Voting...

November 3, 2008 08:10 by Lisey

Well,

 I voted and my husband voted, so we can at least feel a part of a system we aren't really a part of.  I've been pondering the whole voting thing.  All throughout my neighborhood are signs to support Prop 2a, (a property tax increase of $200 per house) for public school.  I haven't seen one 'no' to prop 2a sign, yet a lot of people I've spoken with, including myself are voting against it.

There is such a fear out there that being 'politically incorrect' and having a 'anti-children' sign will ruin you.  The worst part is, those that would label one against a tax increase 'anti-children' are your neighbors all around you.  I just don't think the way we vote and the way things are phrased and pushed down our throats is very American.  I'd love to have a "NO to prop 2a" but I worry about all of our neighbors blackballing my children more than they do already.  Speaking of phrasing things... there's another ballot measure that starts with the phrase.  "The state shall not discrimate against any person based on race, gender etc. etc."  Well, my husband immediately assumed, just from that first line that he (being a good republican) should vote against it.  I laughed and told him that what he was actually doing was voting to keep affirmative action initiates where the state discriminates against white males. :)  He sheepishly whited out his vote and tried again.  I wonder how many white men voted against that initiative just because of the language.  How many blacks and women voted for it because it used the catch phrase "shall not discriminate"?

Either way, voting feels really manipulated and I'm sitting here wondering how many of my neighbors actually realize their little Yes on Prop2a will hit them with a huge tax increase that will probably not help the kids in the slightest.


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Comments

November 3. 2008 11:36

Tertium Quid

Any good salesman will tell you that the key to selling something is how you position it.

After the tremendous success of the Children's Museum ballot initiative here in Utah a few years ago, it seems like every year there's a family-friendly initiative for us to knee-jerk ourselves into. This year there's two! One for the Hogle Zoo and the other for Tracy Aviary.

I am as ignorant as anyone on specifics, other than
a. they cost money
b. the proponents are using treacly sentimentality to manipulate results

I generally oppose such initiatives on principle, that principle being "Bah! Humbug!"

(you can heighten the nefarious glee by imagining poor, dirty faced scamps playing with a plastic shopping bag because they don't have a high-quality zoo to patronize)

Tertium Quid

November 3. 2008 15:44

Cyn

I have to agree; the public schools are the sole recipients of the tax dollars coerced from home owners....and no kinds of tax relief are offered for those with gifted children in private schools. The public schools are now used as the bludgeon for gay rights throughout the country and it makes it sick....no offense, Fidel.

Anybody want to bring up the fact that a father who went to the school to protest the teaching of same sex marriage to his first grade son was arrested in Massachusetts....because he wanted his voice heard and the school principal and board called the police on him. This is just the first salvo in a very sick kind of war waged against American children.

Cyn

November 3. 2008 15:45

Cyn

Hey, my icon was changed....and NOT for the better!!

Cyn

November 3. 2008 16:10

Lisey

Cyn, I miss your old poopy icon. this one is kinda scary actually. You must have switched emails so it thinks you are a new person. This is the icon associated with your new email.

Lisey

November 5. 2008 02:40

Lisey

Update...

well.. hip horray, the sheep did not win in our local 'boost your taxes for the children/disabled/libraries' pitch.

NO NEW local taxes for my little county.

I did notice Quid, that you have to pay new zoo and aviary taxes. Looks like those in SLC are more gullible to the hype.

Lisey

November 5. 2008 06:29

Tertium Quid

Leading up to the election there were tons of signs all over the valley saying "Renew the Zoo".

I wanted signs saying "Screw the Zoo".

$33 million is enough to tear down some of the wonderful old animal exhibits at the zoo and put in all new ones, so there won't be as much nostalgia the next time I go. Though there WILL be fancy new exhibits to attract patrons.

Surprising - I thought people went to the zoo to see the animals, not what they were housed in. Shows what I know.

Tertium Quid

November 6. 2008 00:38

Cyn

It's difficult to herald the lack of sheep in Colorado when a totally untested, untried commodity, whom I like to call Obama Bin Laden, has just been handed the United States of America for his playground, and Colorado was one of the states giving it to this guy. Well, all I can say is, May God have mercy on the United States of America.

Cyn

November 6. 2008 04:06

Fidel

If people only thought of the animals (instead of selfishly only themselves as so many on this site do) there would not anything remotely resembling a zoo or aviary to fund!
Just saying...

Fidel

November 6. 2008 12:51

Lisey

I completely agree with Fidel on that one. Most zoos are not for animals at all... but for some 'entertainment' for people to see animals in cages and gawk at them. It's depressing. The few zoos that I support are more like wild animal parks and mimic natural environments.

Lisey

November 6. 2008 14:07

Cyn

I agree re zoos, with the possible exception that really good ones are harvesting DNA from endangered animals....potentially to clone when they are extinct. I always heard that the San Diego Wild Animal Park was fabulous...but it's still really small...better than cages, but not as good as the "park" in Texas which has about 1 million acres and houses the big mammals: elephants, rhinos, etc.

Cyn

November 6. 2008 23:44

Fidel

We are finally in agreement! God! I'm so happy!!!

Fidel

November 10. 2008 12:06

Cyn

It's been a long time coming, I'm sure.

Cyn

November 10. 2008 12:31

Lisey

chuckle... chuckle...

Lisey

November 16. 2008 19:45

Firebyrd

I have to admit that funding the zoo and aviary are tax initiatives I can actually support and if I were in Salt Lake County, I would have voted for them. The funds for the zoo, at least, are going to be used to update the enclosures and make them far better for the animals, which is our responsibility since we have them in captivity and in many species case, have virtually destroyed their habitats. There are more tigers in the United States than live in the wild these days. I like tigers (and other species). I want my children to have the opportunity to like tigers too. The only way most people care about a thing is to have a positive encounter with it, so zoos, aviaries, aquariums, and the like are super important.

Have any of you been to Hogle Zoo in the last few years? They might not be millions of acres, but the new enclosures for the elephants, rhinos, and tigers are awesome. While I might miss my childhood experience of actually feeding the elephants, the updated enclosures are worlds better.

Firebyrd

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