Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Vae Victis

While there are still 2,000 county ballots left to count, at first blush the election results seem to represent a repudiation of all things County. The incumbents lost. The Charter lost. In fact, the larger results could be interpreted as a repudiation of all government interference in our personal lives. Taxes lost (at least at the state level). Gay marriage won. Marijuana legalization won. Charter schools won. It's as if the electorate collectively said to the government, "Stay out of our personal lives. Stop telling us how to live, who to marry, what drugs we can take, where to send our kids to school ... and stop taking our money too."

In short, "Leave us alone. We want more choice and control over our lives, not less!"

The current Council is moving full-steam ahead to pass the current CAO proposals by the end of November so they can be enacted by the beginning of March. They may yet accept the CAOs, but the election showed that we reject the people (and government system) that accept the CAOs.

17 comments:

  1. Can I grow pot with in 50 feet of a wetland??

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  2. Honestly, I was wondering the same thing.

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  3. We got four more years of Obozo. I had hopes that the EPA would get reigned in.

    According to science, the time to prepare for tyranny is at hand.

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  4. I just want corruption, particularly the subversive eco-corruption of the kind we see around here, reined in.

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  5. First you must register as a grower and pay tax on your product. If you sell it.

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  6. Utter repudiation of all things County. Will the County take the hint? Any more than they did with the vote on solid waste? Unlikely.

    Certainly, the CAO played a big hand in defeating Pratt and Rosenfeld. Methinks Miller might have gone down too, had she been running, and you would think that Stephens would be gone, too--given the sentiment we've seen from Lopez farmers and the potential impact on their livelihood from the CAO.

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  7. Yeah I want to stick to the local issues. Let's set our own house in order. Looks like we now have a way for local organic agriculture to generate a real cash crop and create real new jobs. We could call it "Island Grown ... In Da Flavor Zone" guaranteed GMO free. This will really help the farmer's market and Ag Guild. They won't need grants anymore.

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  8. It's a presumption without those 2,000 votes, but it seems like the charter got trashed by voters not happy with their council member, and Lopez voters of course. Rich Peterson's district must have been happy with him. (OK, happy but still not jumping up and down)

    Problem is, the conservatives lost big. The party majority (democrats) will run three candidates now and win every time. Gordy is NOT much of a political operative and the conservatives blew their big chance at changing County Government or even getting rid of the FOSJ influence. (And the next Kevin Ranker will be...?)

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  9. I wonder about that. Isn't there some accountability involved in the next election and this important period leading up to it?
    I would say put the pressure on now. Make clear the choices that will be supported. Communicate w/the potential new candidates, who are very probably already council members, before the CAO is passed.

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  10. The above comment might work. By making it clear at the get go the voters will not accept a County wide Pratt candidacy, or anyone who supports the current CAO, you might convince most voters that the County has moved on and wants new blood on the council which could be some of those just elected if they behave themselves and demonstrate a voting record in the short term that is convincing.

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  11. Will someone point me to Ms. Pratt's gracious concession message? I cannot seem to find it on the inter webs.

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  12. Maybe both Lovel and Howie could issue a joint concession message. They are sort of joined at the hip. Maybe the Mayor could help write it.

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  13. Whoever we want needs to run as a democrat.

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  14. Uhhh ... maybe a bit to much over-strategizing about the results? I believe the incumbents lost because they did not do a good job for The People, and it was apparent to a majority of The People. I believe we need to get away from "party-think" and get to "issue-think". Parties divide and issues unite. That's a very simple message and a very simple truth IMHO. Parties want loyalty to the party, nothing more. They are inherently divisive (again IMHO).

    Many surveys in America say that The People want our elected officials to work together. Yet, those same "People" continually reject moderates in favor of partisan loyalists. That is the problem ... the disconnect between what people say they want, and the reality of what they vote for.

    I think this election is an example of the opposite, however. The partisan loyalists were rejected. Personally, I hope that trend continues, and I think the idea of one party appearing to be better than the other on local issues is a fallacy.

    Neither party has any answers for us. We need real people providing real ideas in an authentically transparent, un-biased system ... that's what we need.

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  15. Well said, ECK!

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  16. Seems to me that we're looking down the barrel of another triad like Ranker and Lichter and Myhr, the ones who dug us into the financial hole we're in, and who hired Pete Rose, his minions and the SuperPlanners.

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