This has been a tough primary season. With all the accusations, many of us are sick of politics, but the reality is much more encouraging. Today I faced a ballot containing the names of a war hero and conservative senator, a successful businessman and governor, and a thoughtful religious leader and successful governor.
I get to decide the fate of better men with my vote. That’s a good world or at least not one about which to whine!
Here is my ballot with a one to two sentence reason for my vote:
For President:
Republican:
Mitt Romney:
He is an executive not a legislator and the Google of candidates . . . able to process huge amounts of data and make good decisions. As a conservative of the heart whose public policy positions eventually matched his deeply held beliefs, he can be trusted on culture of life issues.
If I were a Democrat:
Barack Obama: He would be the most liberal person ideologically ever to receive a major nomination, but one of the most inspiring. That beats Clinton, just as liberal but part of a corrupt dynastic machine.
Propositions:
91 Transportation: Yes.
Wasted ballot line for a measure that is already law. However, it is good to remind pols that stealing from the transportation fund to pay for other things is bad politics.
92 Community College Funding: Yes.
Community colleges in California are the best way to move disadvantaged students out of poverty. Whatever the merits of government education, that is they way we do it in California and doing it badly is intolerable.
93 Term Limits: No.
This measure would weaken our effective term limits laws. Since Romney shows that politics need not be a lifetime job, we can safely let politicians find the joy of a private sector job .
94, 95, 96, 97 More Gambling in California: No.
We might get 500 million or so eventually in a state that needs billions to close a budget gap, but we will certainly get more soul searing slot machines that would directly increase poverty in the state. Gambling money in California politics is already a sick and corrupting influence and we don’t need more.