hours to thoughtfully fill out a ballot), but some are interesting and/or controversial.


Proposition 1A is about floating a $9.95 billion bond issue to establish high-speed train service linking Southern California (where Orange County is located, of course) with the Bay Area. This has long been a dream in California, especially among Southern Californians who also want a link to Las Vegas, which could follow. I'm voting yes. If Korea can have one, why not California?

Proposition 2 is one I first heard about only last week. It is supported by the Humane Society and seeks to put an end to confinement of food animals (chickens, pigs, cows, etc.) in extremely small spaces. This could mean an exodus of farmers and ranchers from California, but I don't think profit motive is a good excuse to force animals to live in unbearable conditions. I'm voting yes.

Proposition 3 would authorize $980 million in bonds for the construction of children's hospitals. California's 36 million strong population continues to grow at break-neck speed, so I'm voting yes, just as soon as I check that I didn't misread the number and it's not actually $980 billion.

Proposition 4 would require a 48-hour waiting period for physicians to notify a minor's parent or guardian when she is seeking to get an abortion. I've always been torn about the issue of abortion: I think it is not something people should take lightly and, frankly, should avoid if at possible, but at the same time I don't think banning it really does much to change demand and only creates other problems. 

I don't mind imposition of waiting periods (in fact, I think I support them so that people don't make rash decisions) but I am not comfortable tying this to parental permission when the parents aren't the ones who ultimately must be the parent of the child for the next eighteen years. There is also the potential for a child to be physically abused by an angry parent who is notified, which might end up forcing some teens into dangerous abortions in Mexico or by doctors who don't follow this new law. I'm voting no.

Proposition 5 would allocate $460 million (right, not billion) to improve and expand treatment programs for drug offenders. It would limit the court's authority to incarcerate certain drug offenders. I've never taken illegal drugs in my entire life, but I'm sympathetic to legalizing (or at least decriminalizing) minor ones. Offering treatment instead of incarceration is better for the individual and their loved ones, not to mention society. I'm voting yes.

Proposition 6 forces the state to provide $965 million to police and local law enforcement. No mention of bonds to pay for it, which is a negative at at time when California's in a fiscal mess. That alone is a reason to vote against it, but I think law enforcement needs our help as the state expands. I reluctantly vote no.

Proposition 7 requires government-owned utilities to generate 20% of its electricity with renewable sources by 2010. Much of California is hot and sunny, so it's a no-brainer that a lot of energy should come from solar power (as Hawaii is starting to do), but you need an economy of scale to make it cheaper. Just as we Californians did with automobile fuel economy in the 1990s, we can use our status as the most populous state (1 of 8 Americans lives in California) to create that economy of scale. I'm voting yes.

And now we come to Proposition 8, eliminating the right of same-sex couples to marry. There's a double negative involved here: if you support same-sex marriage, then you vote no on banning it (some people worry that the wording will cause some people to vote different from their intention). Not long ago I used to believe that civil unions were an adequate solution to the social and legal aspirations of same-sex couples, but several gay/lesbian couples close to me convinced me otherwise. 

Proposition 8, in fact, is one reason I chose to keep my voter registration at my permanent address in Orange County instead of temporarily switching it to Hawaii so I could vote yes to bring steel rail to Oahu. California has already opened the door to same-sex couples marrying, and I don't think it's right to close that door. The world will not end; if anything, it can help marriage be something that is again aspired to. I'm voting yes. Wait, no. I'm voting no.

Proposition 9 would expand victims' rights at parole hearings, establishing victim safety as consideration for bail or parole. I'm voting yes.

Proposition 10 floats $5 billion in bonds to help consumers purchase alternative fuel vehicles. I'm voting yes.

Proposition 11 is another controversial measure that would give an independent panel the authority to establish boundaries for state offices. This signature issue of the Gubernator's will supposedly end gerrymandered "safe seats" and make the state senate and assembly more competitive and reflect the will of the voters. I'm voting yes.

Proposition 12 floats a $900 million bond to help veterans establish farms and buy homes. I'm a sucker for helping veterans, so I'm voting yes.

Orange County's Measure J would require voter approval for certain increases in retirement benefits for county employees and officials. I would hate to have my retirement benefits be left to the whim of the hoi polloi, so I'm voting no. Besides, this stinks of scapegoating public employees for the government's fiscal mismanagement.

Well, that's it for the propositions and measures. Damn is it cold in here! But I can't leave until I pick someone for president.

Okay, I'm writing in New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. I shit you not.

Damn! Those cheap bastards in Santa Ana are making me pay for my own stamp! I guess I'll have to mail this tomorrow.