Beachcombing

It’s the scariest time of year. I am not referring to Halloween; I am referring to election time.

Some people ask who or what I’m voting for; most people don’t care. Generally, the Beachcomber does not engage in endorsements since we do not have an editorial board. Meanwhile I’m delighted to portend in that manner.

When it comes to the state propositions, my rule of thumb is to do the opposite of whatever the Los Angeles Times recommends. This time around I’ll vote no on everything, except Propositions 22 and 25.

A yes vote on 22 sends a strong message to the legislature to stay the hell out of private enterprise and businesses (like ours) that hire freelance workers. And a yes vote on 25 is common sense – you don’t put people in jail for a year if they are too poor to pay bail money for minor offences. (Guess who gets to pay for their 12-month of incarceration, Mr. & Ms. Taxpayer.)

Voting for judges is a mind-boggling exercise. Who knows? This is one time when I will consult with the Los Angeles Times and the LA County Bar Association. I counted four “well qualified” LA County judges according to the Bar Association, five “qualified” and four “not qualified.” That makes my decision much easier, especially when the LA Times concurs.

Locally I favor Richard Gaylord for LBCC and Robert Fox in the 2^nd District. Here again you can rest assured that any candidate or ballot measure backed by Mayor Robert Garcia is a wasted vote. He craves personal attention for political purposes, making lap-dog appointees and squeezing as many tax dollars as possible out of our pockets.

Carpetbagger Cindy Allen is the least qualified 2^nd District candidate with a history of dishonesty and subterfuge. Fox has impressively spent decades serving the citizens on Long Beach on numerous civic boards and committees. Our City Council needs a few more members just like him.

If asked, I’m saying that I am not voting for Donald Trump, based on an online item that I agree with. What I will be voting for is everything that he stands for:

• Secure borders, legal immigration and a stop to all drug trafficking.
• Law and order that does not pander to criminals attacking police officers in the performance of their duties.
• All lives matter, not just black, white, brown, blue or other colors.
• A strong military that avoids involvement in foreign conflicts.
• An America that honors its history, veterans, National Anthem and flag versus honoring scumbag, traitor, kneeling professional athletes.
• Supreme Court Justices who adhere to the Constitution and Bill of Rights, especially freedom of speech, religion and the right to bear arms.
• A strong economy and stock market built on good-paying jobs and products made in America.

These are my beliefs, based on common sense and The Golden Rule. I will not waste my vote on those who believe in a Socialist society wherein everyone benefits from handouts and sitting on their ass versus those who get paid for doing honest, hard work for a living.

Finally, I want to express sincere appreciation to the individual(s) who invented the TV remote control. Only a masochist would sit through the current, constant barrage of political commercials lasting three-plus minutes every ten minutes. CLICK.

That money would be better spent on print ads, which offer a bigger bang for the buck and cannot be CLICKED off.

Things to ponder:

• In a democracy your vote counts. In feudalism your count votes.
• Halloween item: That moment when you walk into a spider web suddenly turns you into a karate master.
• Don’t bother walking a mile in my shoes. That would be boring. Instead, spend 30 seconds in my head. That’ll freak you right out.
• The older I get, the earlier it gets late.
• My luck is like a bald guy who just won a comb.

publisher@beachcomber.news