Election Day

November 7th-- should be interesting...

I only have one thing to do say about this election: I have absolutely no sympathy for people who complain about how hard it is to have to pick from all those candidates and initiatives on the ballot. It's not as if a voter has to write a dissertation on each initiative before going into the booth...

Here's what I do: I look at a few websites I trust (such as the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights -- www.ftcr.org) and read some of the weekly papers (the Bay Guardian, for instance) and check their recommendations. What I'm most concerned about is who is backing the initiatives-- hey, people have the right to contribute to an issue they support, but voters have the right to know who's backing what. And they do-- the free election handbook you receive in the mail before every election. I don't always agree with other people's recommendations, and what I often do is a quick online check of big campaign funders to see what THEIR agendas are. If a main backer of an initiative is something like "Citizens for Wise Economic Policy," I'm immediately suspicious. Most people or corporations who pony up large sums for an initiative or candidate are making an investment that they hope will bring them bigger rewards in the future (lower taxes, higher customer fees or surcharges, less regulation on their industries, etc.)...

So take a little time once a year to check out what's on the ballot...and keep paying attention. I'm fearing another "American Blackout" could take place this week (check out the film of the same name to see exactly I'm talking about).