As my absentee ballot arrived in the mail this week, my head
began swimming as I pondered the 37 people or issues that require
my Yes or No vote. I’ve read the ballot pamphlet, I’ve scanned the
Secretary of State’s Web site, I’ve changed the channel when the
Yes-on-This or No-on-That commercials appear on TV.
As my absentee ballot arrived in the mail this week, my head began swimming as I pondered the 37 people or issues that require my Yes or No vote. I’ve read the ballot pamphlet, I’ve scanned the Secretary of State’s Web site, I’ve changed the channel when the Yes-on-This or No-on-That commercials appear on TV.
So, to help sort out my thoughts before exercising my Constitutional right to express myself, I consulted an unbiased source – my 12-year-old son – for his take on the election.
I don’t have enough space to address each issue, so I selected a few. I ran each one by my son, doing my best to explain what the advocates and proponents had to say about each candidate or measure without tipping my hat about which way I am going to vote.
We started with Measure R, an ordinance that would enact a temporary 1 percent sales tax increase to fund general City of Hollister services. I said opponents said the city needs to do a better job of managing its resources, not be given more resources to work with. Proponents, I continued, say the measure will help the city through tough times and could stave off planned cuts in the recreation program and other city services.
“I guess it’s good and bad,” he said. “It’s good because all the people who can’t afford to play sports can afford to play Rec. It’s bad because everything will be raised in price when you buy it, like when you eat and stuff.”
“So, if you were an adult, would you vote for this tax increase?” I asked.
“Yeah, I would vote yes on it. I would spend money to help the city and help kids who haven’t played sports to try it in the recreational league,” he said.
How about Measure S, which would allow the proposed Sun City development move closer to approval.
“I’m gonna vote yes because if people 55 and older do decide to move there, it’ll open up houses for every other person who is not 55 and older to own their own house. It is true that it is far away, but it still will help us with getting through the sewer problem because the city will have more money.”
In a sure sign that celebrity means something in California, I asked whether he’d vote for Arnold Schwarzenegger or Phil Angelides for governor.
“I have no clue who that is,” he said of Angelides. “I guess Arnold Schwarzenegger has been doing well.”
I asked what he has done well.
“What has he done? What has he done?” Michael thought aloud. “I don’t really know what he has done. I know him from acting.”
Has he acted like a good governor?
“He’s seemed like a good governor, anyway.”
Fair enough.
In the state senate race between incumbent Jeff Denham and his opponent, Wiley Nickel, my son said, “I’m probably going to have to go with Jeff Denham because, um, he’s been doing a good job, as far as I know.”
Moving on to the U.S. Senate, I gave him the option of all six candidates, including incumbent Dianne Feinstein.
The incumbency advantage apparently extends to the pre-teen mind, as he chose DiFi.
“Hold on, do these people work with the war?” he asked.
I said yes, the Congress and Senate work with the president on funding and policy decisions, though the president seems to have the real power. I added that Feinstein is interested in bringing the troops home.
“She wants to bring the troops home from Iraq like me because they don’t deserve to die,” he said.
I knew what he’d say about the cigarette tax, but I asked anyway.
“I think that is good because smoking, all it does is make people sick and give them lung cancer and they die at an early age,” my son said.
OK, so what about Prop. 87, the oil tax, which oil producers have said will mean higher prices at the pump?
“No, I’m going with the oil people, because nobody likes high gas prices and it seems OK right now,” he said.
I ended our run through the ballot with Proposition 88, which would levy a $50 parcel tax in order to fund education.
He responded, “I would vote yes on that because, yes it is extra money to spend, but we do need better schools helping with teachers and shortages of textbooks and supplies.”
It disappoints me to hear how few people actually go to the polls to have their say, so I asked my son what he would say to people who believe that their vote won’t make a difference.
“Oh, their vote will make a difference,” he said. “If they don’t vote, then it’s going to be an unfair election. It’s a way to express your feelings and you can decide how you want your world run, not let other people decide how it’s run.”
This message was brought to you by Adam Breen, whose special interest is his family.
Adam Breen teaches journalism and yearbook at San Benito High School. He is former editor of The Free Lance.
