Day After T-Day

I hope that you had a great day with family and friends yesterday. Things here went well.

The whole bird came out better than expected. I'd still do a couple of things differently if I make another one next year (e.g., more seasonings under the skin). All the sides came out great also, especially my mom's cranberry chutney.

No big surprises during the day. My m-i-l told the same stories that no one cares about, though for some reason my parents kept egging her on, thinking they were being polite. Had plenty, but not too much, to drink and also managed to watch a little bit of football, even though all of the games sucked.

Speaking of football, I apparently go to worried too early about Chris Johnson, as one of my key guys, Brian Westbrook of Philly, had an even better game. And one of my opponent's receivers, Anquan Boldin, didn't do so hot. No players in the other game that affects my playoff chances played yesterday.

Today's kind of laid back. The HB slept at the nephew's and my wife left this morning to get a pedicure with her sisters and s-i-l. The NZS is still sleeping and doesn't have football practice for another couple of hours. They have a playoff game tonight at home. He says his knee feels well enough to dress and play. Sitting on the sidelines has been KILLING him, so I hope he can see some action tonight.

I'll have a little bit of work to do as my overseas clients are all working today. But, nothing too serious. I'm guessing that the nephew might sleep over here tonight, which would be a-OK with me.

Happy Turkey Day

Got up this morning with a low grade hangover and started cooking my portion of Thanksgiving dinner (bird, stuffing and gravy). For whatever reason, the wife wanted the full bird this year. So, I had to make the stuffing early (as opposed to with the breast roast I normally make). The 14lb bird is roasting away and now I'm watching a bit of football before doing stage two on the extra stuffing (I'll make it into a casserole).

When everything is all done, the HB, NZS and I will head to my s-i-l's. My wife went with her earlier this morning to pick up their brother and his wife who are joining us today from ABQ on their way to Hawaii.

Football note--I need to win my fantasy football game and have another guy lose his. Unfortunately, one of my opponents running backs, Chris Johnson, is playing against Detroit, the worst defense in the league. Johnson has two touchdowns...and it's only the first quarter. This is not looking good.

I hope that you have a great Thanksgiving and have the chance to reflect on the good things in your life.

Old Friends

Compared to most people, I would say I have a lot of old friends. I mean, I still hang with guys I've known from elementary school and the wife and I started dating 25 years ago. Which isn't to say that I don't make great new friends, but once we're friends, you're stuck with me for a while.

A great old friend, let's call him Duncan, found me on Facebook a couple of weeks ago. When we were kids, Duncan and I were/are HUGE Monty Python fans, enjoyed similar enough music that we played in rock/blues bands together, etc. As I went to college and he didn't, we drifted apart. We lived in different places (though he lives about 1/2 mile from where we grew up now) and just lost touch. One time several years ago he came trick-or-treating with his young son at my parents' house when I happened to be visiting, but I'm sure that was the only time I saw him in the last 20 years.

After exchanging a message or two, we worked it out so we could have lunch yesterday. It was great. The connection between us was still there and we had ample time to get caught up. When I run into people from my past and all we do is talk about the old times, it's pretty obvious that there isn't much there. Duncan and I didn't talk about the old times hardly at all. We talked about our kids, work, music, sports, etc.

The night before Thanksgiving is on of the few times when the guys in my fantasy football team get together for a few beers. There are some guys in the league who know Duncan as well. Hopefully he'll join us.

Take Him Out to the Ball Game, Part II

Oh, some things I didn't mention about the Clippers game:

1) Clearly, they have a no visible tattoos/non-ear piercing policy with their dancers. Which I think only leaves about 50 in the city.

2) The enthusiasm in the crows was pathetic. I thought that the Clipper fans had that "Yeah, we're not front running Laker fans" chip on their shoulder. I got the feeling that half the people there were given tickets by people who only wanted to have the seats for the Lakers, and really didn't give a shit about the Clips. Given that Staples holds 20k, it was only half full, and only half of them were pulling for LA, there were only about 5k people cheering. Not good.

Take Him Out to the Ball Game

Yesterday, I happened upon a couple of tickets for the Clippers-Hornets game at Staples Center. The price was right (a nominal charitable donation), the tickets were awesome, and parking was included. Fortunately, the NZS didn't have evening football practice (the HB had no interest in going) so we went to the game.

One good thing about the timing of us hosting the NZS is that he already had a cadre of friends and was well-acclimated to being here. The (minor) bad thing is that he's got a pretty full schedule, so it's hard to fit in all the "LA" things that it would be cool for him to experience. This was a great opportunity to cross something off of the list (see an NBA game).

