Near the end of August, I helped organize the Governor’s visit to City College and stood with him, despite the many fierce disagreements that I have had with Jerry Brown’s policy positions and political judgment. I did so because it’s not an overstatement to say that the future of our children is on the line this coming November. While much of the attention will be on the Presidential race at the national level, here inCaliforniathe destiny of our children and the education system is up for grabs. Specifically, Proposition 30 represents a chance to put a halt to years of cuts to education and vital public services. If it fails, we will be throwing our kids under the bus. It’s that simple.
California’s ‘Special Exemptions’ Act: The Biggest Threat You Haven’t Heard Of
By Dante Atkins / Daily Kos
November 2012 will be a cataclysmic showdown between the forces of democracy and the forces of unlimited wealth. If we lose this, the plutocrats will be in charge and will be able to write their own rules to further the interests of Wall Street and the one percent. If we lose this fight, anti-democratic legislation will continue to sweep across the nation, overwhelming the grassroots support and small-dollar contributions of those who dare to fight against overwhelming odds.
And I’m not talking about the reelection campaign of Barack Obama. No, this battle to the death between moneyed interests and working people will play out in California in the form of Proposition 32. This measure, proponents say, would ban both corporate and union contributions for most political purposes and make citizens reign supreme. But progressives here have taken to calling it the “special exemptions act.” [Read more…]
A Personal Election Recommendation: Robert O. Amador for Judge
We are all tired of the campaigns; I was a year ago and tomorrow is just the primary. I truly believe most of us who vote, have made up our minds for whom or what we will cast our sacred votes long ago. The editorial board asked me to write sumthin’ about the elections. But I just really could not fire myself up about it…anymore. Politicians have their world, and I have mine. I have not been excitedly for or against someone or something for quite some time (not counting the prayers and candles I lit between 2000 and 2008 to make the Cheney administration go away). I believe Tom Hayden was the last politician I really cared about…and he turned out to be a disappointment as well.
The election of a judge has always been an interesting subject to me. I found over the years, most judges have been appointed to the bench based upon a quid pro quo with the current governor, or as a result of quasi-nobility ascendency (I believe the public might gasp at the number of sitting judges whose fathers and grandfathers were sitting judges…notice I did not say mothers and grandmothers). [Read more…]
