ELITE SIX DECIDE VOTERS ARE IGNORANT

It appears that the County Council voted, "NO CONFIDENCE" in the Whatcom County voters last night. Following the lead of the State Supreme court, the County Council determined that we the people are just not smart enough to understand what it is we are voting on. I guess from here on out, when the voters speak through the ballot box, those who have our consent to make or interpret laws will have us re -vote on what we just voted on, or just deem our individual ballots as unconstitutional until we vote how those smarter than us want us to vote.

As I predicted, this was a 6 to 1 vote to reconsider what we voted on already.
We the voters had a large majority, not a close call, but a decisive vote to say that we the people want our district representatives elected by those who live in the district. The main argument put forth by council members is that we didn't understand what we were voting on. HOGWASH!

Okay, we'll vote to reconsider how we voted. (I hope that County Taxpayer Funds won't pay for any education propaganda on this Ballot Measure.) And when we the people vote on this one, we will probably vote the same as we did last time. I wonder just how many times we will have to vote on this?

Voters Pamphlet of the Future:
Measure 12,501: Vote to reconsider what voters considered five times already. Are you sure this is what you want? Didn't you really mean to vote for...
Measure 12,502: Vote to strike down previous legislation to nullify the previous vote...
Measure 12,503: Vote to etc, etc, etc...

A SUPERMAJORITY OF VOTERS WANTED DISTRICT ONLY VOTING

How many times recently have we heard that we the voters are too stupid to know what we are voting on? I have always been suspicious of anyone who claims to be smarter than the rest of us. Sometimes I vote with the minority opinion, sometimes I vote with the majority opinion. When I lose, I don't say "the voters didn't understand it, and didn't know what they were voting on."
Well, Our State Supreme court has done that recently overturning Initiative 747, and now tonight, I wonder how many of our county councilmen will vote to overturn a super majority will of Whatcom County Voters. We voted on this already, guys, and vote to send this back to us, and we'll vote the same way again.
We were not duped by Republicans, we were not abandoned in our education by Democrats, We understand things like cutting taxes, reducing spending, making legislators accountable, and District by District voting.
We vote for representatives in either the 39th, 40th, or 42nd Districts for state. They All represent All of the state, but are sent to the state by votes from their close political boundaries.
We cannot and should not vote in each other's districts.
There are cultural differences between the folks in Lynden and the folks in Fairhaven, they both need their own representation and not have each other voting in each other's districts. (If you think there is no difference in cultures, do something simple like mow your lawn or open your store on a Sunday in both areas in the county and tell me how it goes...)

Now, watch those who are the big proponents of re-educating us ignorant voters tonight, and I suspect that the same ones who want county wide voting are also with Carl Wiemer on creating appointed micro -councils in unincorporated areas. Thankfully that went nowhere, could you imagine the bureaucratic and unaccountable mess that would create? And outside of Lynden or Custer or Acme in unincorporated areas, those folks would have their Micro-Councils appointed by councilmen that were voted for and elected by people outside of their district, if this goes to the ballot and passes.

But I digress, because Carl, Laurie, Dan, Barbara, Seth and even Ward will come to understand that we the people are not so stupid, we knew what we voted for the first time and we will remember who argued for this come time to vote for you also. It is seldom a good idea to go against the will of the voters. I hope that I am wrong about my prediction that this will be a 6 to 1 vote tonight. If we need to vote "at Large" for all positions then what is the point of a single At Large seat?

Parting Shot: When the 6 of you vote to send this back to us ignorant voters, what will you do when we the people unceremoniously vote it back down again? Will you be looking for a new job at the same time as we vote you out on the same ballot?

Just vote this one down boys and girls, and let's put this issue to rest once and for all.

WILL WE HAVE FINAL RESULTS TONIGHT?

Hopefully by five o'clock tonight we'll have a better idea on the final count of Ballots.
I pick on the auditors office for being the slowest county in the state for returns, but with this mail only voting, this process seems to just keep getting slower. But I suspect that if they count ballots all day and late into the evening, we should have close to a final tally by eleven o'clock tonight. I still think that if the majority of the ballots coming in are from county voters that Hatch will barely win and Crawford should easily win.
Who's Idea was this Mail only voting anyway?
I sure miss my local polling place and the three Matriarchs that ran it so efficiently. I wonder if they miss it? I know that they volunteered and it required them to have a long evening after the polls closed, but I sure liked having real results on election evening.
I think that the Pony express days had faster results than our modern system here in Whatcom County.

POINDEXTER PONDERS the POLLS.

Last night Damon Gray put it best, and I am sure that my oversimplifying what he said will not do him justice. I hope that someone has a recording of his speech at Northwood hall.
But here is what I heard and interpreted...
Regardless of the outcome, Damon felt good about the election, as conservatives run not because conservatives are looking for a job. He has a real job. Conservatives run because they are called on not to rule, but to serve us the citizens. Many conservatives who run for office not only have jobs, but actually run businesses that provide living wage jobs. So when guys like Geyer get beat, they get up tomorrow and go back to work providing those jobs and contribute to the overall community. Damon and Larry go back to work.

