And I don't mean broken, I mean broke. But I guess it's broken, too. I mean, why do we have all of these referendums (referenda?)?
Three days ago, we had a voting day. May 19. Several referenda (I'm going with that one) were on the ballot, include one for our budget. What is up with that? Can you imagine if the national budget had to be approved by the public? I know it has some special tax implications and all that, but still. How many people do you think went out and informed themselves of the issue? How many people actually went to vote on May 19? And now the budget is voted down.
I mean really, people. What's the point of a democratic republic--in which we elect representatives to make informed decisions on an issue--if you're just going to kick it back to the voters to decide the fate of the state? I know I'm starting to sound like Matthew Arnold here, but I mean, really. We have elected leaders for a reason. Let them make some freakin' decisions.
Perhaps this sounds kind of crazy, but I'm a little worried about what is going to happen to us out here in Cali. I think we might be on the verge of some kind of disaster.
Time to start looking for a cheap plot of land in Alabama.
Or not.
3 comments:
Yes, dear, the land would be cheap. But you'd also have to live in Alabama...the horror.
we've been perpetually on the verge of disaster my entire political life- the state is run like an asylum where the inmates get to vote on whether or not to take their meds.
The potential silver lining is the realization among the cognoscenti that our constitution is straight from Dickens' Circumlocution Office and needs to be remade.
I love how Ahnuld's interpretation of the voters rejection of various stupid initiatives is "THE PEEEPUL WHANT ME TO CUT EVERYTHING IN SIGHT!"
My default proposition vote the past few years has been 'no on everything', representing a vote against the entire ridiculous system.
Hi, thanks for stopping by my blog via Academic Hopeful! Been perusing yours...I'm very fond of your "Good Enough" philosophy. I think it's especially relevent to creative and academic fields. Unlike the brain surgeon or the bomb diffuser, our standards and aspirations should be mutable to fit the work we're doing, and not the other way round. Or at least that's what I tell myself as I limp towards the finish line of my creative writing masters...
And I have to say, this post has reminded me of why I don't miss American--and particularly--Californian politics. The stress! The anxiety! The sheer backwardness of it all!
And speaking of California, I'm from near Santa Barbara--my parents live about forty minutes north. Not quite central, but getting there...
Post a Comment