The NBA is popular in NZ, so he knows a lot of players besides those on the Lakers and Clippers. For some odd reason, he's a Denver Nuggets fan. And it was a treat watching Chris Paul play. He had some great lobs to Tyson Chandler (check this clip out at about the 20 second mark...and that wasn't even his best one).

It was a fun evening and gave us a chance to talk hoops, etc for a few hours. I hoping to get him to the Getty Museum and some other places (Vegas, Grand Canyon) during his last 6 weeks here.

Got Me Some Mangy Pussy

When my wife and the HB were leaving the house this morning to spend a good chunk of Sunday with my mil, they came across a very sad looking black cat in front of our house. It was totally exhausted (could barely keep its head up), had matted fur and ridden with mange. So, I called to find a shelter that was open on Sundays and went and got our rarely used dog carrier. About 30 minutes later (it was tired, but its flight reaction was still operational), we were able to corral the cat into the carrier and off to the shelter.

That was all well and good, but it put me and the NZS about an hour behind in heading to my brewing buddy's house. More on that in a bit. However, the big news was that it gave me the opportunity to take the NZS to Tommy's for the first time. He's had In-and-Out burgers, but, IMHO Tommy burgers are far superior. The NZS now agrees.

So, we grabbed some burgers and chili fries and headed to my brewing buddy's house. I like dark hoppy beers (stouts and porters), he tends to like lighter ones. Since we were at his house, I picked up stuff for a red bitter ale. I'll letchya know how it comes out, in about 2 months.

One cool thing about heading to his house is that he has the DirectTV Sunday ticket for the NFL games. He primarily has it because he and his wife are big Packer fans (she grew up in Oconomowoc, WI). Since the Pack isn't playing until tomorrow night, he wasn't married to any one game in particular. So, we dialed into the Sunday Ticket RedZone channel. Essentially, on this channel they switch to games where a team is about to score. As such, you get to see lots of improtant action and NO COMMERCIALS! It's the first time that I've really wanted to have Sunday Ticket. But, since it's a crapshoot as to whether I'm even home on Sundays, I'll still probably pass. Even with DVR, I still wouldn't get to see most of it.

Should be a good work week. Finally got some client data on Friday that I've been waiting for and I launched another survey in Asia about an hour ago. The HB has school tomorrow and and half-day on Tuesday.

The NZS is off all week, but his football team crushed during their first round playoff game on Friday night, meaning they have another one this Friday, so he'll have practice and physical therapy all week. He called me right after their playoff game and they were very psyched, espcially considering the nearly 3 hour bus ride they had to get there. He really enjoys the comaradarie of being on a team so this was a big thrill for him.

Tutoring

I really enjoy my Rotary Club's tutoring program at a local school. It's fun to do and it makes at least a small difference for the kids and the teacher.

Fortunately, I get to work with the same teacher as I did last year. You can tell the difference a new year makes in her face. A little more makeup and a little less stressed. We'll see how long that lasts.

She sent me this last week after the assignments were made:

"hi chat! i was so happy to see that you were assigned to me, and hadn't requested to change rooms. my kids did fantastically on last year's spring testing, thanks in part to you. 92% passed the math portion, and 76% scored Advanced! that's what i like to see.
unfortunately, this year i have a very low bunch. however, they are low not because they are not capable, instead because they are very, lazy and uninspired. so, just to give you the heads up. i have made some inroads, but is is drudgery.
your son is in 4th this year no?"

Yikes. Forget about the compliments, but a teacher describing a room of 4th graders as lazy and uninspired!? Now, it is entirely possible that this description is spot on and with 30-some students she has a big job. I think it shows the challenges that LAUSD teachers face. Still, the lack of optimism is troubling. I would think that an effective teacher needs to have on at least slightly rose-tinted glasses. Not in terms of a students current ability level, but when viewing their potential to succeed.

I worked with a girl today on negative numbers. She's interested in science, so we did examples of adding and subtracting temperatures to help her understand how it works. Though, I think when we used examples of owing her parents allowance money because she borrowed some to buy a game made a little more sense to her. She seemed genuinely excited when it stated sinking in.

When Intentions Become Clear

I always thought that Hillary Clinton was a carpetbagging opportunist who REALLY just wanted to be president and made this a primary consideration in all of her public actions. If she was that interested in serving constituents in the Senate (as opposed to using it as a springboard to the White House) she would have run in a state where she actually lived, like Arkansas or Illinois (now THAT would have been irony). Instead, she ran in New York because of its higher profile.

