Friday, October 24, 2014

Election Prep: The Propositions

On November 4, there will be three propositions on the ballot. In an editorial in Columbia Paper, Parry Teasdale discusses the propositions and recommends how his readers should vote. 

Proposition 1 would amend the New York State constitution to reform the way redistricting is done. Teasdale recommends a no vote, dismissing the proposed reform as "an illusion not a solution." An editorial in the Buffalo News, while calling the proposed amendment "deceptive and insufficient," notes that the amendment will "make the process open to public influence" and judges it "a chance worth taking."

Proposition 2 is a no-brainer. It would allow the electronic distribution of bills to members of the state legislature instead of having them printed out on paper and laid on their desks.

Proposition 3, called the Smart Schools Bond Act of 2014, seems like a no-brainer, too. Who wouldn't want the state to borrow $2 billion to make our public schools smart? Acknowledging that any equipment purchased with this bond will probably be obsolete before the bond is paid off, Teasdale still concludes it's "a proposition worth voting for." An opposing view is offered by the Empire Center. The conservative think tank calls the Smart Schools Bond Act "New York's school-bond boondoggle," notes that the language of the proposition is "laced with marketing spin," and warns: "Passage of this bond proposition would push the state government closer to its statutory debt ceiling--even as Albany struggles to fill funding gaps in long-term capital plans for basic infrastructure like mass transit, roads and bridges."

Read, decide for yourself, and don't overlook the propositions on November 4.
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2 comments:

  1. Perry's logic here -- that we should vote for computers in schools even though they'll be obsolete before they're paid for -- suggests something of why our schools are in so much trouble: we spend money on wishes rather than realities. Our kids need a good curriculum, which costs almost nothing, not more gadgets. Vote NO on this crazy proposition, which should be called the Dumb Schools Bond. Send the message: spend education dollars on education.

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  2. Collosal waste of money and just another way to funnel money to the incredibly corrupt NYC school system. Please read the view at:
    http://www.empirecenter.org/publications/new-yorks-school-bond-boondoggle-2/
    before voting.

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