Opinion

In this historic election year, we can do better. Economic meltdown, a chance to reform the administrative branch, Tampa Bay in the World Series—obviously this year is huge. It's time for us to demand that our government take us into account for once when crafting policy. We have to stand up to support those initiatives that will make California a better place. We also have to stand up to oppose initiatives that won't, such as Proposition 10.

Proposition 11 is the most common-sense issue Arnold Schwarzenegger has supported for years. The act finally wrests control of the district lines from the cadre of politicians who have gerrymandered this state into a bureaucratic monolith.

With America's recent economic downturn and decline in morale stemming from, among other causes, foreign policy failures in the Middle East, the last eight years have been reason enough for the majority of Americans to have a lack of faith in the executive branch. For this reason, Americans need a change and that change is Barack Obama, the best choice for this country's next president and the New University editorial board strongly endorses his historic candidacy.

Despite all the frills there are to living in Southern California, one issue that cannot be denied is the state government's apathy toward pedestrians who are outside of its most metropolitan areas.

I love meat. My affection for barbecue lies on the border that separates obsession from creepy. The sizzling noise of a cooking cow is on my iPod. I tell you this so that when I explain that I support Proposition 2, also known as the Prevention of Cruelty to Farm Animals Act, it is not because I think those delicious meals on four legs need our protection. Proposition 2 needs to be passed purely as a matter of public health and safety.

Proposition 2 is a veiled attack on corporations and the farming business. Ostensibly to protect "animal rights," the proposition's central "reform" is an increase in the size of animal pens by 2015. The reality is that such a requirement is too costly and defeats the causes it purports to defend.

Proposition 3, the Children's Hospital Bond Act, is one of those important initiatives. Children's hospitals treat the most serious and deadly diseases and conditions, including cancer, heart defects, diabetes, sickle cell anemia and cystic fibrosis. The number of children who need care in California is growing, but the space and equipment to treat them are not.

Imagine this: You have just been arrested for drug possession by a police officer. You are surprised, scared out of your mind, afraid of receiving a long sentence and are running out of options. Proposition 5 wants to give you two solutions: rehab in exchange for prison or a shortened sentence based on a new set of criteria for punishment. Sounds nice, right? Wrong. In accordance with Proposition 36, Proposition 5 will continue to allocate spending on rehab programs for convicted drug users. According to a UCLA study done on Proposition 36, many of the drug users on parole either have never showed up for treatment or failed to finish their programs. Almost $460 million a year would be set aside for these already faulty programs with Proposition 5, and with California's increasing deficit and the nation's unstable economic standing, this is not the best investment.

One of the most important propositions on the ballot this year is Proposition 4. If passed, it would require parental notification and a waiting period when a minor wishes to get an abortion. The law would also have exceptions that allow another adult relative to be notified in lieu of a parent when there may be abuse in the home. Under the current law, a girl of any age can get an abortion without parental notification or consent.

Debate about whether or not one's vote really counts or even makes a difference is a reflection of the common concerns that the American political system inevitably provokes each election season. While these sentiments may seem particularly applicable to Californians when they vote for their choice of president, especially since our solidly blue state's 55 electoral votes will undoubtedly go to the Democratic candidate, Californians should not believe that their votes are of little importance when it comes to the 12 propositions on this year's state ballot.

Voter fraud is an endemic and prolific problem in contested states and predominantly affects Republicans. Democrats use the same, empty rhetorical trick to facilitate it: race baiting. Meanwhile, groups like the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) generate thousands of fictional voters (among them a Mr. Mickey Mouse) in poor areas, throwing up a smoke screen of "Republican racism" to conceal their tactics.

After John McCain throws everything in, including the kitchen sink, who does he call? "Joe the Plumber." The last debate on Oct. 15 produced a new sideshow in the list of circus characters that have popped in and out of this year's presidential election. McCain invoked "Joe the Plumber" as he tried to put a face to Obama's tax policies. Joe Wurzelbacher, as he explained, was a plumber in Ohio who wanted to buy a business, yet under Obama's policy he would be taxed more. This was McCain's last-ditch attempt, at least for now, to depict the Obama campaign as actually bad for the middle class. Did it work? No. The first thought that came to my mind was, "A plumber is making $250,000. Why am I in school?"