EDITORIAL WHAT'S AT STAKE TODAY'S ELECTION IS TOO IMPORTANT TO SIT OUT.CONTROL of the U.S. Congress may be in the balance in today's election, but few Californians will have much of a say in the outcome, because gerrymandering gerrymandering Drawing of electoral district lines in a way that gives advantage to a particular political party. The practice is named after Massachusetts Gov. Elbridge Gerry, who submitted to the state senate a redistricting plan that would have concentrated the voting has rendered most of our seats noncompetitive Adj. 1. noncompetitive - not involving competition or competitiveness; "noncompetitive positions"; "noncompetitive interest in games" competitive, competitory - involving competition or competitiveness; "competitive games"; "to improve one's competitive position" . And while there are technically a gubernatorial gu·ber·na·to·ri·al adj. Of or relating to a governor. [From Latin gubern race and a Senate race on the ballot, neither one has ever been in play, and both are likely to be blowouts. So what's at stake for California California (kăl'ĭfôr`nyə), most populous state in the United States, located in the Far West; bordered by Oregon (N), Nevada and, across the Colorado River, Arizona (E), Mexico (S), and the Pacific Ocean (W). residents -- and Angelenos in particular -- in today's vote? A lot. For better or worse, government by ballot box has become the norm in California. The result is that the future of the state will be shaped far more by which propositions win or fail than by which politicians get elected to office. Begin with Propositions 1B through 1E and 84, which would together authorize To empower another with the legal right to perform an action. The Constitution authorizes Congress to regulate interstate commerce. authorize v. to officially empower someone to act. (See: authority) billions of dollars in infrastructure improvements -- and new debt -- for the next three decades. Which infrastructure needs are California's most pressing? How much debt is too much? These are questions that will be decided not by politicians, but by the voters themselves today. Other propositions touch on other critical and/or controversial subjects, such as child predators (Proposition 83), abortion and parental rights (Proposition 85), cigarette and oil taxes (Propositions 86 and 87), education spending (Proposition 88), campaign finance (Proposition 89) and eminent domain eminent domain, the right of a government to force the owner of private property sell it if it is needed for a public use. The right is based on the doctrine that a sovereign state has dominion over all lands and buildings within its borders, which has its origins in (Proposition 90). Also on the ballot are a slew of state offices, such as lieutenant governor lieutenant governor n. Abbr. Lt. Gov. 1. An elected official ranking just below the governor of a state in the United States. 2. The nonelective chief of government of a Canadian province. and insurance commissioner, which weren't up for grabs in many recent elections, but are this time. For L.A. residents, there's even more at stake, including the fate of a housing bond (Measure H) and the current two-term limit for City Council members (Measure R). So don't let quiet congressional campaigns or a dull gubernatorial race fool you. Your life will be affected for many, many years depending on what happens today. This election is too important to sit out; make sure you get out and vote. |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion