Thread by @AreNazisPeople

Educated voting is a tedious chore with little reward.

A thread.

/1

I devoted today to voting.

I still haven’t filled out my ballot, but I used the sample ballot to look everything up and make notes on.

I am exhausted.

/2

I’m in California, and in the primaries here, the top two candidates *regardless of party* continue on the general election.

I get to choose between two Democrats. So I have to vote for the lesser of the lesser evils... great.

/3

I’m a leftist. I want my representative to value people over profit,

The voter pamphlet listed occupations.

Governor. I can vote for the businessman or the businessman.

Lieutenant Governor. I can vote for the businesswoman or the businessman.

Oooookay then.

/4

Elimination some candidates were easy. They still choose to associate with the Overly Racist party. The libertarian running for an office where they don’t list party affiliations was harder to catch.

Next up: practically useless voting on judges

/5

So. Judges.

These are justices appointed by current and past governors. There are times during their terms where we get to vote to approve or deny their remaining time on that bench.

With the exception of a major scandal, they will keep their bench. It’s almost pointless.

/6

I didn’t end up voting for any judges, but I did vote against two.

Do you know how hard it is to quickly research judges and make an educated decision on whether or not to vote for them?

/7

I eventually move on to local candidates. I’m a homebody and a transplant. I don’t know shit about what’s going on here.

I identify someone as a possible leftist running for city council. Three candidates, and I could vote for two. The others are half-decent progressives.

/8

I end up choosing to just vote for the one I know I want and don’t bother researching the other two to choose between them. They’re the incumbents anyway. They don’t get my vote.

/9

Quick corrections on tweet 5 in this thread.

“Eliminating some candidates was easy.”

“Overtly Racist Party”

/10

There were a few candidates here and there that I felt good about voting for.

A lot of rich people, born to rich people. Lots of people who’ve been in politics forever. Lots of people who’ve made their money in ways I find unethical. Lots of business, little labor.

/11

My eyes were blurring at this point, opening and scanning multiple web tabs to find useful sources for further reading, candidate after candidate, position after position.

Paywall after paywall.

Side note, incognito mode will let you read more than 3 stories per month.

/12

Now it’s time for propositions. Not fun.

First off, I refreshed my memory. What are bonds?
Kinda understood it long enough to make decisions, but don’t ask me about it now.

Okay... should we do a really expensive bond thing to funnel money to contractors for a good cause?

/13

Next: should we funnel money from mental health treatment to a program that will funnel money to contractors to make new affordable housing for mentally ill homeless people?

Don’t get me wrong, Housing First programs are great. But we have lots of empty houses now.

/14

Bonds for watershed...sounds good? Well, depends who you ask. California is a desert, and capitalism has a lot to say about where our water goes. Some say the plan the bonds would fund just makes the rich richer at expense of the poor, who are left with limited water rights,

/15

I’ve been dealing with pain since I was 13. Adult onset motor disorder at 30something. Lots of other physical issues.

I have a neurological condition. I have seen neurologists. I haven’t seen one in 4 years. That’s when I moved here. They’re not taking new patients.

/16

Here’s the relevance. There’s a bond measure, one and a half billion dollars for material repairs/construction/renovation/equipping children’s hospitals.

The majority are for-profit hospitals.

Meanwhile, I’m still trying to see a neurologist.

/17

I had to quickly learn about past property tax laws in California. It’s messed up. Value isn’t reassessed unless it’s sold or has work done that requires a reassessment.

People pay taxes on what the property was worth when they bought it, plus a tiny annual increase.

/18

So this proposition would let homeowners over 55 and severely disabled people sell their existing home but keep their existing tax rate that hasn’t increased to match the current value of their property. Or something like that. I’ve forgotten already.

/19

The point is, it’s phrased like it helps certain marginalized people. Sounds good. But it is written in a way that is bound to be exploited by real estate investors.

/20

Repeal a gas tax or keep it? Funding goes to roads, which really need help.

Why haven’t we built that light rail yet? Or invested in electric public transport and commuter systems? The planet is dying. We are burning it up, drop by drop.

So, tax the climate change or no?

/21

Hidden under the “do we let the legislature talk about eliminating daylight savings in California” was the

“Should we regulate the dialysis companies better, add a price cap, and stop letting them turn away patients based on payment source?”

/22

Dialysis patients were very much in favor.

Businesses that make money off of dialysis patients, however, were not.

/23

It might be worthwhile to note, at this point, that funding a candidate is a material endorsement.

When I see twenty labor unions on one side and a couple of big businesses on the other, I’ve got a good idea of what’s going on.

/24

Skipping ahead to the local measures.

Spend money on schools? Yes.
Immigration Sanctuary Ordinance. Yes.

Maintain emergency and social services, plus lots of other stuff for rural areas?
Sounds goo...
And 24 hour sheriff’s patrols.
...damn it all to hell!!

/25

Lastly, a monument to a racist genocidal president (of the past) is in the center of our city plaza. Members of the local native tribe he tried to exterminate are pretty unhappy about it.

It’s been publicly debated since the 70s.

This isn’t what you think.

/26

The city council only recently voted to remove the statue. How to do it, and what would replace it have not been decided.

This measure would prevent destruction, removal, or modification of the statue or its base.

They want it to stay there, without additional context.

/27

So, yeah.

I spent the day being an educated voter. I wasted my time voting for more of the same shit that brought us here, fighting regressives who want to go further back, and saw one or two sparks of hope in a mine full of dead canaries.

How was your day?

/29

I broke this thread several times. Here’s the next bit.

https://twitter.com/arenazispeople/status/1052796718834581504?s=21

Broken thread continues here:

https://twitter.com/arenazispeople/status/1052801895671033856?s=21