"All Politics is local" ~Tip O'Neil

Col. Crackpot · Post by **Col. Crackpot** » 2004-11-01 09:40am

So folks tomorrow is the big day. Lets put the Presidential race aside for a minute so we can all bitch about the wonderful issues in local politics! What are the hot button issues in your neck of the woods?

Here we finally have a contitutional refferendum on seperation of powers, and if all goes well Rhode Island will no longer be the only state in the country that doesn't have co-equal branches of government. Also we hope to end the 80 year deathgrip that the Democratic party has on the legislature. It seems that people here are finally fed up with single party rule.

oh and i almost forgot, one bond issue that i'll be voting down. Evidently URI seems to belive that it costs $50 MILLION DOLLARS to build a single residence hall. My ass!

LapsedPacifist · Post by **LapsedPacifist** » 2004-11-01 12:31pm

It turns out that the Democratic incumbent in a local congressional district tried to rape his ex girlfriend when he was at college. His opponent, a default republican droid is pushing that as her campaign. Its a very liberal district but now the race is close.

We've got a state constitutional amendment to prohibit gay marriage.

One good chance to stick it to the timber industry.

Those are the ones that make me the most cranky.

LP

Stravo · Post by **Stravo** » 2004-11-01 12:37pm

In NY many of teh bog boys including the mayor and Governor are pushing for the construction of a west side stadium. This plan has been in the works since the Dinkins administration and Giuliani pushed for it very hard rioght up until the last days of his administration.

Mayor Bloomberg is couching it in terms of building it will help us in our Olympic bid. I think the majority of New Yorkers would prefer to not have the Olympics, particualrly after the bad taste in our mouths left after the RNC shut down lower Manhattan for a week.

I say fuck no. We can find money to build this fucking boondoggle but we can't find the money to sit down with our teachers, firefighters and police officers and negotiate a new contract? Guess being heroes of 9/11 only works when they need you to be a shill for the government.

Also the MTA is trying to raise the fare again after about 2 years and the governor doesn't want to kick in any money to help out. But of we want a a stadium he'll find a way. Fuckers. Sometimes I truly despise NY politics. If not for this city the rest of the state would be Arkansas v. 2.01.

Glocksman · Post by **Glocksman** » 2004-11-01 12:47pm

We have two interesting races here in Evansville.

First is the Congressional (8th District of Indiana) race. The incumbent is a very conservative Republican named John Hostettler. While I disagree with him on several issues, the SOB has never 'nuanced' his way out of controversy by fence sitting.

He also happens to be a mechanical engineer, which should make Mike happy.

His opponent is a Democrat named Jon Jennings who moved back to the area a year or so ago (he works as a scout for the Boston Celtics) and started to campaign for the nomination. In his campaign literature, Jennings is portraying himself as a conservative leaning Democrat 'who believes in the 2nd Amendment' (no surprise here, as endorsing gun control in this district is a sure way to lose an election).

Hostettler's core backers are the right-to-life people who are very organized in the district and they do turn out and vote.
He also has been backed by the NRA (gunowners are active here as well).

Hostettler's races have always been fairly close. He could very well lose this one if Bush drags down the entire Republican ticket due to his relative unpopularity with certain Republican constitutencies.

The other race is for County Commissioner.

The incumbent is a Democrat named Daivd Mosby, whose family is well known both for their involvment in local politics and for never having held jobs in the private sector

and his campaign has mainly consisted of blasts at his opponent, a Republican woman named Cheryl Musgrave, who is currently finishing out her term as County Assessor.

The blasts consists of criticism of her and her husband's purchase of property in the downtown area near their home.

newspaper article

She said she has no greater access to public information than any other resident and that she learns about pending public sales through advertisements published in the Evansville Courier & Press.

"All of this information is available on the Internet to anybody," she said. "If it's available to anybody first, it's available to the treasurer or the sheriff but certainly not to me. The only information we could have special knowledge of is due to the fact that we live here and know these properties."

All five of the properties First Monroe has purchased are within the immediate vicinity of the Musgrave home at First and Monroe streets.

Musgrave said her family's only goals were to improve the safety and image of their neighborhood, which is just south of Haynie's Corner.

Two houses First Monroe bought were razed, and the lots remain vacant. Musgrave said the houses had been used for drug traffic and other illegal activities, and she feared that the only other people who would have bought them would have been slumlords.

