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For the November 4, 2008
California General Election
Orange County Voting Recommendations from Conservative,
Kathy Dittner
These picks can also be viewed on Robyn Nordell’s Conservative California Election Website: http://www.robynnordell.com/countyorange.aspx
About Kathy: “I am a Christian conservative who has spent many hours researching candidates and issues. My ‘pics’ reflect a viewpoint that is pro-life, pro-family, pro-constitution, pro-choice in education, as well as decentralized and limited government in both size and in spending. I generally do not recommend anyone from the Democratic Party, as it does not reflect the values and issues I support. The American Independent Party is generally pro-life and pro-family, and occasionally I must choose principle over party and register a protest vote, although third party candidates do not get enough votes to influence an election.”
Note: * denotes a CRA (California Republican Assembly) endorsed, Pro-Life, Pro-Family candidate.
PRESIDENT:
- JOHN McCAIN / Sarah Palin
US REPRESENTATIVE
- 40th District:Ed Royce*
- 42nd District:Gary G. Miller*
- 44th District:Ken Calvert*
- 46th District:Dana Rohrbacher*
- 47th District:Rosemarie Avil*
- 48th District:John Campbell*
STATE SENATOR
- 33rd District:Mimi Walters*
- 35th District:Tom Harman*
STATE ASSEMBLY:
- 70th District:Chuck Devore*
- 71st District:Jeff Miller*
- 72nd District:Michael D. Duvall*
- 73rd District:Diane L. Harkey*
SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE:
SOUTH OC COLLEGE DIST:
- Area 1:David B. Lang
- Area 3:Arlene Greer
- Area 6:Thomas A. “Tom” Fuentes*
- Area 7:John S. Williams*
CAPO SCHOOL DIST:
- Area 1:Jack Brick*
- Area 2:Sue Palazzo*
- Area 3:Mike Winsten*
- Area 5:Ken Maddox*
SADDLEBACK VALLEY SCHOOLS: Don Sedgwick
DANA POINT CITY COUNCIL:
- J. Scott Schoeffel*
- Lou Penrose*
LAGUNA HILLS CITY COUNCIL:
- Ellie Michaels-Smith*
- L. Allan Songstad, Jr.*
LAGUNA NIGUEL CITY COUNCIL:
- David Weiss*
- Gary Capata*
LAKE FOREST CITY COUNCIL:
MISSION VIEJO CITY COUNCIL
- Cathy Schlicht*
- Neil Lonsinger*
RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA:
- Tony Beal*
- Jerry Holloway*
SAN CLEMENTE
SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO:
- Joe Soto*
- Evangeline Topa*
Municipal Water District of Orange # 7
**** STATE PROPOSITIONS ****
NOTE: With the State budget as it is, NO Bond debt should be added, regardless of the people it is trying to help, be it children, energy, or trains.
PROPOSITION 1A: NO.High-Speed Rail Bond.
Cost estimates commit the state to $10 Billion; $647 Million annually for 30 years. That, along with no guarantee that the land needed could be acquired, little private funding, and no demand for the service would mean the taxpayers are left holding the bag.
PROPOSITION 2: NO. Standards for Confining Farm Animals.
This is a silly measure. State law protects farm animals but animal rights activists want more “humane treatment for some animals”. It will raise food costs for farmers and force small farms out of business.
PROPOSITION 3: NO. Children’s Hospital Bond Act.
This is another emotional bond that will add another $1 Billion to raise money for children’s hospitals. Children with critical illnesses are heartbreaking but we passes an almost identical bond for $750 Million 4 years ago with only $403 million having been used thus far and now they want more! Enough is enough!
PROPOSITION 4: YES. Parental Notification Before Termination of Minor’s Pregnancy (A Constitutional Amendment).
We all know that parents have rights and responsibilities and that, in recent years, our rights have been stripped away. Prop. 4 returns a few of those rights with parental notification when their minor child wants to have an abortion. Unfortunately, some pro-family, pro-life people have expressed some reservations. They feel parental rights could be compromised by the terms “severe emotional abuse” or “emotional abuse”; words that could be used by a pregnant teen against her parents and leave the courts to interpret these unjustly. However, with these concerns in mind, I came to a different conclusion. A study by Dr. Michael New, Fellow at the Family Research Council, cites that abortion rates decrease by 13% when parents are notified. This, in my estimation, is more important than the potential loss of parental rights and one that will save babies’ lives.
