Obviously, I am pleased with the national election outcome. There was some worry over the closeness of the race, and if we’d even know who would be the new President before the end of the month. I’m relieved it didn’t turn into another Bush/Gore debacle.
Late last night, our state election was still up in the air. But with less than half the counties reporting, Prop 30 was not looking so good. I went to bed, half heartedly holding my breath. What a sigh of relief to wake up to a tide that has turned. With most precincts reporting, Prop. 30 seems to have passed.
Even though I was hopeful, with the current climate towards education and teachers and taxes, I knew it would be a fight. A lot of the anti-30 campaign ads continued to spout that rhetoric.
With the narrow support of the proposition, schools (according to Governor Brown) will not be touched anymore when additional severe cuts are made to balance the budget. Schools were concerned as they’ve already been hit so very hard, running on bare minimums. Furlough days, over 5 for some, up to 30 for others and massive teacher layoffs were predicted .
Right now, teachers, principals, superintendents are all breathing a little bit easier. The education budget hasn’t gotten any better, but at least with prop 30 passing it shouldn’t get any worse.
Let’s just hope we can take Gov. Brown at his word.
Quite frankly I have no clue how you all put up with it. I'm a self confessed politics junky and even I had enough about five months back.
ReplyDeleteReading the props for Ca. They are kinda contradictory. Death yes, three strikes no. I don't get the human trafficking, how is that a competence of CA. No to clean food but yes to clean energy. And why so emphatic that budgets be yearly, how can it matter one whit.
It sorta gun toting liberal in a Prius eating chemical rendered offal on a stick. :-D
That's a great picture of what our props end up looking like. The thing is, we might be the only state or one of very few states that allows ANYTHING on the ballot if they get enough signatures. So any Joe Schmo can get a prop if he's got the energy to find 200 people who agree/don't care and sign the petition. They are so hard to understand and navigate because they are often just the agenda of some narrow minded person. Some have campaigns opposing and others don't. For some reason this year's was particularly confusing, esp the two education ones 30/38 which basically negated each other if they both won! The genetically engineered food one was also tough. It sounded logical to me, but there was a huge anti campaign that scared people into thinking the cost on the consumer would be exhorbinant. I guess "we" don't mind that our food is fake as long as it's cheap. I'm very glad it's all over and glad that the results swung the way they did. I was hoping for an op piece on the national results over at your place-a political junkie's/outsider's view. :)
DeleteI am happy about the outcome. Tod Akins lost and that is good enough for me. CA proposition initiatives makes a mess of politics most of the time. I am glad 30 worked out for you. Of course Obama....Yes!
ReplyDeleteI saw that both Akins and Murdoch lost, thankfully their constituencies didn't believe their crazy "science". The props are nuts! See above. They've made for good table conversations though. :). We received an email from our superintendent today reiterating the relief 30 will give. Things are still bleak for ed, but it should hold off the devastation of $5+ billion in cuts. That is good, very very good.
DeleteEveryone is depressed here.
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