Now that it's become clear that she doesn't think that being in the Senate will get her elected president in 2016 and that she thinks what torpedoed her candidacy was her lack of foreign policy experience. So, she's looking to be secretary of state so she can get her overseas bona fides in place in case Obama doesn't get re-elected. My guess is that New Yorkers knew that this kind of big FUCK YOU was coming and won't be too upset about it.

What happened to her passion for health care and women's issues? Wouldn't being secretary of Health and Human Services make more sense? Ah, that position lacks prestige and is less presidential (though no one has gone from the cabinent to president in the last two hundred years). And being Sec of State would make her #4 in succession.

LA's Burning...Again

As I'm sure you've read by now, the LA area has more fires. Lots more. When I got my paper this morning the ground was covered with a film of ash and the air smelled like cigarettes. The sun's now filtered orange through a thick sky.

What makes these fires worse than the ones last month is that they are in populated areas, as opposed to remote canyons. They've been burning everything from over-the-top expensive houses south of Santa Barbara, to middle class housing tracks in Orange County to mobile home parks in north LA. It's bad.

Fortunately, the winds have died down so the firefighters should have the chanced to get a handle on them today. But, it's still going to be hot and windy. They've got a battle on their hands.

With this as a backdrop, the wife and went to the dinner at Spago last night. We rode with my parents, so we were able to chat with them about their 50th anniversary, which is next August and do some planning for it.

At the party, we saw some of my dad's cousins from Philly (very east coast snobby). When I worked for my uncle one summer, I used to stay at one of the cousins' house on some weekends (he had daughters about my age), so it was great to see him and his second wife (the first died several years ago).

The food was great. We had crab cakes (even my wife had some--only the 3rd time I've seen seafood cross her lips), tuna tartar and fancy pizza as appetizers (with some scotch from the open bar). I had butternut squash soup and bass in an awesome sauce. She had a layered beet/cheese and short ribs on polenta. I was sad when I had to poop this morning.

Foodie Nirvana, etc.

Tonight we're going to an anniversary party. It's the 40th for a cousin of a cousin (or some such) and her husband. hey are total foodies, so they are having it at Spago. The wife and I have been to a few of Puck's other restaurants (always great), but this is our first time at the flagship. I'm looking forward to it. In fact, I was telling Lola that I might binge-and-purge while we are there so I can eat more. I promise a full report tomorrow.

In HS football news, the NZS's team won last night, making them co-champs of their league. He was pretty psyched for his mates (his knee still hurts too much to dress) and also excited about the possibility of playing in an upcoming playoff game or two. Right now he has a bug up his ass to go to school in the US, so he's finding colleges that don't require SATs etc with the hope that he can walk on to play soccer and get a scholarship. We'll see about that.

On the home front, my mil is being a complete pain in the ass. She's got BAD emphesema (years of smoking Camels where it didn't matter which end was lit). She's always seen herself as the queen of the family, but she has not loyal subjects. She's a constant complainer and lives in the (60 years) past. Several months ago, my wife and her sibs FINALLY convinced her that she needed live-in help (she's on 24/7 oxygen and doesn't have the strength to cook or bathe). The woman who is with her (let's call her Phyllis) most of the time seems nice enough and competent (keeps my mil clean, fed and on her meds) but all my mil does is bitch about her. And lately she's been getting what my wife says is verbally abuse.

Now, my mil seems to think she can make it on her own when Phyllis takes her every-other-month 8 day vacation. Fat fucking chance. Just what we need right before Thanksgiving. She'd be even crankier and bitchier since she'd be off of her Prozac for a week and she'd stink. Plus, my wife would be miserable since she'd be driving down there every other day as her mom calls because she can't find her shoes or to bitch about something else. I try not to drink too much in front of the HB and NZS, but thatwould put me over the edge on Thanksgiving. Fuck.

Lining Up at the Trough

Let's say that you run a shitty business. It's your own fault. But, suddenly you see other people whose businesses are doing poorly getting government money. What do you do? Line up to get yours, of course.

