http://marccooper.com/
Yes On Prop 77 Thanks to Nancy
When I vote Tuesday in Californias special election, I will be voting Yes
On Prop 77 the redistricting reform proposed by Governor Schwarzenegger.
I will vote NO on the other measures he is supporting.
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http://wsws.org/articles/2005/nov2005/cali-n07.shtml
Right-wing initiatives dominate California special election
By Andrea Peters
7 November 2005
When California voters go to the polls November 8 for the states special
election, they will be confronted with a series of right-wing measures. The
majority of the eight initiatives on the ballot are aimed at further
eroding the living standards and democratic rights of working people. None
of the initiatives that voters will be asked to decide on express the
concerns and needs of ordinary people in California.
Four of the eight initiatives to be voted on are endorsed by Republican
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. These include the Teacher Tenure Initiative
(Proposition 74), the Union Paycheck Initiative (Proposition 75), the State
Spending Cap Initiative (Proposition 76), and the Redistricting Initiative
(Proposition 77). All of these so-called reforms represent an attack on
the economic and political interests of the working class...
In order to make the Democratic-dominated political map of the state more
favorable to Republican candidates, Schwarzenegger is pushing for the
passage of Proposition 77. The Redistricting Initiative would transfer the
drawing of state legislative and congressional districts from the State
Assembly to a panel of retired federal judges appointed by the State Assembly.
The purpose of this measure is to break up the current gerrymandered system
that has made most incumbent seats difficult to challenge. Despite being
named by Schwarzenegger the Voter Empowerment Act, Proposition 77 has
nothing to do with empowering voters. It is aimed at making it easier for
the Republican right to gain political representation far out of proportion
to its actual level of support within the population.
As a recent editorial in the Los Angeles Times by election watchdog Jamie
Court noted, Some of the nations leading conservative thinkers and
strategists are seeking, through Schwarzeneggers initiatives, to alter the
balance of power between the right and left wings of California politics.
Their hope is to turn California red in 08 and pioneer a new gospel that
can spread across the country.
