Saturday, November 11, 2006

Local B.S.

It only takes a few propositions to remind us how entirely red this state is. And not the kind of RED that is going donate money to fight poverty and AIDS in Africa.

While I'm sure many people were relieved that Prop 107, "Protect Marriage Arizona" did not pass, the margin was so narrow (15,000 in this county) that you know you are surrounded by people who not only hate gay people, but they are also too stupid to realize that this proposition would have negated domestic partnerships, affecting elders and others. Gay marriage is already illegal here. And if you need a proposition to protect a bedrock institution, perhaps you should realize that this institution is on its way out.

Sure, we elected a Democratic governor with 65% of the votes. We also passed 4 (count 'em - FOUR) propositions that in one way or another further punish illegal immigrants for being here just because all of us immigrants got here first and stole everything from the natives. They sure don't want that happening again.

OK, More than 65 percent of the voters approved a minimum-wage hike. About 62 percent of us approved a ban on small cages for pigs and calves. (SHOCKING!!!) But they (and I mean they) also voted an $.80 hike on the cigarette tax to fund an early childhood program that claims to be able to provide state-wide, regionally based program services for at-risk preschoolers for 10% administrative costs. This is just wrong on so many levels that it is worth a post by itself. For now, let me say that the government, any locale at any time, cannot provide anything for less than 37% admin costs - it's just not possible for them. And the only reason that cigarettes should be further taxed for preschool programs is if the preschoolers are smoking.

And perhaps the voters should have paid attention to the fact that if they ban smoking everywhere and raise the tax on each pack by almost 50%, that is not going to provide a lot of funds for their program. And why cigarettes? The so-called sin tax? How about taxing SUV's or other items that are actually increasing the rate of global warming, or a tax on beef for helping destroy the rainforest to similar effect (if you don't know what I mean you need to go read some stuff), or... and I know y'all think I've totally lost it - an additional tax on gasoline? You wanna get moral about it? There are many many non-smokers carting around 20 lb preschoolers in 3-ton SUV's - they need to pay for their own life choices.

Think it through, people.

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