That would be the home stretch for this year’s mid term elections and not your local race track for the thoroughbreds or trotters. If you have been to the track on a rainy day and saw that mud splashing as those pounding hoofs make their way to the finish line, I have to believe that amount of mud pales in comparison to the mudslinging that is going on in this year’s political contests. I just don’t know that I can recall such pervasive dirty politics ever before.
Here I was today with my typical early morning agenda of riding my exercise bike and watching the news and during periods of about ten minutes the station must have been consumed with about seven minutes of political advertisements. It would have been fine if what I was hearing was telling me about what the candidate was going to do for his or her constituents. The trouble, however, was that about 90% of the time for each advertisement was spent on all the “dirt” that could be dug up about the opponent and then the last 10% of the time indicated that the advertisement was approved by the candidate paying for that time. How good of them!
So with the type of election year that we are having, it only makes sense that the State of California should make things even more interesting, as usual, with a line item on their ballot for voter consideration. There it will be, Proposition 19, an initiative that would allow recreational use of marijuana! Ok, California was the state where residents were the first to approve a medical marijuana law on the general ballot back in 1996. But now we want recreational use? The premise, as I understand it, in this financially stressed state, is to impose a tax on any marijuana sold and use proceeds to remove the fiscal pressure on maintaining the state prisons. They are getting financially creative out there! The last update I read on voter sentiment in the state fortunately suggested that prospective voters were 49% to 44% against the measure with the remaining 7% undecided.
It’s time to bring this election year to a close. While I typically consider myself to be a political junkie I must admit that I have had it with the character of the campaigning for this year. The conditions seem ripe that there will be a change in parties in Washington, and for that matter across the country, as many governor races seem to be leaning toward Republican victory. So let’s get across that finish line and let a new round of government gridlock begin!