The geniuses in Detroit are conniving to get bank bail-out money to help prop up their poorly run dinosaurs because they can. Never mind that US automakers have been losing market share since the 70s. Sure, this downturn is another kick in the teeth for them, but it's their own fucking fault. When gas prices spiked during the Iranian hostage crisis they could have said, "Shit, this ain't the last time this is going to happen. Let's make all of our cars more fuel efficient." Instead, they made a bunch of crappy small cars while Toyota and Datsun/Nissan made good ones and kept grinding out big pig cars. Sure, those made them some money in the short run, but for now they are screwed.

The other thing that kills me is how they are BEGGING the government for money, but cry like spoiled children when the government asks them to reduce emissions or improve fuel efficiency (no matter that their Asian cousins don't seem to have a problem with this). There is no good reason to prop these companies up. The politicians who carry their water will say, "There are too many good jobs in the industry and that support it to let them fail." What a bunch of bullshit. If one of the big 3 goes under, another (profitable) car company will buy their assets and use them more efficiently. It's not like the long term demand for cars in the world is going down. It's just that these people will make cars and parts for another company. And, most likely, without the UAW. I don't think the democrats in Michigan, Ohio, etc want to see one of their biggest patrons go downhill any further.

This also provides prez-elect Obama (or, more specifically, his arm twister Rahm Emmanuel) with an interesting test. Henry Waxman, chief noodge in the House, currently chairs the house oversight committee. They've been spending the last two years slapping the bushies on the wrist for past bad deeds. Waxman has made it known that he would like to head up the energy and commerce committee, which is currently chaired by John Dingell of Michigan. Dingell is a notorious apologist for the automakers and has used his position to consistently block tighter emission and gas mileage standards, or anything else his patrons think might be bad for them. He's been sucking at that tit for a loooooooooooong time and he has seniority on the committee. And congress luhvs their seniority rights.

If Obama is serious about his environmental agenda, Dingell is the wrong person to head that committee. Obviously, the prez-elect isn't going to burn big political capital on a fight that's not really his and piss off half of the democrats he needs to work with. But, it is an opportunity to see how much influence he has over the new congress.

Now We're Cookin'

I swear, it was practically raining money on me today. Four, count 'em 4, projects large and small came through today. Amazing. It means I get to go to Chicago (in the middle of winter, yech) and maybe Kalamazoo (where I guess it's pretty much winter from Labor Day until Memorial Day). So, we'll see.

As I've probably mentioned before, I love cooking. It's a good break in my day and I've always believed that to eat well you need to cook well. This is not to suggest that I'm some sort of FABULOUS cook, but we have more than a 4 meal rotation list and nobody's starving here.

So, I get a bug up my ass to make soup. So, I buy stuff to make vegetable stock (about 90 minutes of prep and cooking) and other ingredients for Pasta e Fagioli (another 45 min). Over two hours later I have some pretty damn good soup. Two hours better than opening up a can. You bet your ass. Fortunately, I don't always have that much time to kill.

Tonight, burritos with guacamole. Maybe some Mexican rice and frijoles negro as well. Wonder if we have any sweet-and-sour for margaritas.

When in Rome

So, you're looking for a dishwasher job in LA. Let's say you're from Nicaragua or El Salvador. So, to get this job, you try to act more like an Angeleno. Bad call. Better to try and pass as Mexican.

It's an interesting article in that it challenges our notion of culture in a pluralistic part of the country. In LA, whites, African-Americans and Mexican-Americans have been exchanging culture for years, so it shouldn't be a surprise that Latino cultures in LA would do the same. However, in LA the implications are larger due to the size of the Latino population. Is a trans-Hispania culture developing in the shadows of the skyscrapers?

Of course, these transformations always occur when cultures mingle (well, perhaps with the exception of the balkan-like city of Boston), but we (I?) always assume it happens between the majority community and a minority one, rather than between minority communities. Then again, who's to say who is the majority community here.

Tienen un gran día.

Award for My Mom

Yesterday, the temple my parents belong to gave my mom what amounts to a lifetime achievement award. You gotta believe me when I tell you that it's well deserved. They've belonged there for over 40 years and she's held just about every volunteer position, including being the first female president of the congregation. Even my brother flew out for it.

There was a nice program and lunch (salmon and talapia) and she seemed generally touched by it all. I hope that I'm as good of a volunteer role model to the HB as my parents were to me and my brother.

Afterwards, we went and saw Madagascar 2, which was surprisingly good. Most kid movie sequels suck, but this one was worth seeing. The HB and NZS enjoyed it as well.

All Night Long

Not what you are thinking. I WORKED all night long (well, till about 3:30am). Had a ton to do and not much time in which to do it. So now I'm operating on about 3.5 hours of sleep and I get to chase the HB around this afternoon as he's off of school for parent-teacher conferences. Yes, they'll continue to cash our checks.

