Vote for Mark Haughwout, and on Voting

[liveonearth]

I don't know this guy, but the more I learn about him the more I like him. He's a contractor here in Flagstaff, running for AZ Senate District 2 as an independent. He asserts in his candidate statement that the most important issues in Arizona, such as the impending water crisis, are being ignored or poorly handled. I couldn't agree more. His platform includes a tax break for purchases of fuel efficient autos, and eliminating property taxes entirely on primary residences. This is a great idea. He builds quality homes with high end insulation and windows, and passive solar design. Here's his website: http://www.markhaughwout.com/index.htm. His observations and ideas remind me of --- me. I look forward to my opportunity to meet him.

Haughwout, if elected, would be worth the proposed pay increase for legislators. Yes on 302.

PS. I was butchering his name, calling him Hogwort like the school in Harry Potter stories. My apologies to Mark. The proper pronunciation is "Howitt".

PPS. On voting, I hear that there were lines at the early voting polling place in Flagstaff yesterday. Apparently people were taking a long time to read all the propositions. YOU CANNOT MAKE GOOD DECISIONS ON THE PROPOSITIONS FROM THE BALLOT. The ballots are misleading, intentionally so. Several measures mimick other measures, esp the preservation and smoking issues, and it is impossible to know the full impact of most of the measures from the ballot language. It is absolutely necessary to look up the propositions ahead of time, if you want to vote in line with your own values. If you do not educate yourself about these issues, you will vote wrongly. The fact that people are taking a long time to read the ballots at the polling place is a terrible sign.

Comments

[neptunia67.livejournal.com]

I personally think it should be illegal for all of this junk mail about propositions and candidates to be sent out. People are so friggin' confused! If they'd just send the information with the "for" and "against" arguments, maybe people would read that ONE information packet and make an informed decision. Instead, they'll go to the polls with negative stuff running around their brains, will read the proposition, and a little light will come on... some reminder about a piece of bullshit propaganda that they read... and they'll vote based on that.

Arrrgh! It is so frustrating.

[neptunia67.livejournal.com]

Interesting thought, elimination of property taxes. Does he say where he would propose the county get the money to support the schools and the community college? Their main sources of funding is property taxes.

[liveonearth.livejournal.com]

Happy Birthday. And on Your Day, Saddam Hussein was sentenced to death by hanging. I bet you never forget this one. I'm gonna do a handstand in your honor! Thanks for doing what you can to wake up the voters, too.

for primary residences only

[(Anonymous)]

He mentions that we spend an average of $24000 dollars/year per prisoner, but only $4000 per student, and says that has to change. I don't know any deeper what his plans would be for allocating the funds and the expense. ME: I'd charge corporate businesses based anywhere else a higher tax rate, local businesses and second home type properties a lower tax rate, and homeowners nothing for the home that they live in--but only for that home, not for any other properties, ie rentals or vacation homes. Maybe you could balance it out so that the same amount of $$ would come in to cover the schools.

[(Anonymous)]

Yes, anyone who tries to vote based on the mailings will be hopeless as well.... I did a little research to find out how I would vote relative to the mailings. I saved up all the voter propaganda that I received in a huge pile. I sorted the placards out, in terms of "agree" or "disagree". I predominantly disagreed with everyone that had the cash to send me stuff, and definitely disagreed with all of the early ones. Later on when the Napolitano-supported Dems started sending me mail, it actually caused me to dislike them more than I had initially. Granted I abhor our incumbent Repub congressmen, and would vote for beerdrinkin' Bubba over them.

I was especially fascinated to see the predominance of gay-hating propaganda coming from the Republican side. Do they think that I will vote against someone simply out of homophobia? How many people will? This is a scary question. When I learned the Simon was PRESIDENT of the ACLU (in their attack linking her with the "Man Boy Love Association", she GAINED favor in my mind. I have no idea what the Man Boy thing is about, but if the ACLU was defending them, it must be legal. I respect the ACLU.

I'm so glad I don't have a TV.

[neptunia67.livejournal.com]

Funny thing... I think they are replacing television ads with the junk mail, maybe. I don't watch much TV, and what I do watch is not mainstream... but I can't recall seeing very many campaign ads over the past few months. I wonder if it's because there are so many stations nowadays that they don't know where to target the advertising, or if it's cost-prohibitive, or if I'm just not watching the popular stations so don't know what the hell I'm talking about.

[liveonearth.livejournal.com]

Sounds like you're not watching the big media outlets because I hear that they're besieged with political ads. Or maybe our local politicians are doing it less than those in other states. My parents have both complained to me about all the awful ads on TV in TN. But I'm not watching it either, so I dunno.

Those paper cards, would we build something out of them?

[liveonearth.livejournal.com]

Make junk mail illegal: yes, all of it not just the political stuff.