Election 2008
It is time for another election, and I thought that it might be nice to look back at what I wrote for the previous one. My concerns haven’t really changed that much, although I would reduce my personal weighting of the Islamo-fascism (although, like communism, I would prefer to see it buried in garlic with a stake through its heart). So, what will my ballot look like, here in the 30th District of California?
- President: I will vote against Obama, so the only practical alternative is McCain. I don’t vote based on personality or glamour, and the notion of finding "hope" or leadership in a politician is not the proper way for a free citizen to relate to a civil servant. This election has seemed to validate the phrase "politics is not about policy" more than any other, and I can’t bring myself to follow the trend of my peers. Obama fails the basic economic literacy test (by opposing free trade, e.g. threatening to renegotiate NAFTA, opposing CAFTA, opposing a bilateral free trade agreement with South Korea). As far as I can tell on foreign policy, Obama seems to be focused on negotiations and diplomacy, which is just a technique not a policy. Nations (i.e. governments) have interests, and this transcends any pretty talk. (A case in point is Iran… For years, they have pursued nuclear weapons [and will probably acquire them in the next year or two], and none of the international negotiations have done anything.) Finally, an Obama win would mean an undivided government of Democrats, which would mean more government intrusion, more class warfare (as gangs fight over loot), and all of that will be difficult to roll back. Give me gridlock! McCain isn’t perfect, but I think that he at least thinks that the United States is great, even if he doesn’t know why. The best argument for McCain that I found is from Robert Bidinotto, and that pretty much sums up my opinion.
- US Representative: I will leave this one blank, even though there is only one name on the ballot. I will never vote for the ultra-liberal Waxman, especially after the way that he treated Alan Greenspan in his recent congressional testimony. It was almost like he was looking for a scapegoat or something. I wish that I could write in Virginia Postrel.
- California State Measure 1A: No. The measure claims that it would cost $10B to build a high speed train from southern California to San Francisco / Sacramento. I’ve seen previous estimates to be five to ten times higher, so I’m guessing that proponents are lying to make the measure seem more palatable. That’s a deal-breaker for me. Furthermore, why does the state government need to be involved? If people really wanted it, someone would try to build it as a private venture. A better approach would be to remove the many state-law-created barriers to such a project, and see who steps up.
- California State Measure 8: No! Marriage is a private contract between consenting adults, and governments should never interfere in that. I have yet to hear a convincing argument to restrict marriage.
Well, Elizabeth and I will vote tomorrow on Westwood Blvd. I plan on spending tomorrow night reading Hayek.