FYI: Haynie's Corner is a shitty area of town that the city is trying to rehabilitate by encouraging (so far unsuccessfully) 'gentrification'.

While Mosby is attacking Musgrave's honesty, she's been remarkably subtle on her handling of Mosby's arrest a few months ago for DUI by the state police.

If I were running her campaign, my surrogates would be shouting 'he's a drunken swine' from the rooftops.

Post by **LadyTevar** » 2004-11-01 02:13pm

The race for County Prosecuting Attorney is a close one, folks. The Republican candidate is having a hard time drumming up votes, despite the fact that the Democratic candidate died three weeks ago.

I understand that a BBC Radio correspondant was at an informal wake over the weekend, asking if it was common for WVians to vote for the dead....

Guardsman Bass · Post by **Guardsman Bass** » 2004-11-01 02:33pm

Here in Utah:

We've got a gay marriage amendment, Amendment 3, on the state ballot. Looks like it will pass.

More controversial has been Proposition 1, which would have the state government purchase 150 million dollars in new bonds(to be paid back with a raise in sales tax of one-twentieth of one percent) in order to pay for environmental protection and facilities.

Still more controversial is the Salt Lake County mayor election. It's a joke; Nancy Workman, the prime (Republican) candidate for election, was wiped out in criminal charges, so the write-in ballot guy, Ellis Ivory, gets the nomination. However, it probably won't be enough to prevent the election of the democratic candidate.

Governatorial- looks like a Republican win with Jon Huntsman Jr.

frigidmagi · Post by **frigidmagi** » 2004-11-01 02:38pm

Gay marriage state question 711 which is mean has hell refusing all union benifits now and forever to those who aren't married. Thing is this carries over to cival unions, I used that to spook folks into shifting postions I'm sad to say.

Carson vs Coburn. First guy is the most Conservative Democrat you'll ever find. Seriously the NRA endorsed him. Coburn our Republician gladitior is well... I can call a Senate hopeful Bat Shit Insane right?

Strangly the Daily Oklahoma supports Coburn despite their admitted alarmed at his postions. Why? I quote "Coburn the canidate is not has importent has Coburn the Repubician."

Shittiest reason to support someone, Ever.

In response to this, the whole education systems seems to have turnned out for Carson, from the Coach of the OU Sooners to my old High Schools Vice Principal. So it's a bit close.

Guardsman Bass · Post by **Guardsman Bass** » 2004-11-01 02:42pm

Strangly the Daily Oklahoma supports Coburn despite their admitted alarmed at his postions. Why? I quote "Coburn the canidate is not has importent has Coburn the Repubician."

Shittiest reason to support someone, Ever.

That's one screwed-up editorial position, unless: has this guy been a party hack in the past?

We've got our own equivalent in John Swallow here in Utah(running for Representative). The guy is bragging in his ads about how he always votes for President Bush- as if we want a Presidential Cocksucker.

Iceberg · Post by **Iceberg** » 2004-11-01 02:47pm

Guardsman Bass wrote:We've got our own equivalent in John Swallow here in Utah(running for Representative). The guy is bragging in his ads about how he always votes for President Bush- as if we want a Presidential Cocksucker.

Well, you gotta admit he has a good name for it.

Durandal · Post by **Durandal** » 2004-11-01 02:48pm

The only local referendum I voted on was to break Bartlett (my home town) away from the U-46 school district. U-46 is the second-largest school district in Illinois (next to Chicago) and one of the most mismanaged piece of shit bureaucracies in existence. Kids from Bartlett aren't going to Bartlett High School; they're going to South Elgin. Kids from Hanover Park and South Elgin are going to Bartlett High.

And guess who pays all the taxes for Bartlett High School. That's right, Bartlett residents whose kids don't even go there. Fucking ridiculous.

Robert Treder · Post by **Robert Treder** » 2004-11-01 03:00pm

In California, the big issues seem to be about indian gaming. Over the past few years, tons of indian casinos have cropped up everywhere, even on non-reservation land (through some lame loop-hole, of course).
Regler Schwarzenegger commands us to strike down the Red Menace. I'll probably go along with that; indian gaming and indian reservations in general have always pissed me off - there's something inherently racist about granting someone special privileges based on their ancestry.
In Santa Clara county, I'm not sure what the big issues are, but in Santa Cruz county, there's a measure about widening a local highway that people are pretty divided about. But I can't vote in Santa Cruz county, so fuck 'em.