Here is what I think...
Dan. TAX AND SPEND, at least he doesn't run around with vandals and tree spikers.
Gene, Barry and Stan are probably Keyensian, but may be the last and final vestiges of sanity to hold off the Gang of Four.
Will Barb Ryan Put her money where her mouth is and ride her bicycle to work or go grocery shopping on the city busses?
I wonder though if Terril knows that he got re-elected to serve Bellingham or if he's already packing his bags for Washington DC to serve the second congressional district along with Cindy(stupid is as stupid does) Sheehan as foreign policy experts and protest tourists?
Will Louise ask what she is voting on before rather than after she votes?
Will Jack push for making the neighborhood associations an unelected Tyranny?
As Damon, Larry and Bill go back to work today, I wonder about the the other two who got defeated.
Will Michael stomp around home telling everyone just how smart he is and that everyone in Bellingham is too stupid to know it, or will he go ask Bill Geyer for a job?
Will Dan build an unpermitted tree house and invite Al Gore to live with him?

All seriousness aside, Congrats to all who won, and thank you to ALL who ran.

ARE YOU WILLING TO LET 25% OF US DECIDE YOUR FUTURE?

As of 07:35 this morning, slightly less than 25% of voters have returned their ballots.
Are the other 75% waiting for the last minute?
I doubt it. It appears that predictions by the auditors office and others are predicting a 45% to 50% voter participation in the 2007 General Election.
With a potential to have 25.01% deciding the victors in local elections, this is shameful at best. At worst 12.51% of all registered voters may decide some very important races.
Do my friends and neighbors truly trust a minority of us to elect our city and county legislators?
I predict that low voter turnout will directly correlate to a local environmental extremist victory. So much for our right to use our own private property as we see fit.
Not only will low voter turnout mean that more burdensome restrictions be placed on how we run our businesses and use our own private lands, more private lands will be condemned for land grabs by the same extremists. It appears that nasty campaigns are effective in keeping the moderate folks and many conservatives home.
Again, don't break the faith with our veterans and fallen soldiers and POW /MIAs.
In truth, I don't care if we totally disagree on political view points, Mail In Your Ballots!

MAIL IN YOUR BALLOTS (from the redundancy dept)

Honor those who have fought, killed, and died for our liberties and our right to vote. Please do not Break the Faith with our Veterans, Fallen Soldiers and MIA/POW’s by not voting. Every election, nothing less than your personal liberty is at stake.

STILL, VERY FEW BALLOTS HAVE BEEN RETURNED

It seems that many people are either waiting until the last minute to vote or are uninterested in the future of our cities and county. Whether we agree or not on who to vote for, it is not a good sign that many folks are not participating.

I'm also interested in what folks' thoughts are about the process to solve the 9100 ballot glitch and whether they are comfortable with the solution. There were observers from several concerns watching the process at the courthouse today.

Tomorrow I promised some documentation for a thought that I had over at Wally's site pertaining to an unrelated non -local issue.

MAIL IN YOUR BALLOTS

Honor those who have fought, killed, and died for our liberties and our right to vote. Please do not Break the Faith with our Veterans, Fallen Soldiers and MIA/POW’s by not voting. Every election, nothing less than your personal liberty is at stake.

Which Candidates Are Most Likely To Support Individual Liberty at the City and County Levels

Here are My picks:

BELLINGHAM

• Mayor: UNDERVOTE. Neither of these two clowns give a rat's patoot about individual liberty. collectivist vs. collectivist. Seems to be a focal point of the 3 or 4 sided civil war going on within our local Democrat friends and family.
• At Large: UNDERVOTE.Sure Louise is nice and her opponent has a meanspirited streak, both are collectivists. I predict that Louise will hold onto this seat until doomsday.
• Ward 1: UNDERVOTE, or write in Bob Ryan to retain his seat whether he wants the job or not.
• Ward 3: LARRY FARR. his opponent is a real nice guy, but a collectivist at heart. Larry has good solid solutions to many downtown problems.
• Ward 4: DAMON GRAY. His fresh and moderately fiscal conservative viewpoints and ability to solve problems is desperately missing from the current council.
• Ward 5: BILL GEYER. More planning experience from both sides of the counter than all current sitting and current hopefuls combined. This guy knows how to sign the front of a paycheck. His opponent is the most opposed to individual liberty of all current candidates and appears to be a goofball and highly unstable.