Tonight is Seniors' Night for the NZS and the rest of the football team. He asked me to be his 'parent' on the field. I was truly touched.

In other NZS news, my wife and I talked about bringing in another one next fall. I think she's a tad more into now than when he moved it, but the HB and I are psyched, so we'll probably do it. She is rooting for a girl in 2010, though.

Wednesday was the 25th anniversary of mine and my wife's first date (awwwwwww). We arranged for my parents to watch the HB and we had a pretty good Italian dinner (bruchsetta, pumpkin soup, pasta with salmon in vodka sauce, pumpkin ravioli and plenty of chianti)l 25 years seems very long and very short at the same time.

Fulmer is Out

University of Tennessee head coach Philip Fulmer announced that he had accepted the university's decision not to bring him back next year. Did he really have a choice? He'll probably get an athletic department job to go with his $6,000,000 buyout.

My thought about Fulmer is that he had a great ride and the university should keep him around, but he's just not an effective head coach anymore. In the mid-late 90's UT competed for a national title ever year, which is all you can ask for as a fan. But, he hasn't won the SEC since 98 and the last two years the team has been struggling to compete in the SEC east, let along for a national title. Also, they've had significant off the field problems with the players, which definitely hurts. It's also been frustrating that he hasn't developed the players much after they get there. Their recent quarterbacks didn't seem any better as seniors than they were as sophomores.

The name I keep hearing as a replacement is Will Muschamp, Texas's defensive coordinator as he has deep SEC roots. Given how well Urbn Mayer has done at Florida, I wouldn't mind seeing a guy from a successful non-BCS team (e.g., Boise, Utah, BYU, TCU, etc). I'm not sure it's best for a guy's first head coachiing job to be in the SEC, particularly at a school that expects to win.

Loyalty is a tough nut in college football and there's a lot that makes a program successful. Fulmer dedication and loyalty to the school cannot be questioned, but the overall results can be. It was just time for a change.

The Day After

OK, raise your hands if you thought the presidential election was going to be close. I was telling anyone who would listen last week that it would be a rout, and it was. I'm not going to go on, and on, and on about the election, but a few observations:

1) I love when a campaign is losing in the polls near the end starts saying shit like, "Well, we think the polls are wrong." Really? Those things that you completely used to construct your campaign are now suddenly worthless? Were they wrong when you picked a completely unqualified person to be be veep? Just checking.

2) The "logical" leaps made from the primaries now seem even more ridiculous. Remember when the Clinton supporters were making the argument to the super delegates that they should vote for her because she, and only she, could win in blue-collar states? I'm seeing a lot of blue in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana. The only major demographic group that Obama lost were white men and they haven't gone democratic in 40 years.

3) Young people actually voted. Every campaign that lost last time around talks about getting "their" voters to the polls next time. Obama clearly made the democratic pie bigger. If his first term sucks, it will completely turn off a generation of young voters the same way LBJ did to JFK's youth vote.

I'm pissed that Prop 8 failed here. Now comes the court challenges, etc. The only silver lining is that the margin was much smaller than the last time such a thing was on the ballot. Here's the kicker--it was the minority vote that put it over the top. Nothing like people who struggled to gain civil rights denying them to others. Especially on this night.

Halloween Recap

Gheeze...how could I have forgotten this? I'm not one to wax about how I wish the HB stayed a certain age, but I will be bummed when he doesn't want me to trick-or-treat with him anymore.

We started (as we usually do) at our neighbors' for an early dinner. Then we linked up with some of his buddies (one of their moms joined us) and hit the street (I had a red go-cup full of wine). The HB was dressed up as a nerd zombie (had to be seen) and me as a tourist.

There were some cool haunted houses and another neighbor gave the HB a HUGE Hershey bar. He knocked off a bit earlier than usual, which gave me a chance to catch the end of the NZS's football game (the lost in a battle for first place in their league). But, he had a great time, and that's what counts.

With the house decorated, the pumpkins, the dressing up and the lack of presents, I'm still very much of the opinion that Halloween kicks ass over xmas.

California Voting

Shit! A week since I blogged? While I'm obviously not slavish about it, that's waaaaaaaay too long and I apologize.

Ever since I turned 18, I've been very serious about voting. I believe being informed about the issues and casting a ballot is a sacred right in our democracy.

