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Are You Ready For Tuesday?

Next Tuesday we Americans have the opportunity to participate in a grand tradition. That’s right: Celebrating the birth of evangelist Billy Graham. But not only that, we can celebrate Billy’s nativity by casting our votes in the November 7 election. Here are three simple steps toward successfully voting on Tuesday:

  1. Learn something about the candidates, measures, and propositions.
  2. Find out where you’re supposed to vote.
  3. On Tuesday, go there and vote.

It’s very easy. And it’s very important.

There is a lot of Bush/Republican-bashing going on right now, at least in the online world. My tendency is to agree with a lot of it, but I’m trying not to get sucked into too much hype.

When I first started learning to drive, my uncle took me out in his Jeep for a little test drive. While driving in the neighborhood, I remember being so nervous about hitting the oncoming traffic in the other lane that I would pull away from the center of the road. Instead, I came close to smashing into the cars parked along the street.

It’s easy for me to say, “Man, I want to stay as far away from Republicans as possible.” But sooner or later I’m going to end up running into Democrats, which could be just as bad. I’m already tired of this system, and I haven’t even been paying attention that long. So let’s try to be smart about this.


17 Comments

Great blog. I am impressed that you correctly used the word “nativity” with Billy Graham and had great insight to encourage us to vote. Masterful…

Posted by N Tony on 4 November 2006 @ 6am

i like that analogy–I had the same problem learning to drive.

Posted by dusty on 4 November 2006 @ 7am

For me, I’m ready for the other side. I’m ready for spending. I’m ready for taxes. I’m ready for the killing to stop. I’m ready for the Democrates.

Posted by JLy on 4 November 2006 @ 8am

JLy, the Republicans have caught up to, if not surpassed, the Democrats on spending, and the killing will only stop when the terrorists “lay it down”. The only thing that the Democrats are sure to do is raise taxes. Whatever you decide to do, please do not vote for Proposition 87, which means we will have to pay more taxes at the pump!

Posted by Timbo on 4 November 2006 @ 10am

I’m amused that Cory has written a post about how each of us should become informed on any given issue before voting, and within the span of hours we already have someone telling us how to vote on an issue.

Timbo, i consider you a friend, but come on…

I’ve read prop 87 in its entirety, (disclaimer: I don’t live in CA, so my opinion doesn’t matter) and I’m struck by the fact that your reading of the proposal corresponds with the standard Republican line. In the end we’re all going to interpret the facts how we want to.

So, yes, get informed, and then check off the box (or punch in the hole) that corresponds with your conscience.

Posted by steven good on 4 November 2006 @ 11am

For the record, I was making a request, not a command. In Section 21 of the text, it explicitly states that if the section which prohibits the taxes enacted by the proposition from being passed onto consumers is invalidated, the remaining provisions will not be invalidated. If this occurs, and I believe it will, the taxes approved by the passage of Proposition 87 will be passed onto consumers, and we will have to pay more taxes at the pump.

Posted by Timbo on 4 November 2006 @ 4pm

Tim, I didn’t say that you issued a command - I just think it’s funny that Cory’s post stresses the need for each of us to exercise responsibility by becoming informed about the issues and voting according to one’s conscience. Isn’t that the soul of democracy?

It was just to say that your one line assessment of prop 87 (whether correct or incorrect) is exactly the kind of overly-simplified rhetoric one gets from political ads which try to steer voters toward a stance so that they wont actually peer into the issue themselves. I despise political ads (left, right, centrist, or otherwise) because they willingly, maliciously, and intentionally distort the truth. Take Kerry’s recent mis-step in CA…Isn’t it infuriating that virtually all Republicans (and apparently Fox News as of an hour ago) aggressively insist that it was a slam against the troops in Iraq, while virtually all Democrats, with the same zealous fervor, insist that it was a fumbled joke about the President? Where’s the truth? Does the truth matter? Truth, appears to have no room in this discussion.

We may not always get what we want when we allow people to make up their own minds. Hell, the Reformers certaintly didn’t know what can of worms they opened with all that Sola Scriptura stuff…

Posted by steven good on 4 November 2006 @ 5pm

Which, is not to say that I think you are trying to maliciously distort the truth, Timbo…

Cory, I wish you had a “preview” on this thing :)

Posted by steven good on 4 November 2006 @ 5pm

Steven, I can sympathize with where you’re coming from, and I absolutely agree that everyone needs to be informed. I think that what happens is that people argue conclusions instead of premises, and things are immediately polarized. However, I don’t think this means that truth doesn’t matter, nor that it is wholly inappropriate to offer a one line assessment derived from the fine print. I don’t think Cory would have appreciated my posting a detailed list of all the reasons why I oppose Prop 87, so I wrote a one-liner, appealing to the tax issue in light of my agreement with JLy’s contention that a Democratic-controlled Congress will raise taxes.

Posted by Timbo on 4 November 2006 @ 8pm

Why don’t commercials cite details? Just from a marketing perspective, wouldn’t that totally stand out in an appealing way? I’m surprised campaigners haven’t figured out more ways to individalize their campaign. From a marketing perspective, opptimism is more effective. We’re just too used to seeing it in huggies commercials and downy fabric soft commercials to pay attention. In a different medium it would be like seeing a color picture for the first time.

Posted by James (orr) on 4 November 2006 @ 9pm

Sorry, that’s out in left field. I was just struck by the direction Steven and Timbo went.

Posted by James (orr) on 4 November 2006 @ 9pm

Timbo: I’ll tell you what I *would* welcome: a LINK to a detailed list of all the reasons why you oppose Prop 87.

James: I don’t think they have enough time in commercials to cite details. That’s probably why they resort to calling people names and using lame clip art. That’s why it’s important to look it up. They’re hoping their 30-second TV spots accusing whoever of whatever are enough to draw us into a vote.

Posted by Cory on 4 November 2006 @ 10pm

Cory, I can meet you half way and link to the LA Times opinion on 87. Although there’s more to my opposition than what this article cites, the following paragraph sums up one of my chief concerns:

“The measure seeks to forbid oil companies from passing the tax onto customers. Only poll-driven political consultants would dream of raising someone’s cost of doing business while simultaneously proclaiming that the business can’t seek to do anything about it. Such a legally dubious move, much like the rest of this proposition, defies Econ 101 principles.”

Posted by Timbo on 4 November 2006 @ 11pm

30 is enough to cover the gist in a campaign of commercials. A few explaining the bill would be more exceptional than a few saying the people telling you not to vote for it are lieing.

Did anyone watch the Swartz./Angelides debate? It was impressive. Swartz. asked Angelides what his funniest campaigning moment was and Angelides was taken so off guard he didn’t know how to respond.

Posted by James (orr) on 5 November 2006 @ 12pm

Cory–to answer your original question: “No.”

As usual I am confused and not feeling informed enough to mark any boxes at all.

Can I just vote for Billy Graham?

For everything?

Posted by Jamie on 6 November 2006 @ 8am

Tyou poor suckers like myself who forgot to turn in their absentee ballot in time…tough luck

If you don’t like Republicans and corporate monopolization…vote in ways that the local church can be the front runner of change.

If you don’t like the Dems and national state monopolization…vote in ways the the local church can be the front runner of change.

Posted by Kevin on 6 November 2006 @ 9am

Kevin, I think you can actually take your absentee ballot straight to the polls.

Posted by Cory on 6 November 2006 @ 9am

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