We Owe You, California

The worst has come to pass. We voted down everything. Our state began issuing promissory notes yesterday. Those who don’t think very hard about it blame “the legislators.” Really, though, it’s everyone’s fault, the state legislature, the governor and their constituents — us.

I say we call a legislative convention. Here’s how my fantasy works:

(Quietly, no publicity)
1. Redraw the state’s legislative districts into 40 and 20 districts equal by population, no funny shapes except as dictated by topography.

2. Repeal the 1933 two-thirds rule for passing state budgets, and the language from Propositions 13 and 98, all of which strangle our ability to make revenues balance out costs.

(As much publicity as possible now)
3. Either a cage match or a battle royal between legislators. The order of entrance to the ring would be determined either by random number generator or by drawing straws. The last person standing gets to be the Governor. This is to be broadcast on California’s PBS affiliates.

4. Have a statewide election for the new districts.

If only.

Have a happy Independence Day weekend, everyone!

Movin’ on up

In my old neighborhood, I used to have to watch my step or risk stepping on one of the used hypodermic needles found next to the high school or one of the used condoms on Broadway, usually closer to Myrtle. I went on a walk the other morning near my parents’ house and spotted this.

Your Legislative Anal-ist: Special Election Endorsements

Californians: We have an election coming up in one week. Don’t know much about what’s up for grabs? Then grab a cup of coffee, settle in and relax, for I have read the fine print for you. Have extra information? Comment here or send it to theyellowmenace1@gmail.com. These opinions are subject to change, pending the discovery of heretofore unforeseen facts or mood swings.

What do you think I should think?

Not too long ago, one of my friends was complaining to me about how a lot of his friends are constantly asking him what he thinks.

“What do you think of this sweater?”

“What do you think of my new boyfriend?”

“What do you think of the restraining order?”

He and I can talk about such things because he knows I often don’t care what he thinks. In fact, we disagree pretty often. Last year, he told me he was planning on moving to Paris and then maybe going for another graduate degree after that. I told him I didn’t think he’d actually do it and he told me to shut up.

The next time he called me on the phone, I said, “Ooh, are you at the airport? What’s the weather like? God, you’re up early!”

I did this for about six months and, since then, he hasn’t mentioned anything requiring a passport, much less Europe.

Passing over Easter

One of the best things about growing up in L.A. during April was being able to trade with other kids at lunch so you could have a haroset-topped matzo in one hand, a hard-boiled egg with lots of salt and pepper in the other, and a chocolate egg filled with caramel for dessert.

Taking Hip Hop Back to Africa

Critics and fans alike have long awaited K’naan’s sophomore album. He brings it with all its unpaved street cred on Troubadour, his major label debut. I never thought I’d say this, but the majors have so far been good to him.

Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain

That’s Iowa’s state motto and it seems apt in light of today’s events.

The Hawkeye State’s Supreme Court upheld a 2007 Polk County ruling which essentially said that denying marriage licenses to same-sex couples violated the equal protection clause of the state constitution. When that ruling was handed down, Iowans had less than a day of legal same-sex marriage because the county appealed the decision to the highest court in the state, and the judge postponed any further marriage licenses until that court could rule on the matter. I briefly touched on this when it happened and I mentioned that only one couple, Tim McQuillan and Sean Fritz, came back with a completed marriage license within the 22-hour deadline. No major news outlets and only one blog has bothered talking to them since.

In its unanimous opinion, the court explicitly pointed at the arguments against same-sex marriage rooted in religious tradition and stated that the state government cannot have any religious views of its own. If recent bans on same-sex marriage (including California’s) are any indicator, religious conservative groups will continue to motivate action on this issue using religious dogma but will either veil that language or remove it from their final actions. We, as a country, still have little recourse for half-truths.

Republican State Senator Paul McKinley issued a statement to the Des Moines Register saying that he thinks all Iowans should have a voice on the matter, so the state’s legislature should immediately pass a constitutional amendment defining marriage as a bond between one man and one woman. In other words, he thinks everyone should have a voice — as long as it’s his.

You can read the Iowa Supreme Court opinion here.

Putting a face on it

Ever since the economy “soured,” as the New York Times tends to say, we’ve had many opportunities to hear about countless layoffs, “tough choices,” and vacant glass storefronts. This week, we received two rare and unusually personal and frank stories about corporate comings and goings.

The first actually came from Gizmodo on Feb. 4 in textual form. Gizmodo solicited writings and reflections from Circuit City employees as an independent liquidation firm led the company into shutdown. The folks at This American Life produced a radio version with actual former employees telling their stories.

The second comes from a former employee of the American International Group’s Financial Products division. He sent a copy of his resignation letter to the New York Times, providing an analysis of events the rest of us simply did not catch via the papers or TV news. Check out the readers’ comments for an even more telling counterpoint.

Both stories provide surprising glimpses of personal strength, a healthy dose of good old American bad behavior and some of the shocking ways in which we fail each other.

Everyone to get heat in NYC M.T.A. cuts

Let’s not lie: New York City’s Metropolitan Transit Authority has some ugly cuts to make and there’s no easy way to do it. On the one hand, lots of people are going to cry war on the middle class because the 30-day unlimited pass goes up $22 — 55 cents per ride, if you consider that weekends are free, but lots of hourly stiffs use the commuter pass, too. On the other hand, it’s pretty clear that lots of poorer folks will see some major changes with the elimination of the Z train. The Z goes from the Financial District into Williamsburg, then dips down into Bushwick and northern Bed-Stuy, then up through Glendale, Kew Gardens and Jamaica but specifically provides skip-stop service with the J during peak hours. This means that all residents in these areas are going to spend a lot of extra time getting to and from work. Considering that it takes longer for the JMZ to get from Jamaica Center to Wall Street than the E does, that’s going to make commutes a lot more crowded for a lot longer everyday.

Just how many people take the soon-to-be $2.50 one-way ride, I’m not sure. I guess that’s why the MTA had to take a poll to find out what people are using those rides for.

A shaky proposition

Watch the California state Supreme Court hearing on the validity of Proposition 8, which overturned the rights of same-sex couples to marry:

Watch the video here.

Update:
Initial impressions: Earlier counsel wasn’t terrible, but very boring and couldn’t stand up to even the slightest resistance from the panel.

I’d forgotten how much Ken Starr sounds like Tim Gunn. I kept half-expecting him to tell the justices to “make it work,” and then — ZING! — he references “Damn Yankees”!? Even the justices seem to recognize how cheesy he’s being.

Therese Stewart is about as excellent as she can be. She let her frustration show toward the end but she does not wilt under judicial scrutiny. The court went hard on her, but it had to: You can’t just overturn something the voters approved on hazy “that’s the ticket” ideas and without acknowledging whether this could set a precedent for limiting the people’s power.

I still can’t believe that a cable channel billed as the C-SPAN for California state affairs isn’t on digital basic.