PROPOSITION 5: NO. Non-Violent Drug Offenses, Sentencing, Parole, and Rehabilitation.
This is just another recycling of the failed Prop. 36 of 2000, touted as a treatment instead of jail-time program and bankrolled by George Soros. Prop. 5 is financed by Soros again and would shorten the parole time of drug felons from 3 years to 6 months, amounting to over 45,000 drug dealers and users being dumped into our neighborhoods. Fiscally, this is a disaster with a new 3-track drug treatment system, thousands more court hearings per year, and two new commissions imposing costly new mandates and another level of bureaucracy. These costs would be paid out of the General Fund, rising to $469 Million in 2009-2010. This is an irresponsible measure.
PROPOSITION 6: NO. Police and Law Enforcement Funding. Criminal Penalties and Laws.
Most every Proposition (except Parental Notification and Protection of Marriage) are asking taxpayers for more money. This one asks for nearly $1 Billion, saying police, sheriffs, jails, and juvenile facilities need MORE. All programs must be re-evaluated in light of the huge budget deficit and spending must be cut.
PROPOSITION 7: NO. Renewable Energy Generation.
This is a global warming tactic to force government companies to use other energy sources and increase solar and wind production 20% by 2010 and 50%
by 2025. They are against off shore drilling and electricity because of an unproven theory that fossil fuels create global warming. Let the market dictate what consumers want, not bureaucrats!
PROPOSITION 8: YES. Eliminates Rights of Same-Sex Couples to Marry. ONLY MARRIAGE BETWEEN A MAN AND A WOMAN SHALL BE VALID.
Proposition 8 was highjacked by Jerry Brown who changed the title of it so it would appear that the State was taking away RIGHTS from gay couples. Marriage has always been between a man and a woman, starting with the Garden of Eden when God took a rib from Adam and made Eve, then brought her to him and they became one. This has been society’s norm ever since. God’s purpose and plan for marriage was to populate the earth, provide a helpmate for man, and establish a family to teach and nuture children. Prop. 8 will put the language of Prop. 22 (passed in 2000 by 61% of California’s voters then overturned by the California Supreme Court in May 2008) into the Constitution and, once again, restore marriage to be between one man and one woman.
PROPOSITION 9: YES. Criminal Justice System. Victims’ Rights. Parole.
Criminals now have more constitutional rights than victims! Prop. 9 guarantees that crime victims have the same rights. Restitution is a Biblical requirement for offenders to the victim and Prop. 9 requires it. Victims and their families would have more safety, be notified of a parole hearing in advance, NOT have their personal and confidential records released to the criminal defendants, as well as tying the hands of the perpetrators. Inmates would not be released early and taxpayers would save by having fewer parole hearings.
PROPOSITION 10: NO. Alternative Fuel Vehicles and Renewable Energy.
If you read all the benefits this bond will bring, who could say NO? Of course, the benefits come with a huge cost to taxpayers. In addition, one man paid $3 Million to put it on the ballot: T. Boone Pickens and natural gas is his business. He wants to supply the natural gas to power busses and trucks and this bond will subsidize that.
PROPOSITION 11: YES. Redistricting. Constitutional Amendment.
How many people would like to see fair voting districts instead of the one our lawmakers have been tinkering with every 10 years? Usually the party in power gets to carve up boundaries in order to get re-elected. Districts look like bizarre puzzles and set up “safe districts’ where, in the past, the Democrats get mostly Democratic voters and thus assure their re-election. Now, something different has been proposed. The “redistricting” will go to a Citizens’ Committee consisting of 5 Democrats, 5 Republicans, and 4 others selected out of 60 citizens. Hopefully, political districting will once again be chosen around city boundaries and neighborhoods instead of party affiliations.
PROPOSITION 12: YES. Veterans’ Bond Act of 2008.
Contrary to my aversion to the State purchasing Bonds, this one seems to work because the money that will be borrowed, $900 Million, will be paid back by California Veterans. They would be able to purchase low-interest loans for houses and farms and it will cost taxpayers nothing. This program has been around since 1921 and has proven to be a sound fiscal policy as well as an effective way to thank our military and provide relief for their families.
LOCAL MEASURE
MEASURE J: YES. Voter Approval of Pension Benefits - Orange County.
Since taxpayers fund both the salaries and the retirement benefits of all county employees and officials, I think we should have a say in any increases or changes in retirement benefits.
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