• 1A – Extend tax increases for 2 more years with $16 billion coming out of tax payer pockets
• 1B – Takes money from 1A and gives it to schools
• 1C – Borrows $5 billion from future lottery “profits”
• 1D – Takes $600 million in tobacco revenues from some kids and gives it to other kids
• 1E – Takes $200 million of mental health money from some mental health programs and gives it to other mental health programs
• 1F – Politicians can’t give themselves pay increases when there’s a budget deficit

1F is the only one that even remotely looks like a good idea on the surface, but what the hell does it actually accomplish? Politicians aren’t going to be more motivated to pass a balanced budget knowing they’ll get a little bump in their salary when lots of them are already rich bastards. Funny how none of the propositions propose reducing the burden of government, the only option we have is to increase the burden or shift around who receives our money. If you missed it, here’s my little quote I call The Encumbrance of Government.

So yeah, NO on all the propositions.

• White
• Black or African American
• Latino
• Asian
• Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
• American Indian or Alaska Native

The CDC has a reason to want to know ethnic background, but what about employment applications or practically every other form we have to fill out. The definition of each group is a little strange too. White is defined as everyone originating from Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. This must be a double standard developed by bureaucrats in a politically correct stupor that allows “whites” to be identified by their skin color, but everyone else is off limits (Black is acceptable since it is tied to cultural identity). Why can’t we just combine those last four groups into “Brown”? Would that be any less racist than pigeonholing someone as white?

My skin happens to be white, but I don’t trace my origins to Europe. That identification ended when my ancestors came to America. I’m not even sure who my ancestors were that came over here or where they came from (The Blarg knows though). The only country and origin I identify with is America.

This ultimately comes down to recognizing that American itself is a valid race/ethnicity. Wasn’t America suppose to be a huge melting pot of race, ethnicity and culture? Wouldn’t the product of that mixture be a new, unique American ethnicity that its participants could identify with? My skin might be white, but I’m an American damnit and don’t try to label me any other way.