Scared Citizen

Today is November 8, 2006. The day after, as it were.

In a very vocal display, the country has decided enough is enough as it applies to Republicans running the Senate, and it's a really close call in the House at this time.

This doesn't surprise me, or even bother me all that much. We need a change, I just hope that we haven't shot ourselves in the foot in the long run. Only time will tell... as has already been demonstrated by the Republican party. Or are they changing their name to the Scandal party? Or the Pighead Party?

I digress...

I'm disturbed, nay scared, at the results in our local issues. I woke up this morning to find that my fellow Oregonians are pro-greed, pro-bureaucracy, and pro-stupidity.

The state has spoken and it's citizens have said, "Yes! We want insurance companies using our credit ratings to determine our rates!" Can someone smarter than myself explain to me how credit ratings have ANYTHING to do with insurance rates?!?!

Here's how it breaks down for me personally. I have not had a claim against my driving record in over ten years. The last time I had to file a claim on my car, it was for a hit-and-run accident where my car was parked. I was not even in the vehicle. This was back in summer of 1996. But because the people of Oregon have spoken, my insurance rates are going to go up... because I bought a house this last spring. Meanwhile, some guy who makes a million bucks a month can total his Hummer or Beamer or Infiniti, and his rates are going to stay lower... because he has "good credit."

Is this right? No. Is this just? No. Is this fair? No. Is it stupid? I think it is.

The people of this glorious state have said "No! A parent should not be told that his/her teenage daughter has had or is planning to get an abortion, regardless of the circumstances!"

For the record, I'm not anti-abortion, I'm anti-irresponsibility. I don't think abortions should be doled out like candy whenever a woman wants to have one. I'm not anti-choice, I'm pro-responsibility. When a women engages in sexual activity (with the exception of rape, and I'll get to that in a moment), she has made a choice. If she chooses to have unprotected sex, she has made a choice. Why do we, as a collective people, refuse to take responsibility for the choices we make? I think that if abortion clinics sent the bill to the fathers, you might see less abortions being practiced. A ridiculous, impractical solution, I know, but only because we think in terms of financial impact, not moral responsibility.

Now, if a woman (or girl) is raped or is a victim of incest, I think that's a different matter, because there was no choice on the woman's part. And these right-wing, holier-than-thou conservatives who scream and holler against abortion need to get a clue to the bigger picture. It's not that their anti-abortion. You ask a mother in a church about how her congregation reacts when she tells them that she's had a miscarriage, I'm guessing they're very supportive. "Oh, that's horrible! I'm so sorry for you!" Ask that same mother what her congregation's reaction is if she has an abortion, I'm guessing the reaction is very negative. "You evil woman! You're going to hell, you murdering adulteress!" It doesn't matter what the reason behind it is, to these people abortion FOR ANY REASON is a sin, an abomination, and they want stoning back on the books just for these situations.

So, in Oregon, we had a measure that, if I read it correctly, would have sent notice to parents of teenage girls who were going to get abortions. If I read it correctly, and understood it, this measure was to help the parents be informed about a decision that could drastically effect the life of their daughter. It was to help enable parents to be responsible in the lives of their children. And, of course, we voted it down, because it infringes on the right to privacy of the girl.

Would someone smarter than I please explain, in simple words and phrases (for I am obviously a fool), how a girl under the age of 18 is not allowed by law to drink, is not allowed by law to smoke, is not allowed by law to vote, but is allowed by law to not only get an abortion but keep it a secret from her parents?

Ok, enough ranting on that, because I'm not getting anywhere forward with it.

My final sadness is that the people of Oregon City voted, and they said "No! We don't want to pay an extra $50 a year to keep the library services running!"

Sigh.

In past elections, the citizenry here voted to spend more money fighting mosquitoes than fund the library. Hey! Guess what! If you actually went to your library, and did some research on mosquitoes, you might figure out how to fight them on your own, instead of relying on your local government to do it for you!

In this state, because we have mail-in voting, the library has been a convenient ballot drop-off point. This will be one of the services that will be cut because of budget restrains. I suspect that people didn't take that into consideration.

Something else that just out-and-out pisses me off is that our local government approved and implemented a multi-million dollar "refurbishment" plan that effectively killed business, and put unwanted statuary up in the main traffic zone of town. But they couldn't send funds toward the library to keep it a public service.

I throw up my hands and wail at the wall. The people have spoken. Who am I to baa in a different voice...