I hate politics

I have done my civic duty today, that is assuming I make it to a mailbox or ballot drop off site in the next couple of days. But it was a vexing task. As usual, Oregon likes to put every decision into a measure for the people to decide. Unfortunately, it seems that any fool with an agenda and some cash to spend can get an item on the ballot. And the problem is made worse when it is the state legislature that crafts shortsighted and ultimately unfair legislation. The specifics: It seems that if you care about uninsured children's health care, you have to vote yes for Measure 50 which both changes the state constitution and unfairly places the sizable burden on the backs of smokers with a hefty tobacco tax increase. Not only is it a cheap and easy way for the lawmakers to round up some money (everyone hates smokers, except for smokers), if it passes it will effectively put tax code into the constitution which as far as I can tell isn't the document's purpose. Basically, as Dave (my very own political pundit) points out, it is a cop out since the Democrats were not able to muster enough political support for the initial bill and thus sought out the amendment initiative which requires less support--only a majority of the vote versus 2/3 percent in both houses. I see his point but am definitely more focused on the end results than how they got there. In the end, I decided this stunt is no more different than any of the other bills with unrelated add ons. And ultimately, if it means less people smoke and children are insured, I'll live with the consequences of a slightly more unwieldy constitution and a heavier burden on those that choose to continue to smoke.