Legal Commentary

Voting Today

By Professor University of Miami School of Law

Haven’t voted yet, but this is how I’m leaning:

Presidential beauty contest: John Edwards.

Several times I’ve thought of voting tactically for Obama since he’s my favorite of the two leading candidates. But he has done just enough progressive-bashing, and his health plan has a big enough hole that I think I’m sticking with voting for Edwards.

State Amendment 1 (starve localities, decimate services, and discriminate against young people and immigrants from out of state by further limiting property tax increase on housing appreciation): NO!

County proposition 1 (technical change on election rules to save millions of dollars): Yes

County proposition 2 (elect the county property assessor): No?

This is the one vote I’m least certain about — I don’t know who is behind it, or what they hope to achieve. Nor does this seem the sort of post all that well suited to election, even if other counties do it.

Country proposition 3 (2nd try at legalizing slot machine gambling at dog races & frontons): NO!

On balance I think we don’t need to feed gambling addictions; the claims of jobs and revenue from out-of-state tourists are bogus; the claim that revenue will help schools is also belied by experience of lottery money being offset by decreased spending. And it’s been sad to see teachers and cops pressed into service arguing for dog track gambling.

Full post as published by Discourse.net on January 29, 2008 (boomark / email).