babble » blogs » Strollerderby
Strollerderby
Ballot Questions 2010: What Issue Brought You To The Polls?
What issue brought you to the polls this year?
It’s Election Day. Tomorrow, the results will be in and the relentless chatter of political ads will fall silent. We’ve all heard endlessly about individual candidates. I know more about Congressional candidates eating habits and tax returns than I do about my own mother’s.
What about the issues? What key voting issues got you out to the polls this year? Was your vote a referendum on Obama? A vote for or against health reform? War? Economic change?
Step away for the moment from the Big Stuff our congresscritters will be slugging it out over for the next two years (and the two years after that, and the two years after that…). Did your ballot have any questions you were invited to weigh in on directly?
I live in Massachusetts, land of ballot questions. 2010 is no exception. Our state ballot questions aren’t as exciting as last year’s, when we got to decriminalize marijuana. California is wrestling that one this year, with a question that would legalize it for recreational use.
We’re just looking at taxes, Massachusetts’ favorite topic. Question 1 asks if we want to repeal the state sales tax on liquor, and Question 3 asks about reducing our state sales tax from 6.25% to 3%.
Sure, we didn’t need those tax dollars. Massachusetts is drowning in tax money. That’s why our schools are cutting programs and our roads are being plowed less often and my brother-in-law has been waiting years for Boston to get enough money together to hire a new class of firefighters. (I bet you can guess how I voted on these.)
Question 2 on the Massachusetts ballot is some nearly unreadable, complicated thing about repealing the state law that allows local building ordinances to be overridden in favor of large housing projects if they involve low-income housing. I suspect that only a very small handful of the state’s voters will even read this question, let alone make an informed vote on it.
What are the ballot questions in your state? Going back to the broader elections, what were the issues that brought you to the polls this year? What are you hoping the election will mean for you?
Photo: hjl
More by Sierra Black:
Why I Don’t Miss Homeschooling
How Smartphones Made The Playground Fun
Go Back To Strollerderby
3 Comments
Adam commented on Nov 02 10 at 1:31 pmNH has zero sales tax and income tax and they get more snow and they plow their roads. Understand how taxes and government work before you vote. MA increased the sales tax to 6.25% and I’m sure in five years they’ll be complaining that they have no money for teachers and police and want to raise it to 7%. Taxes were lower when I was a kid and we had plenty of teachers, plenty of snow plows and more money in our pockets. Higher taxes don’t work. You are uneducated on the subject.
bob commented on Nov 02 10 at 4:40 pmNH sure was smart to park itself close to Boston, the same way Nevada (another state without in income tax) did with California, with both populations and economies clustered up against their host’s border.
Sam commented on Nov 03 10 at 12:31 amNH has higher property taxes though so it just about balances out and we have better safety nets in MA. It’s not just about plowing roads. There are lots of important ways that our money is used and we in large measures understand that we enjoy having these things…we don’t mind paying for those things which make MA a place we want to live, and make NH unappealing for us.
Add your take:
Note: Babble is a supportive, diverse community. We encourage a range of opinions,
but any unduly hostile comments will be removed.
Comments are delayed up to 15 minutes
Lori Garcia 
Joslyn Gray 
Amber Doty 
Julianna Miner 
Monica Bielanko 
Sierra Black 
Meredith Carroll 
Carolyn Castiglia 
Sunny Chanel 
Madeline Holler 
Rebecca Odes 
Danielle Smith 
Danielle Sullivan 
Katherine Stone 
The Walt Disney Company supports Babble as a platform dedicated to honest, engaged, informed, intelligent and open conversation about parenting. However, the opinions expressed on this site are those of individual parents/writers and do not reflect the views of Disney. In addition, content provided on this site is for entertainment or informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or safety advice.
3