Propositions! November 2022

By popular request, here are my analyses/recommendations for the propositions appearing on the California ballot this November:

Proposition 1: Yes.  This one would create a right to reproductive freedom, including the right to an abortion, under the California Constitution. Seems like a good step to take. (But I have to admit I haven't done the analysis to figure out exactly what practical effect this may have, if any).

Proposition 26 and 27: Leaning No on 26, No on 27. 

Proposition 26 would legalize sports betting (and some other games not currently allowed) in California at Indian casinos and licensed racetracks.  The tribes are the biggest proponents of Prop. 26.  If you are not too worried about the expansion of gambling (since we already have a bunch, including the California Lottery), and you have some sympathy for the tribes, then go ahead and vote for Prop. 26. But if you are concerned about a wider variety of gambling being available, vote no.

Proposition 27 would open up online sports betting, and is sponsored by a bunch of corporations that offer that.  I think this is just a corporate money grab and makes sports betting way too easy, and the fact that they throw in a warm-and-fuzzy PR element of dedicating most of the tax revenue to a homeless and mental health fund doesn't change that. Vote no.

Proposition 28: Yes.  This one would allocate a minimum amount of funding for arts and music programs in K-12 public schools.  I generally don't like budgeting-by-ballot, as it locks in funding levels regardless of where funding needs may be, but on this one unfortunately it is necessary.  Arts and music education is valuable for all students (I can explain why if you don't believe me), and those programs have largely gotten the short end of the stick over the years.  A guaranteed funding stream is needed, and I recommend voting yes.

Proposition 29: No. OMFG it is ANOTHER proposition on staffing of dialysis clinics, like the ones CA voters have rejected several times.  I'm not particularly fond of corporate dialysis clinics, and I have some sympathy for health care workers, but given that similar propositions have been rejected multiple times before (and recently), I think the message should be made even clearer - just stop it with these already.

Proposition 30: No.  I am fine with the idea of a raising income taxes a little bit on those making over $2 million, but this is a worse example of budget-by-ballot, with most of the resulting revenues going to subsidize electric vehicles and related infrastructure, with a smaller chunk going to wildfire prevention.  It is very prescriptive on what the money can be spent on, and locks in subsidies for a long time, when it is not clear to me that subsidies are needed for that long. Lyft is a big sponsor of this, so they probably are expecting to benefit from the subsidies. I am thinking that we have better things to spend our money on. I am fine with giving money to CalFire, but they don't get so much from this Proposition; I think they are just along for the ride on this one to make it look better. 

Proposition 31: Yes. The state legislature previously passed a ban on the sale of flavored tobacco products. The tobacco companies want to overturn it. This proposition essentially says, yes, we want to keep the ban in place. I don't see a pressing need for flavored tobacco products, and I am fine with hindering the ability of tobacco companies to market to kids. Vote yes.  

I Am Racist (and you ain't so "woke" either)

Yes, I am racist. This may surprise you - how could I, a Bay Area progressive with a Black daughter, be racist? To clarify a bit, I'm not intentionally racist, and it took me some time to realize that I was racist. Here is how I figured it out.

In 2004 I traveled to Ethiopia. I had never been to Africa before, and it was a very interesting experience. When I got back to the Bay Area, I noticed something: I was now looking at Black people on the street differently than I had before. Before my trip, when I would see a white person on the street, I would often look closely at them, observing details like how they resembled someone I knew ("that guy looks like Joe"), or their ethnicity ("she looks Irish"), or just some distinctive facial feature ("oh, interesting eyebrows"). But when I saw a Black person on the street, I would just look at them enough to identify basic traits - nicely dressed older guy, heavy younger woman, teenager with hoody, etc. But after being in Ethiopia, I found myself looking more closely at Black people, observing them more like how I observed white people ("she looks Ethiopian").

But the thing that surprised me was that I had no idea that I had been looking at Black people differently than how I looked at white people. So I guess at that moment I "woke" to how I had been before. But I don't really like the word "woke" - it's not like I became the fucking Buddha or something- I just realized that I had been acting in a racist way.  And given that I had had no clue that I was doing that, I figured I should check to see if I was still doing that in other ways.

The opportunity to do so came with a car. Specifically a black AMG-modified E-Class Mercedes sedan. (For those of you who are not car people, think of a nice, shiny black, medium size, slightly-fancier-looking-than-usual Mercedes sedan. It is an expensive but not particularly flashy car.) It was being driven by a young Black male, and the question that went through my head was: "How did he afford that car?" Almost immediately followed by an answer: "Drug dealer." Oops. I guess I am not so enlightened after all.

So the car became my new test - what story would pop into my head based on who I pictured driving the Mercedes? It was very interesting.  Middle-aged white male - executive or finance or attorney. Well-groomed blonde woman in her 30s or early 40s - real estate agent or trophy wife (oops - sexist). Young South Asian male - tech. Young Chinese female - daddy bought it (oops). Casual young white guy - tech. Unusually large young black male - pro athlete. Hispanic male - works at dealership moving and washing cars (oops). Middle-aged or older Chinese of either gender - successful small business owner. Hispanic female - didn't even picture it (oops).

And it is really hard to make those stories go away - they just tend to pop up by themselves, despite my conscious knowledge that they are racist or sexist. I have taken implicit bias tests, which are designed to measure this kind of reaction, and according to those tests, I actually moderately favor Blacks over whites. But my own Mercedes test causes me to question those results, and to acknowledge what feels like my own unintentional racism. 

I assume that these stories that pop into my head come from the societal context that I live in, even though that context is not overtly racist.  I live in the Bay Area, and I don't recall my parents or teachers or friends conveying racist ideas. But the stories came from somewhere - probably news stories, movies, music, TV and radio.  I don't really know what is going on in other peoples' heads, but I'm guessing that if I have these kinds of thoughts pop into my head, other Americans do as well. And if I wasn't really aware that they were there (just like how I didn't realize how I was looking differently at Black and white people), I'm guessing that other Americans are similarly oblivious.

This is why I question the validity of white Americans claiming to be "woke." The word may have had its origins as a description of trying to stay aware of racism - you are trying to be alert and pay attention to manifestations of racism or other prejudices (a good thing), but now it has the feeling of being used more to describe a state, like enlightenment. But one could have been a major asshole, realized it and became less of an asshole, but still an asshole.  Reaching the state of minor asshole does not seem to justify  publicly patting oneself on the back. Even if one becomes aware of one's past unconscious racism and takes steps to move away from it, can they be certain that all vestiges of racism are gone? My experience would indicate that the answer is "no." There could still be hidden racist thoughts floating around, and absent a trigger (like my Mercedes) they will likely remain both hidden and present. 

Are you really sure that you are woke? I am pretty sure that I am not.