The Campaign Mailbag Runneth Over – Not for Long, Though

During the last two days of the last week of October another 37 pieces of campaign mail arrive.

Being residents of the 3^rd Assembly District, which Democrats hope to wrest from Republicans, there is another flurry of missives condemning or praising Democrat Richard Pan, a pediatrician, and Andy Pugno, who claims to be a “proven and trusted local leader.”

Pugno is so trustworthy his campaign sent a mailer alerting voters that “Liberal Richard Pan” – in red letters, natch – “Flushed Our Taxes Down the Toilet.”

And just to make sure readers get the point those words are emblazoned over a toilet, mercifully with a closed lid. But that’s too much to expect from the Pugno campaign, arbiters of good taste that they are.

Inside, the lid is opened to reveal:

In this case, a primary cause of political discourse rather than the end result is depicted. Above the fold is the open lid:

The “er” on “spender” is missing.

As best as can be determined, the $475 million tax increase that the War Criminal Dr. Pan supported is the proposition that levied a 50-cent-per-pack tax on cigarettes mandating the proceeds be spent on improving the lives of children ages five and below. He’s one of several million Californians who, rightly or wrongly, voted for the ballot measure.

The $50,000 salmon statute Pugno is so breathless over was paid for with this money. While technically “taxpayer dollars” it actually only comes from the roughly 14 percent of Californians who smoke.

Someone who is willing to put his name on a mailer with an open toilet, riddled with half-truths, doesn’t seem like someone worthy of representing 400,000 Californians in the state Assembly. With all due respect.

“Democrats for a Better California,” as opposed to the ones seeking a worse California, also offer some suggestions to voters.

Next to a photo of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, apparently channeling his inner-vampire, with a red line through it, the California Teachers Association and the California State Firefighters Association urge a “yes” vote on Proposition 27 to save money and prevent “wasting money on yet another bureaucracy.”

Proposion 27 is supported by the incumbent California congressional delegation who does not want an independent citizen’s commission to draw their district lines. They would rather draw their own lines and keep ensuring they are re-elected in order to continue returning to Washington D.C. in perpetuity and do even more “good” for California.

The commission, created by a previous initiative approved in November 2008, is currently charged with drawing the lines for California’s 80 Assembly seats and 40 Senate seats. Proposition 20, on the November 2 ballot, would add congressional seats to the commission’s job.

Proposion 27 would ax the commission, a “bureaucracy” that costs in the neighborhood of $3 million. That would be approximately .000034 percent of the state’s $89 billion general fund.

Again, not to put too fine a point on it but persons perpetrating this kind of folderol and grotestequely warped fiction maybe aren’t exactly the best choice for representing California in Washington D.C.

Does the phrase “lying scum” come to mind?

The Republican Woman’s Voice also urges a “yes” vote on Proposition 27 because, golly, “don’t burden out new governor with yet another bureaucracy that will waste taxpayer dollars.”

So insightful and representative  is the Republican Woman’s Voice that all but a handful of the candidates it backs paid for the mailer to endorse them. So it’s got to be the best leadership money can buy.

The “Voter Information Guide for Democrats with an eagle on the cover looking almost as bald as Jerry Brown, says of Proposition 27, “The Sacramento politicians are wasting money on yet another bureaucracy. Send them a message.”

With respect, a better message might be sending some incumbent members of congress to the private sector and get real jobs where if they fib as they are about Proposition 27 they end up as one of the state’s 2.3 million unemployed.

The teachers union also offers its recommendations. Predictably, all are Democrats who have done so well for public schools by cutting state support for them by more than $14 billion over the past two years.

Conversely, the Small Business Action Committee thinks every Republican candidate sure is swell.

And, gosh, those Republicans sure have done well for the state creating oodles of jobs by holding out on budget votes for tax breaks for multi-state corporations that encourage them to expand in other states.

November 3 – what a grand and glorious day for the Golden State.

At least the pabulum and palaver stops until the next even-numbered year.

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