Mourning in the morning...

Well, the results are in, and all 8 of the propositions on the California ballot were defeated yesterday. That's beyond pathetic, and I'm ever more interested in finding a better place in which to raise a family.

On Prop. 73, the parental notification issue, I am appalled that anyone with an IQ higher than that of a carrot could vote against this one. Do we really want our young girls going off to the abortionist on their own, while we remain unaware until we're left to pick up the pieces? And by the way, we'll also be paying for the abortions, at inflated rates, through our tax dollars, I am sure.

Prop. 74 would merely have withheld tenure until a teacher had fulfilled five years of service. Never mind the larger issue of why tenure should be needed, other than in a university. My own step-daughter has suffered through some nightmares in the classroom, and one of the teachers in question has been "teaching" for 25+ years. How on earth can we allow our state to continue to be in 49th place in quality of education?

Prop. 75 annoys me beyond belief. The ads against it claimed it was a power grab, and would silence the voices of teachers, firemen, etc. In truth, it would merely have required the unions to which they belong to annually obtain their individual permissions to use union funds for political campaign purposes. Since they could easily still give that permission, I fail to see how anyone was at risk of being silenced.

Prop. 76, of course, was dangerous. The notion that the state should be required to spend no more than it has taken in -- what could be more frightening? So we're now likely to continue to see the state assembly propose budgets that exceed revenues by 12% or more each year. That way lies bankruptcy, and will eventually lead to businesses fleeing the state in droves.

Prop. 77 being defeated ensures that the Democrats will be able to continue to take us all down the path to unfettered socialism. They have redrawn the districts so that it is well nigh impossible for them to be unseated, and the idea of an election is, at this point, a bad joke.

Props. 78 and 79, thang God, were both soundly defeated. I'm somewhat astonished, as I'd have the liberals to be hugely in favor of them. But they would have had a disastrous impact on the drug industry, which is already under attack at the Federal level.

Prop. 80 is the brightest spot in an otherwise dim result. The voters have soundly rejected any more games by the Public Utilities Commission such as those that led to the $40-billion+ deficit that allowed Arnold to be elected.

It's not pretty, friends. Not pretty at all. The small crumbs of victory are in 78, 79, and 80. The loss of 73-77 is a catastrophe.