Prop. 77, Redistricting
Nov. 7th, 2005 12:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
madbakerIf the polls are accurate (hah!), Proposition 77 will be defeated tomorrow.
I've supported the concept long before the proposition was put on the ballot – I said something of the sort a year or two ago on this journal, but I can't be bothered to go search it out.
My undergrad college had an institute that studied political boundaries, and has done consulting work on the issue. I've seen the seamy underbelly of the current process, whereby politicians of both parties cynically gerrymander boundaries to divide up the electorate. To my mind, it perpetuates extremists who can fire up the frothing base. Again, of both parties.
Now, I actually agree that the proposition should not have made it on the ballot, because the submitted wording differed (albeit slightly) from what was ultimately proposed. (The CA Supreme Court put it on anyway.)
For those of you who plan to vote no (or have already done so), if you're willing, please comment why. I'm not looking to pick a fight and I doubt I can change your mind. I'm just curious as to the reasons and/or motivations.
I've supported the concept long before the proposition was put on the ballot – I said something of the sort a year or two ago on this journal, but I can't be bothered to go search it out.
My undergrad college had an institute that studied political boundaries, and has done consulting work on the issue. I've seen the seamy underbelly of the current process, whereby politicians of both parties cynically gerrymander boundaries to divide up the electorate. To my mind, it perpetuates extremists who can fire up the frothing base. Again, of both parties.
Now, I actually agree that the proposition should not have made it on the ballot, because the submitted wording differed (albeit slightly) from what was ultimately proposed. (The CA Supreme Court put it on anyway.)
For those of you who plan to vote no (or have already done so), if you're willing, please comment why. I'm not looking to pick a fight and I doubt I can change your mind. I'm just curious as to the reasons and/or motivations.
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Why don't I like prop 77 ?
Date: 2005-11-07 11:51 pm (UTC)For those of you who plan to vote no (or have already done so), if you're willing, please comment why.
In my case, simply put it's because I don't trust voters any more than I trust politicians. We are talking about the same electorate that will vote for a name they know, simply because they know it, and never mind how good or bad a representative that name is likely to be. The ones who said in exit interviews from the '04 election that they voted for GW because he was an environmentalist. The ones who returned Randy Cunningham to Congress nine consecutive times.
Given a track record like that, what possible good effect can come from asking people to vote on an issue most of them don't even comprehend? There are only two possible outcomes: a rubber stamp or an automatic rejection because it's too complicated. So why bother to put it to a vote? By me, that makes no more sense than voting whether it should be legal to be a Baptist.
-- Nitnorth
--
As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.
-- H.L. Mencken