Stressed This Week

I've been stressed this week. Not particularly in tune to the reason. Wednesday and Thursday I was struggling with irritability. I think I'm a bit better (calmer) today.

Next Tuesday is an election for Arnold's reform agenda. The polls look terrible. We can thank the $100 million-and-change campaign funded by unionized worker's dues and loans against dues for the next three years, that has positioned him as a child-hating, nurse-loathing, firefighter-despising, teacher-crushing, power-obsessed macho man. Arnold's been about to raise maybe a third as much for his reform agenda campaign.

Why are the unions so freaked out? Well, one measure would make teachers accountable for five years before permanence, not two. Right now CA has one of the lowest standards in the country. Moving to five years puts us with those having the highest standards.

Another measure would require unions to ask its members for permission before using dues for political campaigns. Right now in CA, even if a public employee doesn't belong to the unions she has to pay dues if her compensation package is effected by the union's negotiations. Regarding political contributions made from the dues money the Supreme Court has ruled you can "opt out" but unions don't inform their members how and those who do have been known to be black listed at work. This measure puts the onus on the union to get permission before taking more money out of your paycheck.

Still another measure would mean budgets would be reworked mid-years if revenues don't meet targets with the legislature getting first crack for 45 days and if they fail, the governor can then make changes. A lot of "conservative" types are against this since they think it'll just be an excuse to allow more borrowing. A lot of "liberal" types are against it because they really want to increase spending by raising taxes. Arnold has warned if this doesn't pass a tax increase might be required and the critics are using that as "proof" what he really wants to do is increase taxes. WTF?

And the last of Arnold's measures would mean the incumbent politicians might actually have to spend some of the money they raise for their campaigns no actual, you know, competitive campaigns! California switched to a different system in 2000 for coming up with the various district lines: the legislature decided. As you can guess, no one is at risk of being replaced because the districts are drawn so comfortable majorities of the incumbent's party are living in the district's boundaries. Politicians are picking their constituents. Neither party: Democrat or Republican, is in favor of this reform. The Republicans say it may mean they'll lose control of the national House of Representatives. The Democrats know it might mean their gargantuan majorities in both houses of the state legislature might be paired back. I say: Fuck off. Get off your lazy good for nothing asses and mind the People's business instead of those who fill your entirely unnecessary reelection coffers.

I voted yes on Arnold's reforms. 74, 75, 76 and 77.

73, not part of his agenda, is the only one leading in most polls and it'll probably be killed in the courts. It requires teens to notify parents before getting an abortion with an court-overseen exception if that could cause abuse. That's tell them, not get permission from them. Right now you can be over 12 and not have to tell anyone anything about a plan to get an abortion surgery but you need parental permission for ear-piercing and even school field trips! Since I'm one of those "evil" pro-life types, I went for a YES knowing full-well court challenges will begin as soon as the election is certified. The opposition will find a judge to declare it unconstitutional somehow. We're used that that kind of thing in California: can't win with the voters, get it shot down in court.

Speaking of "evil" pro-life types, last nights C.S.I. involved a (fictitious) organization which took in donated unused embryos and found women to "adopt" them for implantation and ultimately become their parent. Kathryn Willows took pot shots at the director of this program because Kath's "pro-choice." Willows claimed centuries ago a Pope said a baby isn't alive until a mother can feel it kick as if that has a baring on anyone who isn't Catholic and Heaven knows, no Pope in the past thousand years has been wrong! Gil Grissom, the keystone character of the series, suggested Katherine could've mentioned a verse suggesting the baby isn't alive until blood flows through it which I guess happens a few weeks into pregnancy. Kathryn also questions the director's credibility by asking if her "doctor" title was a medical doctorate which the women refused to answer. This was clearly a poke at talk radio's "Dr. Laura," an orthodox Jew known to be exceedingly blunt with her callers. She is a licensed therapist but has a doctoral degree in (I think) physiology rather than medicine. I didn't care for the way the C.S.I. regulars treated the subject and the way the embryo adoption director was portrayed as a wild-eyed religious kook. It's down right lazy and it smacks of selling an agenda. We see it all the time in dramatic fiction.

The fictitious program hardly seemed an affront to "reproductive choice": too many embryos were fertilized for in-vitro, the parents of the embryos decide to donate their unused embryos. They meet and approve the "adopter." The embryos are implanted and come to term. Oh wait, the program came into being on the notion that these frozen embryos are "pre-born" children. Can't have that! That's extreme!

There was something of another agenda-pimping show on this week but I'll write about that later. Maybe. I'm thinking of "Law & Order" (the original, not SVU or CI).

I'm two shows behind on "Prison Break" and have stopped watching "The OC" even though it returned with new shows yesterday. I've just lost interest, the show hasn't been good since season 1. This season has tried, but it's a mess. "Criminal Minds" continues to be lazy, with little real suspense. Anyone with half-a-brain could see how this weeks episode which started with the geek being razed for failing his firearm qualifier was going to end with the geek shooting someone to save the day.

I'm out of pie. Drat. Halloween was OK. Niece and nephew were over. She was a witch, he was Batman. I was very disturbed to see her repeatedly try to open the doors at homes even after she was warned. She's four but this is basic safety stuff! What is my "full-time mommy" SIL doing? I'm glad I was along taking photos.