Voting Recommendations from Orange County Register
November 02, 2010 California Election
Proposition 19 — ✘ NO
Proposition 19 is entitled "The Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010." In truth, it does none of these. Let us show you just how flawed and misleading the ballot initiative is. Among the unintended consequences of Prop. 19, employees will be able to show up to work under the influence of marijuana while being within their legal rights. That's right, truck drivers, fork lift operators, school bus drivers, doctors, nurses, teachers and essentially anyone else will be able to smoke marijuana before coming to work and will not face any disciplinary action by their employer. Similarly, the rights of employers will be downsized as they will no longer be able to conduct employee drug tests and even if they know an employee is under the influence they can only take action if they are able to prove impairment. This subjects employers to more lawsuits as they will inevitably fail to provide a safe work environment. It's also a costly problem for places of business. According to the California Chamber of Commerce, not only will business owners have to accommodate marijuana users by providing smoke breaks and designated smoking areas strictly for marijuana use, but they will also have to pay more in insurance fees to make up for the increased danger in the workplace and will also be required to pay for marijuana-related accidents. Moreover, the research shows that by failing to comply with the Federal Drug Free Workplace Act of 1988, businesses across the California will lose millions of dollars in federal funding, as well as federal research grants for state colleges and universities. Our law enforcement officers will also inherit an albatross if Prop. 19 passes. The way the initiative is written, local governments throughout the state will have the responsibility of passing a framework for taxing marijuana sales, meaning each of the 58 counties and 478 cities in California very well could have a different set of laws for people to follow creating a patchwork of ordinances and confusion for those trying to enforce them. Furthermore, while provisions in the ballot measure prohibit drivers from smoking while driving, nothing prevents people from smoking just before getting behind the wheel of a vehicle. There is also no language that explains what constitutes being "under the influence" of marijuana and unlike alcohol, there are no conclusive tests that can be conducted to detect the level of marijuana in one's system. Just like with workplace issues, law enforcement officers will be responsible for proving a driver was impaired after an incident occurs. Finally, regardless of the outcome in November, United States Federal Law views marijuana as an illegal substance, therefore overruling any state law in place. The federal government has already made it clear that legalization of any drug is not on its agenda. President Obama's 2010 National Drug Strategy states that "We have many proven methods for reducing the demand for drugs. Keeping drugs illegal reduces their availability and lessens willingness to use them. That is why this Aadministration firmly opposes the legalization of marijuana or any other illicit drug. Legalizing drugs would increase accessibility and encourage promotion and acceptance of use." Our state cannot afford to face the tribulations surrounding Proposition 19. The initiative has too many loopholes and takes legalization too far. All facts aside, California would be the only state to legalize marijuana, but if we simply look to other parts of the world where marijuana was decriminalized, such as the Netherlands, it's easy to see how public safety was damaged and clearly this is not what we want for our state. Voters should not risk the well-being of our state. Vote "no" on Proposition 19. 3:48PM Oct 12, 2010
United States Senate — ✔ CARLY FIORINA
For us, the choice between Carly Fiorina and Barbara Boxer for U.S. Senate is simple. Ms. Fiorina, a former CEO of technology giant Hewlett-Packard, has been consistent in her views during the campaign, has rightly defined the relevant issues of the day and described a reasonable path to address them. Incumbent Barbara Boxer, for all her nearly 18 years in the U.S. Senate, has limited legislative accomplishment and has established a reputation of inaccessibility and distance from her home state. Some would argue, although California leans leftward, Boxer's positions on issues of environment and free trade are out of touch, even extreme, for Californians. On the issues, Ms. Boxer generally is at odds with virtually every key position important to our Editorial Board, from the cap-and-trade carbon tax scheme to health care to bailouts to the labor code to financial regulation to taxes. Her view of the role of government in America – that its force is a tool to achieve social aims – is antithetical to our view of government, that it is here to defend our individual liberties. 3:37PM Oct 12, 2010
