So we silly Californians are getting the opportunity to flex our democratic muscle once again in a special election to be held on 8 November. In said election, we will get the opportunity to vote on eight specific propositions. Four of them (74-77) are essentially straight from the governor's desk. One could argue (and many have) that these measures shouldn't be decided by the general voting populous and that the state shouldn't be spending approximately $60MM on the venture. Despite your opinion on the manuveur, we now have those and four other ballot items to vote on.
I shan't describe and summarize the propositions at hand. For a rundown, check out here(LA Times) or here (CA Secretary of State). Now on to some commentary on Props 73-76. Due to time constraints, commentary on Props 77-80 will be posted at a later date.
Prop 73: I'm a big privacy advocate, but, even if I weren't, I'd still be firmly against this proposition. Forcing doctors of teens to notify the teens' parents if their daughter is getting an abortion will just encourage kids to seek illegitimate abortions and put them at increased risk. But, more fundamentally, the government shouldn't be what Bill Maher would call "legislating opinion." Just because people think that teens should tell their parents about getting an abortion doesn't mean that they should. And it certainly doesn't mean they will.
Prop 74: One big issue I have with public jobs is that it's impossible to fire anyone, even in light of gross incompetence. Extending the time it takes teachers to become permanent and making it easier to fire them immediately with reported evidence of incompetence is EXACTLY what is needed to increase teacher quality, only one in a group of issues with California schools.
Prop 75: Labor members should be given the right to prevent their dues from going to political causes that they don't want to support. As members of a union, workers should have some say as to what their dues go towards. Also, isn't it suspicious that labor leadership is against this amendment whereas union members are staying very silent about it?
Prop 76: Honestly, I'm not sure how many people in the state of California possess the qualifications to comprehend everything in this proposition, but I'm nowhere close to one of them. This measure really shouldn't be on the ballot; hardly anyone who votes on it will really understanding what they are voting for or against. After reading detailed synopses and arguments as well as portions of the actual legislation, I'm just not going to vote on this one.