Tuesday, October 9, 2012

My Take on the 2012 Arizona Ballot Propositions

Some years it's very tough for me to decide which way to vote on the propositions. This year, thankfully, they are relatively straightforward.  Here's how I will mark my ballot:

114 - Yes.  A no-brainer, with no opposing arguments in the publicity pamphlet. 

115 - Yes. Studying who is for and against this proposition is very telling.

116 - Yes.  Another no brainer, with no opposition.

117 - No.  If we're going to have property taxes, I would rather they be based as closely as possible on actual values.  Artificially capping the amount the valuations can be increased will wind up making owners of less valuable properties shoulder more of the tax burden.

118 - Yes.  Another unopposed proposition.

119 - Yes.  Ditto.

120 - Yes.  Basically this is the state's way of telling Congress we don't like the way they're managing the federal lands in Arizona.  Passing the proposition won't actually change control of anything unless Congress allows it.  It's about as powerful as a prisoner complaining about the food.  Worth a try, but unlikely to change anything.

121 - No, no, and no!!!  This is the scariest proposition on the ballot this year.  If you think this one is a good idea, you need to read the opposing arguments and maybe go take a high school civics course again.  Then again, maybe high school civics courses are responsible for this kind of proposition.  My, my, whatever do they teach in schools these days?

204 - No.  Our taxes are high enough without making the temporary 1% sales tax increase permanent.

And in case you're wondering how I vote on the judges: I always vote 'no' on all of them.  They are always re-elected by overwhelming margins anyhow, and I figure the smaller I can make their margin of victory, the better they will behave for the next couple years.

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