Voter turnout looked good this morning. I was number 93 with a last name L-Z only an hour after the polls opened. It was the longest line I’ve ever seen to vote, which is encouraging.
So, you may be curious how I voted. First, I voted for Jim Webb and Jim Moran because I think it’s important that we get a Democratic majority. Then maybe we can start getting back some of our civil liberties that President Bush has taken in the name of terror. Unfortunately, it probably also means that we’ll continue to botch things in Iraq, since the Democrats plan of “let’s not stay the course” is just as bad as Bush’s “stay the course”.
I voted against the gay marriage ban. Even if I hated homosexuals, I would have voted against it. It goes way beyond “protecting the sanctity of marriage” and bans all sorts of things that might be sort of like marriage if you look at them kind of squinty-eyed. And, more importantly, I think we have to treat people of all sexual orientations as human beings. That means protecting their rights and allowing them to live, even if you don’t approve of their lifestyle.
I voted to remove the unconstitutional language that should have been removed automatically instead of requiring a vote.
I voted against extending the right to grant tax breaks to the local government. Although in general I think local government is better suited to grant tax breaks for real estate development, I don’t see why we need to help people build new houses in conservation areas. There’s too much building around here as it is, and the excess of housing is going to start hurting the local economy if we aren’t careful. I’m not really sure what the point of this amendment is supposed to be, but the potential adverse effects it could have outweigh the positive ones I can think of. So I voted no.
I voted to allow the issuance of bonds to build more parks, and to build more jails. Seems like a good idea to me.
So, I urge you all to get out and vote if you haven’t done so already. I’d be happy if you voted the way I did, but I’d rather you did a little research and voted against me than not vote at all.