Christina Aguliera Please Help Us
VOTING FOR VOTING’S SAKE BREEDS IGNORANCE
I saw Christina Aguilera on Oprah recently and I only noticed her because of her new cleaned up look that I find outrageously attractive. I stared at the tv as Christina sat next to Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore while telling us all about how she never bothered to vote in the last election but since then realized all the sacrifices people have made to allow her the right to vote. Cameron started to get all teary eyed as Oprah consoled her. Then I got really fucking sick.
All of us have been hearing the same messages about how important voting is. Everyone is trying to get unregistered people to vote - pushing the registration but not pushing education of the issues or the candidates. Have you ever seen someone trying to give out as much as an election issues guide? We don’t need to rock the vote, we need to rock the educated vote. This might be implied to you and me but no one is saying anything outright - To a person who didn’t think about registering to vote until less than a month before the most important election to date for our generation, someone might want to say something, damnit.
In a day and age where brand recognition plays a tremendous role in our society, we can’t leave our minds to marketers whose job description is to tell us about how inadequate we are without whatever they’re trying to sell. (Example: Please don’t vote for David Vitter because they used his kid in a commercial and not knowing that he coauthored the federal marriage amendment.)
As applied to Louisiana, did you know that on Nov. 2nd, we’re not just voting for the President but for our reps for Senate, House of Representatives, several judges, a state representative, and a few acts concerning the right to hunt, fish and trap, the homestead exemption, and the eligibility for Veterans for Civil Service.
(Click Here.)
In Orleans Parish, we’re also voting for Criminal Sheriff, a GO Bond going towards who knows what, a judge for juvenile court, several annual fees relating to improvements, and two members of the school board. (Click Here.)
Did you even know you were up for voting on all these issues?
I certainly didn’t until recently. How are these things going to affect you? If you don’t strive to educate yourself on these issues, you give up your right to complain.
God knows, we love to complain in New Orleans.
As of today, I’ve haven’t seen where all these issues were laid out in one place to be easily digested by anyone, forget registered voters.
An ignorant vote is as good, if not worse than not voting.
Christina, can you help us?!
Related posts:
And a little more clarity…
Source: http://www.statenet.com/resources/ballotmeas.htm
LA 2 TITLE: Hunting Rights
SUMMARY: (PROPOSED AMENDMENT NO. 1 - ACT 927-2004)
Proposes a Constitutional amendment that guarantees the right of every citizen to hunt, fish, and trap, subject to regulation, restriction, or prohibition as provided by law.
Election Date: Nov 2, 2004
LA 3 TITLE: Farmers and Fishermen Assistance
SUMMARY: (PROPOSED AMENDMENT NO. 4 - ACT 928-2004)
Amends the Constitution to authorize the Legislature to assist state farmers and fishermen with support and expansion of their industries; establishes the Agricultural and Seafood Products Support Fund as a special fund in the state treasury; provides for the sources of monies in the fund to be from the licensing of trademarks or labels for use in promoting state agricultural and seafood products and other sources.
Election Date: Nov 2, 2004
LA 4 TITLE: Homestead Property Exemption
SUMMARY: (PROPOSED AMENDMENT NO. 2 - ACT 929-2004)
Amends the Constitution to provide that the homestead exemption from ad valorem property taxes may be applied to homesteads owned in indivision and for fields in which there is timber; provides for application of the exemption to a surviving spouse, testamentary, irrevocable trust and usufructuaries prohibits more than one exemption per person; allows an exemption under a bond for deed contract under certain circumstances.
Election Date: Nov 2, 2004
LA 5 TITLE: Veterans Employment Preference
SUMMARY: (PROPOSED AMENDMENT NO. 3 - ACT 930 of 2004)
Amends the Constitution to provide persons who served honorably in the armed forces of the U.S. for at least ninety days after September 11, 2001, for reasons other than training, are eligible for the veterans five-point preference for original state police service employment or original civil service employment by the state, by the city of New Orleans, or by any other civil service system governed by the provision.
Election Date: Nov 2, 2004
Somewhat of a digression, but wasn’t there a voting precinct, 9th ward I think, that had a 3% voter turnout? I remember reading about it after the voting machine debacle, and I think they mentioned that that percentage wasn’t atypical. Personally, and not because I like taking the pessimistic approach, I don’t think voter turnout will even be higher than the standard deviation for error from the last presidential election.
What was the “standard deviation for error” in the last election? Are you talking about turnout locally or nationally?
The sheer number of new voters combined with a generation of people who found their cause to rally behind (9/11 and the Iraq War) will undoubtedly lead to a significantly greater voter turnout this election. My issue was whether these new voters were as educated as they should be and the issues surrounding the responsibility of education for those organizations that signed up those voters to begin with.