Monday, October 30, 2006
Before I seal the envelope
I suppose it’s only fair to let you know how I’m voting on November 7. Or do I mean for November 7? After all, I’m a permanent absentee voter, so my ballot will be dropped into a mailbox and then wait at King County Elections until it’s tallied on (or, perhaps, after) next Tuesday.
However you want to think of it, below is presented the content of my ballot. Strangely, federal offices are not the first section of the ballot. No, it’s those damn state initiatives, followed by an amendment to the Washington constitution (why isn’t that ahead of the initiatives?) as well as some King County stuff. I list the items in order of appearance on the page, with the occasional comment and/or link:
Proposed by Initiative Petition
- Initiative Measure No.920 NO
This is the kill the estate tax initiative. Buncha greedy bastards, led by a John Birch Society wingnut. - Initiative Measure No.933 NO
Washington’s version of Howard Rich’s “property rights” TABOR campaign. As the No on I-933 campiagn says, this horrendous initiative “goes too far, costs to much”. - Initiative Measure No.937 YES
Setting attainable targets for renewable energy resources, using wind, solar, biodiesel, and the like.
Amendment to the State Constitution
- House Joint Resolution 4223 APPROVED
Increasing an exemption to a personal property tax, because the original amount wasn’t indexed to inflation. Unanimously passed by both houses of the legislature, opposed by absolutely no one.
- Proposition No.1 YES
- Proposition No.2 YES
The Transit Now proposal from Metro Transit, greatly increasing mass transit service for a 0.1% increase in the sales tax. Supposedly, we’ll finally have “big city” service on some routes, enough runs that you won’t have to carry a schedule with you
- United States Senator MARIA CANTWELL (D)
Oh, were you expecting me to go for Mike! the CEO, non-green Green Aaron Dixon, the Libertarian, or strange ranger Robin Adair? - United States Representative JIM McDERMOTT (D)
And thrilled to do so. The only question, really, is whether independent Linnea Noreen will draw more votes than “9/11 Republican” (actually, former authoritarian leftist turned authoritarian rightist) Steve Beren. I think not, as even the 7th CD has a few Republicans.
Leg. Dist. No.43
- Senator ED MURRAY (D)
- Representative Position No.1 JAMIE PEDERSEN (D)
- Representative Position No.2 FRANK CHOPP (D)
- Prosecuting Attorney BILL SHERMAN (D) (write-in)
I also wrote in Bill’s name for County Prosecutor in the primary. It’s absolutely obscene that the Democrats don’t even run a placeholder in this race. Maleng’s a decent guy, but this is a 60% Democratic county.
- Justice Position No.2 SUSAN OWENS
The only one of the three positions in which there’s still competition post-primary. Gotta stop the BIAW from buying another seat, and from placing a third Johnson on the Court. - Justice Position No.8 GERRY L. ALEXANDER
- Justice Position No.9 TOM CHAMBERS
Div. No.1, Dist. No.1
Both are unopposed incumbents and good judges.
- Justice Position No.4 RONALD E. COX
- Justice Position No.7 MARLIN J. APPELWICK
West Electoral District
All are unopposed incumbents and good judges.
- Judge Position No.1 BARBARA LINDE
- Judge Position No.2 MARK C. CHOW
- Judge Position No.3 ART CHAPMAN
- Judge Position No.4 EILEEN A. KATO
- Judge Position No.5 MARIANE C. SPEARMAN
- Council Position No.9 SALLY J. CLARK
Filling out the last year of the unexpired term of former Councilmember Jim Compton. Clark was appointed to the seat early this year, and has already proved herself to be a fine member of the Council. She’ll be up again, along with four other Councilmembers, next year.
All unopposed, and I believe all are incumbents.
- Judge Position No.1 EDSONYA CHARLES
- Judge Position No.2 C. KIMI KONDO
- Judge Position No.3 RON A. MAMIYA
- Judge Position No.4 JUDITH MONTGOMERY HIGHTOWER
- Judge Position No.5 GEORGE W. HOLIFIELD
- Judge Position No.6 MICHAEL SALVADOR HURTADO
- Judge Position No.7 FRED BONNER
- Judge Position No.10 JEAN RIETSCHEL
- Initiative 91 YES
Designed to keep professional sports teams (this time around, it’s the Sonics) from ripping off taxpayers while they pocket big bucks. - Referendum No.1 REJECTED
Somehow, ultraliberal Seattle is extremely prudish and puritanical. But it can’t be this prudish and puritanical, can it? A “yes” vote on this ridiculous referendum would require exotic dancers to stay four feet away from customers, and would force strip clubs to be brightly lit. Sheesh, even if this thing fails, they can’t even sell alcohol in those clubs.
- Proposition No.1 LEVY, NO
A property tax levy for city transportation infrastructure. I hate to vote against bike lanes and fixing bridges, but too little is being asked of the downtown moguls and Paul Allen compared to what we-the-people are paying. There’s too little benefit for us from this levy. In addition, this levy purposely omits the really vital, and really costly, transportation infrastructure projects that we’ll have to find a way to pay for, replacing the Alaskan Way Viaduct (with what??) and the S.R. 520 bridge across Lake Washington.
All these different initiatives and propositions and referenda, presented by at least three levels of government, are very confusing. Not only that—we literally didn’t learn what would be on the ballot until just a few days before the absentee ballots were dropped into the mail. Moving the primary into August next year, instead of the third week of September, will help tremendously with the last part of the situation. But I still have fundamental problems with the initiative-and-referendum mechanism as practiced in Washington.
More on that, perhaps, at another time. Now I’m going to lick the envelope and affix those two stamps before putting my ballot into tomorrow’s mail.
