General Election 2022

McClintock on the Propositions

Proposition 1 – Margaret Sanger Eugenics Act: NO.  Prop. 1 would provide an absolute right to abortion in the state constitution under any and all circumstances, including the hideous practice of partial birth abortion.  Most people aren’t absolutists on the subject: they support early abortions but not late term.  This proposition would prohibit such distinctions.  And before we hear the “My Body My Choice” refrain, pardon a simple question.  Does YOUR choice stop YOUR heart from beating, or suck YOUR brains from your skull?  If the answer is no, maybe there’s somebody else whose body is affected.

Proposition 26 and Proposition 27- Bet Your Bottom Dollar: YES.  Prop. 26 allows in-person sports betting at tribal casinos and race tracks and allows tribes to offer roulette and dice games.  Prop. 27 allows internet sports betting conducted by licensed tribes or companies. To be clear, I don’t approve of gambling; I think it’s a waste of time and money.  I have the same opinion of stamp collecting.  But I have enough trouble running my own life without trying to run everyone else’s.  This has some odious anti-competitive features, but my bottom line is, if a grown-up wants to bet on a game or obsess over a stamp, that’s their right.

Proposition 28 – Don’t Know Much About History: NO.  This would earmark about a billion dollars a year from school funds for music and arts, at a time when California’s math and reading scores are plunging to Gavin Newsom IQ levels.  Churchill, as usual, said it best: “I would let the clever ones learn Latin as an honour, and Greek as a treat. But the only thing I would whip them for is not knowing English.”  Or, another idea: give parents the choice of where to send their kids and let the schools compete to meet their needs by offering curricula best suited to them.

Proposition 29 – Bringing Venezuelan Health Care to Dialysis Patients: NO.  For the third time, the SEIU is trying to screw up kidney dialysis in California.   They’ve lost twice and are back again with this measure that imposes onerous and expensive requirements to have physicians or nurses on duty at dialysis clinics and prohibit them from going out of business without state approval.  This will help dialysis patients by increasing their costs and will help encourage new clinics to open by forbidding them ever to close.  Makes perfect sense.

Proposition 30 – We’ll Leave the Lights Off for You:  NO.  Here’s an idea: add another 1.75 percent to what is already the highest income tax rate in the country for those earning over $2 million.  Then spend that money on electric cars, charging stations and firefighting.  Just don’t use the charging stations because we don’t have enough electricity to keep the lights on.  And don’t worry about the millionaires; they’ll be fine.  There are nine states that have no income tax at all and 40 with lower tax rates, and these millionaires can take their jobs, business and spending with them.   They won’t even need to turn off the lights when they leave since they’re already out.

Proposition 31 – Unflavor of the Month: NO. Here’s another entry from the “we’ll make your decisions for you” crowd. The legislature voted to ban sales of flavored tobacco.  A NO vote would overturn the ban.  Bruce Herschensohn once observed that every pleasure in life involves a risk.  With enough laws, we can create a nearly risk-free society.  But it will be the most boring, tedious, colorless and flavorless society in the history of human misery.  We call it California.