Who is voting this November and why should you bother?

You wrote, which is only your opinion. What are the basis for this measure on the ballot, and what does it say - both pros and cons?

The questions are key as well as the local politics.

We have several - two in particular that need to be voted - in Mass the legislators decided in all their wisdom to have an automatic increase in the gas tax every year without a vote tied to inflation - to make matters worse if we have a recession - the gas tax doesn't change. No vote nothing - just a way to fatten the budget - talk about taxation without representation. So this question is to repeal this automatic tax.

Another question is to increase the bottle bill where it impacts other drinks beyond soda and beer -- ie water, juice, etc. Supposedly to help in recycle. What the ??? We need to recycle everything any way -- why charge the extra on the bottle = it won't change recycling habits.

allegedly the reason we did this is that our precious bundles will get a better education with class sizes of 15 rather than the current 20 (a point not supported by any science that I have ever seen) and more support staff (which is currently on the order of 250% per student what it was during the 1970's). I personally think the whole thing is a move by the education industry to expand the payroll yet again (leave no child behind bumped support staff up by almost 100%) and lighten the workload. Americans are lazy, we always want to get more money for less work, this is the less work push.

this whole ballot proposition idea is a bad idea which refuses to go away. I see no evidence that it has done anything to create better government ( nor a more sensible educated electorate) since California dreamed this nonsense up.

hawk, You didn't answer my question, but let me add this.
There are studies that show the schools in wealthier areas have better results than does poor area schools. It has to do with poor schools inability to provide the same amount of books and school supplies as does their wealthier neighbors. There is also the matter of students from wealthier areas have the support of their parents to supply all the needed books and materials to further their education. Another important matter is that poor students have difficult with sufficient food, and go hungry - which results in poor performance in school. Also, schools that make every effort to identify students with difficulty accompanied by more assistance do better.

How the school district spends their money is an entirely different matter with many variables.

Do you have any solutions? Or are you just a griper?

I long ago come the the conclusion that the problem with our schools has nothing to do with money most of the time, they have to do with a bad culture in the schools. The number one thing we could do is to demand that HS students produce better work, and if they fail they fail, and I dont give a **** what this does to the drop out rate. A associates degree is the new HS diploma because our HS have failed, most university students spend all or most of their freshman year learning what in past generations was learned in HS because our HS have failed.

You just identified problems as you see them. There are larger issues that you didn't even touch on - that I outlined in my previous post. In addition to all that, college tuition costs have skyrocketed that denies many with ability to drop out. bitch, bitch, bitch.......it's easy to bitch.

Bitching without solutions is easy; many in our government does the same thing.

You are confused, I am exercising my right to use the ballot to send a message to the state that I am opposed to spending any additional money on schools, they get more than enough already. We (my district) spends over $12,000 per year per kid. Enough is enough.

Your opinion to cut funding for schools is 'YOUR PERSONAL OPINION' without any evidence for your claims. This country spends over $50,000 per prisoner in our prisons each year. It's more important to spend more on our schools to keep the current population of children from becoming criminals, because they fail to get enough education to make a living.

It's been proven that people with college education earn over $1,000,000 more over their work life.

After WWII, our government provided returning soldiers with the GI Bill for them to get their college education. They are the ones who allowed this country to become the superpower of this world.

Through EDUCATION.

You suffer from myopia.

I have never not voted in any election, primary or general election, for which I was eligible, in my entire life. And I'll be voting this year as well.

I can't understand anyone who doesn't vote. It's a civic responsibility and it is what determines the outcome of an election. Outside money can buy advertising time and mailings, but it can't buy my vote. We each have one vote, and they are all equally important, and each one does count. Those who choose to throw theirs away, have no legitimate reason to complain about the outcome.

There is no incumbent for Congress in my district this year, and I will be voting with some considerable enthusiasm for the Democratic candidate, a person I see as having great potential to get things done and whose issues and views are in line with my own. The Republican opponent seems like a lackluster hank who mainly devotes himself to attacking Obamacare in his TV ads, and seems to have little in the way of a track record of accomplishment in past positions he has held. I am looking forward to watching debates between the two.

Why should I bother to vote? Because I have definite preferences among those on the ballot, and I want those preferences to be registered.

You are in a very fortunate minority.

I had preferences all my life, voted, and what did I get? Today's politics is the complete reversal of what I had hoped; the House Republicans vote no by 100% on many legislation that's presented. It's their way or the highway. They do not negotiate or compromise - on anything. Many of the same members will return after the November 4th elections, and NOTHING WILL CHANGE.
Win a few of your preferences? That doesn't overcome the majority of Republicans who will continue their gridlock of our government. In two years, the same thing will happen. Why? Because too many Americans will vote the same representatives back into congress.

What will you gain from your votes? A tag that says "I voted?" Been there, done that. It's gotten worse; not better. Let the American people decide what they want for this country; I gave up!

The youngsters must take over, and vote what they want. If they stay away from voting, it's their problem.

For you CI.

George Carlin 'speaks my language.' LOL Thx for sharing that gem.

I'm not responsible for who the public votes for.....

The satisfaction that I am not making it easier for Republicans to gain, or return to, office, particularly in the area I live in. I'm just not happy with the things they do once they're in office.

There are definite differences in the platforms and priorities of the two main political parties, and that has been the case as long as I can remember. I have always clearly identified with, and agreed with, one much more than the other.

I share your views of the House Republicans, who seem to do little other than to value partisan gridlock over any sort of progress. But that's precisely why I am voting--I'm not helping to send another Republican to the House, and, by not voting, I might be doing that.

I'm just not as cynical as you are.

fixed.

blah blah blah blah....only idiots still listen to what these people say. Pay attention to their work. You will discover that R's and D's are almost identical. Both are financially irresponsible and both are allergic to work, working together, working for the people and to truth.

I do pay attention. The two parties vote quite differently in both the state and national legislatures, and they have different visions of the role of government. If you think they're almost identical, you're the one not paying attention.

I'm not here to try to discourage anyone from voting. I've voted in every national election since I was 18 years old; that's over 60 years. My cynicism has grown over the years, and it's not a sudden aha moment.

I just express my feelings about what has happened to our politics over the past several decades, and continued to wonder why our elected officials continue to destroy our own government; this is also the least respect of any president in our country's history. The cartoons of our president, and how the GOP and press treats our president proves my point; there's no respect in and out of government. I also lost respect for the president when his office answered my letter about lifting the embargo on Cuba. They have earned that disrespect over the years. They don't deserve respect from anyone. Our government is so badly broken, I'm not sure it can be repaired in the future. One or two more or less new reps in congress isn't going to make any difference - whether they are democrats or republicans.

I am equally discouraged, CI. But I have to keep trying.

Nah! Just stay home.