WHATCOM COUNTY

• Executive: PETE KREMEN, Okay, normally I pick on Pete, but he's been pretty gracious to the classy lady that the local cowards are hiding behind as a protest vote. I hope they feel SHAME. The forums have been painful to watch.
• Sherrif: BILL ELFO. Morale is high among the troops. He and his deputies are doing a terrific job. He is committed to our community from Diablo to Point Roberts to Eliza Island and everything in between. (however,stop asking for sales tax increases, please.)
• Treasurer: JOE ELENBAAS. There, I said it. I like Joe. I like Steve. Steve is a nice guy with a wonderful family. But can anyone point out a more determined individual liberty candidate than Joe "give 'em hell" Elenbaas? I just wish he'd run for county executive rather than Abacus Jockey. But the county treasurer's office needs a watchdog. Joe as Steve's supervisor. You'd have to increase Steve's wages to work with JOE, but what a combo for watchdoggin' the county budgets and expenditures.
• Assesor: KEITH WILLNAUER. Engaged with the public, makes time to talk with us.
• Auditor: SHIRLEY FORSLOF. She may never learn to speak loud enough for us deaf guys to hear in public, but she has good bipartisan support even though some folks still remember something about some schoolboard election.
• District 1 Pos. B: CHRIS HATCH. What more could a person concerned with individual liberty want than an effective Board of Equalization member voting for our individual rights on the council? This is a NO BRAINER.
• District 2 Pos. B: SAM CRAWFORD. This guy brought civility to the county council when it previously was operated like a punk rock romper room with no real leadership. His opponent who previously attacked Sam as "an Evil Genius" at a local Democrat Fundraiser (and on You tube) after getting sent packing with his outside bunch of collectivists from the second district homeowners, has now changed his dialogue and campaign strategy to "I am SAM, SAM I am." and Pretending to be a fiscal conservative pro-jobs candidate. SAM will continue to be the voice of reason whether one likes his views or not. I happen to like them most of the time.
• District 3 Pos. B: BARBARA BRENNER. I may agree with Barbara about 30% of the time, and sometimes think that it is a crapshoot how she'll vote. Even though she has been on the council back in the dysfunctional romper room days and can get excited, she is a classy lady that only occasionally makes one want to pull his hair out. Many claim to be the first eco-councilman, but for better or worse, Barbara was the first. Get over it, D.M. Unlike many politicians in this day and age, she has a reaganesque ability to have fun and even laugh at herself.
• The six Big cities? I'll leave that up to folks who live there for now as I admit I did not pay sufficient attention to these other important cities in our county.

SOMETHING NEW HAS BEEN ADDED

As you well know, Ballots have been mailed out, and now we are voting on several state issues, but mostly on city and county races. This is where elections are still cute and cuddly events where friends and neighbors get out and have a good time supporting everything from their favorite fire commissioner to who the abacus operator for the county will be. It is an odd year and that means small year with no outside or big money influences.

Something has changed, as this sure doesn't describe my community.

• Local campaigns learned about mudslingin' in past elections; they're learnin' how to do it, now. Just wait 'till the campaigns get good at it next time around!
• Candidates are pretending to scold their operators for leaking out lies about their opponents.
• Local PACs are contributing big money to candidates. and spoken about as if they are the ugly kid at the high school prom.
• Out of State Law Firms and other entities are contributing bigger money to candidates.
• Gambling influences are contributing big money to candidates.
• National Organizations have discovered local elections across our state and other states as well and are pushing their agendas through local candidates. The majority of these have a "progressive" agenda.
• Elected positions with annual part time wages of $16k to $19k a year are now finding candidates raising between $35 and $50k to be an effective candidate. the bar has been set, that is what it will take if you want to be a viable candidate, like it or not.
• And the newest feature, is the unrestrained freemarket of ideas, anonymous ideas, flaming ideas, and trolling ideas. Go online to any newsblog and newspaper website across the state and read how nasty the online political game is being played. further if you really have too much time on your hands

Yes, go online and read the comments to the articles and to opinion letters and posts. User names are ficticious, scandalous, frivolous and are nothing compared to the comments that are left by these users under creatively anonymous names.
However, I suspect that there are really very few people who are using these features and that by observing writing styles you can surmise that each author has several pen-names. I may be wrong, but I presume that some news reporters and opinion writers of Newspapers moving to the internet are flaming themselves under ficticous names just to encourage readership. With the Papers, Radio, TV News, if it's bleeding, it's leading. but I digress...

This year there is probably no significant effect on votes being decided by readers of these online smashmouth forums. There is a very small group of people who want to have serious, civil political discussions and debates, and they are not yet adapting to the youth who make a conscious effort to bring the dialogue down to below locker room humor and take it to the 4th grade to ninth grade level of political debate. While this may be the most entertaining for many readers, it leaves much to be desired by those who snivel for civil dialogue.

In the next local election cycles coming in the future, we will see more use of these unregistered comments and get more out of hand, scandalous, libelous, etc; it is and will be protected political free speech. Like it or not, it may begin to have an effect on local voters.
Eight Points to ponder and I only covered one.

See ya next post.