PART ONE: Elections Can’t Come Too Soon

Is there anywhere in the US that the elections are not front, center, and nasty? I ask you, has the muck been raked extra deep this time or is it my imagination. From the Republicans “doin’ a macaca” in pubic to the Democratic pundits scooping up the macaca for everyone to see and then not knowing what to do or having a plan, this election has been a three-ring circus for months and I am sick of it.

Want to know what really burns me though? How about all the money spent on the campaigns. Give you an example; Here in Las Vegas we elect our sheriff. This time the race is between Doug Gillespie and Jerry Airola. Airola has reportedly spent over $3 million on his campaign to get elected to a position that pays $150k a year. Now I understand that the $150k is not the motivation for him running for sheriff, but really, what is the purpose of spending $3 million on a job that is supposedly non-partisan and non-political? This is a race for sheriff, not a political office. The sheriff does not make laws or ordinances, he enforces them. His number one job as sheriff is the safety of all Clark County residences, where is the upside to spending millions on a campaign that should not have a political upside? Makes you think.

The other part of the race that kills me are all the negative ads. Personally I tune them out unless there are specific cites and even then I wonder about the interpretation of the cites the circumstances behind the smear. But worst of all these are the ones where the candidate him/herself comes out and says “Don’t you hate attack ads? Well so do I…” and then goes on to smear their opponent for the rest of the ad. Wait a sec, I thought you hated attack ads, so tell us why we should vote for you, tell us positive accomplishments and change YOU have brought about, not what your opponent supposedly did or didn’t do. Can you believe that, two faced right in plain sight.

So, now I have bitched about the elections for 350 words and now you’re sick of me, but there is one difference, I have ideas to cure the problems, though I know there is no way they gain traction, it would be wonderful if we could do this.

FIRST SUGGESTION: Campaigning can only happen for the 31 days before the election. You like that? I do, and I am not alone. In the UK they limit all electioneering to the previous 90 days before the election. I like that, but think that is even too much. I guess I can put up with 31 days of the political tripe, but please, not any more.

SECOND SUGGESTION: Campaign signage is an eyesore. I hate it. The streets start to look like some Latin American fascist campaign zone. How annoying can you get? So, to fix this we will let them put up their eyesores 60 days before an election. Since they are not polluting the air with noise, I think I can put up with a couple of months of signage. However, once the election is over the candidates and their organizations have 7 days to remove them all and restore or streets to their former beauty. They get three “misses” (signs they did not see and remove) and are notified of these. Beyond that, it is a $5,000 fine directly to the candidate the sign supports. Bet that cleans up our streets fast! Tell you what, for $10,000 I will go around and clean up all your signs… how about it?

SUGGESTION THREE: Oh, and here is the one most of you have been waiting for. A candidate may not spend more than 4 times the salary they would earn in the position they are running for. Committees supporting said candidate can not spend more than the candidate (all committees combined). More money may be spent on buying air time for debates where ALL candidates are invited. Money may be spent on newspaper editorial columns outlining the reasons to vote FOR their candidate, no negative advertising allowed.

SUGGESTION FOUR: You know all that money you raised? Well since you do not need it all now, how about making a donation to the area you are running in. You could donate it to the city with the proviso that it be used for park beautification or improving schools. You can donate it to a worthy charity, one that you have no interest in besides being a supporter. You can set up scholarships for those in need of financial aid and wishing to go to college. Food banks, homeless shelters, career re-education projects, assistance for the handicapped, better transportation, improved infrastructures, and so on are all possibilities. The point is you are helping the community you want to work for and shows your earnestness for the people around you. BTW, you can let the public know that you have raised this money and donated it for the public good!

Can you imagine what good could come from these simple suggestions? Not only would people be more inclined to vote and get involved, the sense of civic duty may increase as our civility does. I know, I will put a lot of people out of work with these suggestions, but hey it was a temp job anyway.

PART TWO: Bad Read

Have you ever tried to read some of the propositions or amendments that end up on your ballot? I have, and although they try to make the wording simple it is clear that they obfuscate the intent of some propositions to get them passed. Is this as annoying for you as it is for me? Personally, my default opinion on all propositions and amendments and such is NO. Unless I can understand the specific wording of the proposition itself (not the summary) I vote no. Besides, there are too many laws as it stands, why are we bothering with more. Maybe some suggestions will help?

SUGGESTION FIVE: For every law that is passed, one law should be repealed. Have you ever looked at some of the ordinances and laws that are on the books? They are outdated and unneeded. Blue laws from 100 years ago that make no sense in this day and age. There are laws covering industries that are long dead, ordinances about how to tie up your horse at the hitching post, and thousands of one use laws that should never been enacted in the first place. Is there a point to all these laws? No, so let’s streamline the state codes and get rid of the BS.

SUGGESTION SIX: One of the incredible things about the state of Nevada is what is called “Common Sense Law”. It work like this; let’s say you do something stupid, well then the outcome of the act was your fault and you should have no one else to blame but yourself for being so stupid. Here is one example: Say you are drinking all night and then you get in your car and drive. On the way home you crash in to a telephone pole. You cannot go back and blame the bartender for serving you. You are an adult, you should know the results of drinking and driving. You are the one that got in the car, turn over the engine and drove away, the bartender did not do that, your stupid drunken self did it. Your fault, live with it. In this light, all the propositions should be worded as simply and when used the same common sense should be used to determine guilt or innocence. Simple word law requires that we look beyond the words and embrace the spirit of the law, this is what judicial opinions are for. Word you laws simply and maybe we can all understand what you want from the law.

SUGGESTIONS SEVEN AND EIGHT: We need a law that creates a new position within government, the Department of UnLaw. This is a position that is used to police our laws and ordinances. It is a nonpartisan position that pays very little and is appointed. Their job is to go through all the laws on the books and suggest which laws should be repealed. WHAT SHOULD BE REPEALED? Laws that were intended as single use, laws and ordinances that are unenforceable, and law and ordinances that have never been used are all fodder for repeal. In short of there if no case that cites the law on the books there should be no reason to keep the law. It would be a massive and boring job, but imagine the simplicity of the new codes when it is done.

OK, maybe this is all too much to ask for, but you know what, this is America and I should be able to ask for it all. In my opinion these would be good things to do. They would cut down on the partisan politics and get us back to where we belong, governing the people effectively and fairly.

That’s my 1550 words about it, I rest my case.