Col. Crackpot · Post by **Col. Crackpot** » 2004-11-01 03:07pm

Iceberg wrote:
Guardsman Bass wrote:We've got our own equivalent in John Swallow here in Utah(running for Representative). The guy is bragging in his ads about how he always votes for President Bush- as if we want a Presidential Cocksucker.
Well, you gotta admit he has a good name for it.

in a completely unrelated matter there is a Congressman from New Hampshire named Dick Sweat. That is all.

Mayabird · Post by **Mayabird** » 2004-11-01 03:18pm

The important ones:

Well, running for the Senate from Georgia are Johnny Isakson and Denise Majette. Isakson used to be a pretty moderate Republican, but recently he seems to have jumped on the fundie bandwagon. "Ooh, ooh, we must protect traditional marriages!" Guess who I'm not voting for and who's gonna win.

The first one is a ban on gay marriage and civil unions, to the point of not recognizing them from out of state. It's gonna pass, but by screaming, "YOU CAN'T MAKE US RECOGNIZE OUT OF STATE MARRIAGES!" they've shot themselves in the foot. Stupid bastards.

Crayz9000 · Post by **Crayz9000** » 2004-11-01 04:14pm

Locally, here in Los Angeles it's business as usual. The politicos in the city hall keep proposing bond measures to fund various pet projects, almost none of which ever come to fruition. Sometimes I wonder if this city is one big sinkhole for money...

I almost feel like voting down any and all bond measures that cross the ballot. The bureaucracy around here needs to get a grip on reality before they get more money, and the only way they'll get a grip is if their funding dies up...

Guardsman Bass · Post by **Guardsman Bass** » 2004-11-01 04:16pm

Mayabird wrote:The important ones:

The first one is a ban on gay marriage and civil unions, to the point of not recognizing them from out of state. It's gonna pass, but by screaming, "YOU CAN'T MAKE US RECOGNIZE OUT OF STATE MARRIAGES!" they've shot themselves in the foot. Stupid bastards.

So Georgia's one of the 11 states with this on the ballot. Well, join the fucking party.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicsel ... lots_x.htm

HemlockGrey · Post by **HemlockGrey** » 2004-11-02 03:55am

I have no idea what kind of politics goes on here in Okinawa. None of the military folks do either, but they still seem to think Okinawa is just an outpost in the Greater American Empire anyway.

However, I've seen posters for the Japanese Democratic Party with these really fruity-looking people on them. Also, the right-wingers have been driving around in trucks with giant speakerphones on them broadcasting conservative messages in what is the traditional modus operandi for the right-wingers in Japan. Something about Americans. I don't know what, but I assume it's not something terribly flattering.

Post by **Dalton** » 2004-11-02 05:17am

Looks like we have a clean water proposition going on here, fifty million dollars towards the environment in Nassau County. Sounds like something worth voting for.

Other than that, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy is up for re-election. If you don't remember her, a piece of shit whom his parents called Colin Ferguson went batshit on an LIRR train and killed her husband and several other people. I'm certain she's an excellent person who did nothing to deserve what happened to her husband, but I find it somewhat distasteful that she used her husband's death and her resulting passion for stronger gun laws as the reason she ran for Congresswoman. Then again, I'll probably vote for her anyway as she's pushing a bill that'll allow ex-cop PIs to carry guns across state lines and is "committed to providing educational opportunities to all Americans".

Looks like New York also has a Senator up for re-election, Chuck Schumer. Pretty much agreed that he's a sure win, and he doesn't seem like too much of a dickhead to me. I know one thing, I won't be voting for the Conservative party nominee, Marilyn O'Grady, a disgusting ho-bag who wants to ban even same-sex civil unions.

Shinova · Post by **Shinova** » 2004-11-02 05:43am

California, Proposition 66. Dunno exactly what it is, but heard from here that it was apparently bad.

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2004-11-02 09:05am

Voted

Question A: Voted to block the County Council's ability to raise property
taxes by a vote of the council

Question B is for term limits on county officals. I voted FOR.

Question C is to split up the current districts into even more districts. So instead of 5 assholes we'd have 9? Fuck that shit.

