Elezione 2016 – The Epic Fail…Clifts Notes for Progressives

By Dominique DiPrima

I’ve had a lot of folks asking me to give them the “short version” of the propositions on the ballot. I’m honored that your guys give a crap what I think about anything…So here goes…

President – I choose Hillary Clinton at the risk of angering my Green Party and too- disillusioned-to-vote friends, I am indeed with her. Our country is on the brink of a neo-facist takeover. Hillary Clinton has proven that she is capable of working with the left and with Black folks. Her embrace of many of Bernie Sanders policies and ideas is a good sign for those who are turned off by her neo-liberal, hawkish ways. She has a long track record as a feminist, and a supporter of human and civil rights…And then there’s the small matter of saving our democracy from apocalyptic obliteration…Yeah, girl…#IGuessImWithHer

Senator – Kamala Harris…Let’s elect our first African American and first Asian American senator from California all rolled into one. Although I do feel she’ll need to be nudged to the left and held accountable to do more than take safe positions to angle for her White House run…She’s smart, capable, beautiful and has had success in advocating for California homeowners facing foreclosure. Plus Loretta Sanchez is moving to the right to get votes and is a bit of a loose cannon.

YES Prop 51 School Bonds for K-12 & Community College – Fiscal conservatives who are forever complaining that you can’t fix education by throwing money at our schools have clearly never had to sue a bathroom in and LAUSD high school! And while there’s more to school reform than funding, at minimum we need to make sure our schools are safe and up to date for our students.

YES Prop 52 Medical Funding and Accountability…This is way to complicated & boring but seems like it will help some low income folks, so yes.

NO Prop 53 It’s one of those propositions that tries to trick you, and I hate that, so I’m voting “no.” Seems like it would add accountability, actually would likely be used to set up roadblocks to important local projects.

NO Prop54 Here’s another tricky bamboozler of a proposition. They try to make it sound like they want the public to know more about legislation. Really it will probably be used by the minority party (read Republicans,) to stall legislation that they don’t have the votes to legit kill.

YES Prop 55 This is an extension on a tax on people who make over $250,000 a year and it will go to help fund education & assistenza sanitaria. Even when I start making this kind of dough I will still support stuff like this. We have to pay our fair share…

YES Prop 56 Sorry smokers! I really want you to stop. And it’ll help pay for the medical costs if you don’t

YES Prop 57 Try to get the melodramatic, misleading commercials out of your head and vote yes on this. It’s super important for Black & Brown communities. Juveniles should not be tried as adults at all and if they do a judge (not prosecutor ) should decide. Non violent offenders deserve a chance to earn their way out of our overcrowded prisons!!

YES Prop 58 This gives educators more flexibility in teaching both English learners and immersion students.

YES Prop 59 I get that it’s just symbolic, but maybe it will help. Anything we can do to bring more momentum to overturning the Supreme Court’s Citizen United decision, which basically says corporations are people is a step in the right direction!!

YES Prop 60 Worker safety protections for porn workers…

YES Prop 61 Let’s get started on getting big pharma in check!!

YES Prop 62 This prop is soooo important for our community. We have an historical opportunity to end this expensive, backward and ultimately ineffective punishment. (For this to be fully effective you also have to vote NO on 66!)

YES Prop 63 Don’t let crazy people get ammunition and ban large capacity ammunition. Sensible. Gun. Control.

YES Prop 64 Sì. Legalize marijuana for recreational use, regulate it and tax it. This takes us one step away from the failed war on drugs which turned out to be a war on communities of color.

NO Prop 65 I smell a rat! The plastic bag industry tried to pass this off as help for the environment. It’s really their way of ending the ban on plastic grocery bags!!

NO Prop 66 A “no” on this plus a “yes” on 62 will end the death penalty in California

YES Prop 67 This proposition simply affirms the way things are and keeps the plastic bag ban.