So, here's how I'm voting on Tuesday:

President--Bob Barr. Yes, he's late to the Libertarian philosophy, but better late than never.

In California we have ballot propositions. Basically, anyone who can gather enough signatures can get one of these on the ballot. Oh, and they can only cover one issue. Some of our country's biggest political movements (for better or for worse) have started with the initiative process.

Prop 1a

• 1A - California High Speed Rail Bond. S.B. 1856. As usual, transportation propositions sound attractive since our traffic is so bad. My question for this one is, if building high-speed rail through the state is such a great idea (e.g., people will take it and will be self-sufficient), where's the private money to start such a venture? NO
  
• 2 - Treatment of Farm Animals. Again, let the market decide, just like there is now a market for organic food. Besides, the state can't even police working conditions for migrant farm workers. Now we're going to ask it to do the same for farm animals? NO
  
• 3 - Children's Hospital Bond Act. Grant Program. Statute. A favorite strategy of initiative proponents is to float bond measures (e.g., borrow money) instead of raising taxes to pay for their projects. While technically true, money has to come out of the budget to pay the principle and interest on these bonds, and taxes may eventually have to be raised to do so. With very few exceptions, I think that is immoral to pay for our projects with our kids' money. Two hospitals near me have been shut down recently and this bond wants to bill more? I don't think building more is the answer. NO
  
• 4 - Waiting Period and Parental Notification Before Termination of Minor's Pregnancy. Constitutional Amendment. (third attempt at Proposition 73). These anti-choice people just can't take no for an answer. Whether a minor informs her parents about getting an abortion is none of the state's business. Period. No
  
• 5 - Nonviolent Offenders. Sentencing, Parole and Rehabilitation. Statute. Drug use should not be a crime. Putting non-violent drug offenders in jail is stupid and a waste of money, particularly when you consider how crowded CA prisons are. This prop will save money and take a step towards a more rational approach to drug users in the state. YES
  
• 6 - Criminal Penalties and Laws. Public Safety Funding. Statute. This is one of the propositions that gets on the ballot because the state legislature can't effectively do its job of passing important bills (see #11). There are some things I like about this bill and others that I don't. However, since it has written into it that it would require a 3/4 percent vote to repeal, I say NO.
  
• 7 - Renewable Energy. Statute. Normally, I would support this because the big utility companies are against it, so it must be a threat. However, the initiative will drive out smaller renewable energy companies (who are likely to be the most innovative) and would require a 2/3 vote to repeal. NO
  
• 8 - Eliminates the Rights of Same-Sex Couples to Marry. Initiative Constitutional Amendment. The campaign for this initiative is hilarious in that neither side mentions gay people wanting to get married. It's all about whether the school will have to teach about gays and lesbians getting married and crap like that. All of the agents of intolerance in our state (and out of it) are in favor of this proposition. Why? Because they think same-sex sex is gross and they think it goes agisnt the bible. When they start shopping at the kosher butcher I'll start taking them seriously. Everyone should have the right to marry whomever they love. Period. No, NO and HELL NO on this proposition.
  
• 9 - Criminal Justice System. Victims' Rights. Parole. Constitutional Amendment and Statute. This initiative puts emotion into our justice system. Not a good idea. NO.
  
• 10 - Alternative Fuel Vehicles and Renewable Energy. Statute. It's got a great name, but it takes money out of the budget for private purposes. Oh, and by the way, the ports in Long Beach and LA worked out a similar deal for their truckers without there being a law. What a concept. NO.
  
• 11 - Redistricting. Constitutional Amendment and Statute. Every 10 years in CA, sitting members of the lesislature get together and draw up congressional and state voting districts based on the census. What they do during this blatantly political exercise is design "safe" districts for each other (large majorities of dems or reps). This has had several bad effects in Sacramento. First, it allows the extreme views of both parties to win elections because those running know they don't have to appeal to centrists. Second, the reps got themselves enough safe districts so they can obstruct the CA budget which requires a 3/4 majority to pass. The process for choosing this non-partisan group to draw the boundaries may be imperfect, but what we have now sucks. The only official opponents of this measure are those politicians and groups who have a strong intereste in the status quo. YES.
  
• 12 - Veterans' Bond Act of 2008. S.B. 1572. We're in debt with a bad housing market and we're going to give one group of people easy credit to buy houses? Isn't this part of what got us in this mess? NO
  

Whatever's going on in your state, please vote on Tuesday. I'm going to bring the HB and NZS with me to the polls. Teach your children well.