June 6 is election day and your vote is definitely needed for Yes on 81 and 82 and for Sarah Knopp for School Superintendent. All 3 races effectively involve education, crucial to the future of any society.
Sarah Knopp, whose website is
http://www.sarah4super.org, is a Green Party member and a socialist running for the non-partisan position of State School Superintendent, against that good Democrat incumbent, Jack O'Connell, who proudly announces that he was an author of the infamous high school exit exam, a vicious attack on the workingclass, which most adults could not pass as most of us never use algebra and have long forgotten algebra. There are a wide variety of problems in the schools which Knopp addresses but the incumbent O'Connell fails to address: All he has is the vicious racket known as the high school exit exam.
As to Props 81 and 82: It is too bad that Prop 81 is a bond for libraries; the money should come from the general fund, but we need the libraries. Prop 82 is taxing the rich for pre-school, something the state legislature is supposed to do with the progressive income tax but the Democrat-Republicans sitting there are beholden to the rich as they are the twin parties of capitalism, so we have to pass Prop 82. It is barely passing because most voters are not workingclass. Thus, it is imperative that you vote and that you vote yes on Prop 82. In fact, education should be free, public, mandatory and top quality for ages 3 through 17, and free, public and top quality through university, and school should consist of three 15 week sessions, each session being a semester, and one should advance simply by receiving at least a C in a given couse, or for those ages 3 to 10, at least a C for the entire session. That way everyone can advance at their own pace, and if one fails one subject, one can stlil advance in the other subjects. There should be no standardized testing for any reason whatsoever. These tests are money making rackets for the testing companies and excuses to destroy the public schools on the part of the anti-labor capitalist class and its twin parties, the Democrat-Republicans.
The anti-death penalty, pro peace parties, namely the Peace & Freedom and Green Parties, are the only progressive parties. Please read your California voter handbook, page 46, for these parties' statements. Their websites are
http://www.peaceandfreedom2006.org and
http://www.cagreens.org Both of these parties have a full slate of statewide candidates, including attorney general. We will most likely see Jerry Brown as the Democrats' attorney general candidate, running on an anti-death penalty platform and claiming to be some kind of liberal. The fact is, Jerry Brown is extremely reactionary, and proved to be so as mayor of Oakland, his current position, where he supported opening a military charter school and viciously attacked tenants in his efforts to gentrify Oakland. That is why it is always best to NEVER vote for any Democrat or Republican for any level of office.
Be sure to vote June 6, and vote Yes on 81 & 82 and Sarah Knopp for School Superintendent.