BTW, the "official" democratic partyline was to vote AGAINST Question A,
for HIGHER taxes

Iceberg · Post by **Iceberg** » 2004-11-02 09:12am

Winona has a 3 million dollar levy up for the badly underfunded Winona Area Public Schools. If this fails to pass their is officially no hope left for Winona, because the schools are in desperate need for new capital and without the levy, Very Bad Things will happen to WAPS. So I am voting FOR the levy, regardless of whether my renter's tax will increase, because it's very, very important.

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2004-11-02 09:13am

Iceberg wrote:Winona has a 3 million dollar levy up for the badly underfunded Winona Area Public Schools.

If the building doesn't have cockroaches scuttling around, larger than
the students themselves, and the roof is sound, what the fuck is there
a reason to dump more money into schools for?

Iceberg · Post by **Iceberg** » 2004-11-02 09:40am

MKSheppard wrote:
Iceberg wrote:Winona has a 3 million dollar levy up for the badly underfunded Winona Area Public Schools.
If the building doesn't have cockroaches scuttling around, larger than
the students themselves, and the roof is sound, what the fuck is there
a reason to dump more money into schools for?

You have GOT to be shitting me, fuckwit. Wait, this is Shep, of course not.

1) School programs are dying. There are half as many programs available to Winona Area students in 2004 as in 1996 - almost all of these cuts have come out of academic co-curriculars, not athletics. While we're not in the shape that some school districts are in (cutting academic co-curriculars while building million-dollar stadiums), this is not a favorable circumstance.

2) Class sizes are swelling. Mean class size in the Winona area is a full ten students larger now than in 1996.

3) Teachers are disappearing for higher wages and better positions in Rochester and Minneapolis-St. Paul.

4) Except for the new middle school, all of the buildings are in serious need of repair. Winona Senior High School is in the worst shape, it needs a complete rewiring and reinsulation of the building.

Is that enough reason for you, O Fuckwit?

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2004-11-02 10:03am

Iceberg wrote:1) School programs are dying. There are half as many programs available to Winona Area students in 2004 as in 1996 - almost all of these cuts have come out of academic co-curriculars, not athletics. While we're not in the shape that some school districts are in (cutting academic co-curriculars while building million-dollar stadiums), this is not a favorable circumstance.

Slash the the athletics to the bare bones. Have the damn football
team mow it's own field if that's what it takes.

2) Class sizes are swelling. Mean class size in the Winona area is a full ten students larger now than in 1996.

Not a problem if the students are willing to learn. Ruthlessly
dump the FUCKING IDIOTS who yammer in class and fuck
off into specially designed Omega classes where they can
wallow in their own crapitude and not drag down the other
90% of the class.

3) Teachers are disappearing for higher wages and better positions in Rochester and Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Bump the wages slightly up; and eliminate the lower levels of
the classes into Omega Classes; those teachers are probably
just tired of dealing with all the bullshit where only 1/2 the class
pays attention to them.

4) Except for the new middle school, all of the buildings are in serious need of repair. Winona Senior High School is in the worst shape, it needs a complete rewiring and reinsulation of the building.

In what way? Is the wiring sparking? The lights flickering? Or is
it just "The wiring is working but it's not up to code" As for insulation,
they can wear coats.

Is that enough reason for you, O Fuckwit?

Now now, Not everyone thinks that we should blindly throw money
at a school system in the blind hope that the money will magically
make the school turn into a magical funland where everyone
achieves straight As and is happy happy

*cue Care Bears jingle*

Keevan_Colton · Post by **Keevan_Colton** » 2004-11-02 10:52am

Shep, did you miss some medication today?

Being that you are a right-wing lunatic I would have thought you would know the magical power of the almighty dollar to help in any situation. Money will not garuntee a good school, no money will garuntee a bad one though.

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2004-11-02 11:35am

Keevan_Colton wrote:Money will not garuntee a good school, no money will garuntee a bad one though.

$3 million dollars isn't cheep for bumfuck Minnesota. For that kind of money,
I expect blowjobs from whores to be given to every male student in the
Winona area, and Gigolios for every female student.

Doesn't every fucking school system require community service hours
these days? Simply offer double the time if you spend it doing upkeep
at your school. Say if you do an hour of mowing the grass on the football
field, you get 2 hours credit for community service.