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Nov. 5th, 2008 04:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
highlyeccentricOver on my other blog, I asked what the fly in the ointment is. It's one thing to have the leader you want, but have you got the division in the House? The Senate? Who's got the balance of power? Last year, our House of Reps went to the Labour Party, but the Senate was and remains a hung senate with power in the hands of Nick Xenophon, an anti-gambling campaigner in favour of internet censorship, and Stephen Fielding, the senator for Family First, our local religious whackjobs.
So tell me, Americans, because I don't understand how your system of government works: how's the election shaping up? What's the government of America going to look like next year?
~
And if you look over here there are a lot of topical issues on the ballots in different states. Thus far, it looks like Arizona has voted against gay marriage and the hiring of illegal immigrants; Arkansas voted against adoption rights for gay couples; the much-discussed Prop 8 is veering to the Yes side and California's proposal for abortion limits is running close; Colorado may end Affirmative Action but apparently have voted that human life does not start from the moment of conception; Florida's ban on gay marriage will probably go through; Maryland are permitting video lotteries (WTF? someone explain please?); Mass. have done something with income tax; Michigan are allowing medical marijuana and the vote on stem cell research has been wavering back and forth; Nebraska IS ending Affirmative Action; South Dakota are NOT limiting abortion and Washington ARE permitting doctor-assisted suicide.
These things matter. These things obviously matter IN the states, but they matter outside of them too. US laws on gay marriage, on abortion, even on taxes, get pulled out and discussed and held up as examples or warnings all over the place.
In honour of Arizona, California and Florida, I declare Vienna Teng:
So tell me, Americans, because I don't understand how your system of government works: how's the election shaping up? What's the government of America going to look like next year?
~
And if you look over here there are a lot of topical issues on the ballots in different states. Thus far, it looks like Arizona has voted against gay marriage and the hiring of illegal immigrants; Arkansas voted against adoption rights for gay couples; the much-discussed Prop 8 is veering to the Yes side and California's proposal for abortion limits is running close; Colorado may end Affirmative Action but apparently have voted that human life does not start from the moment of conception; Florida's ban on gay marriage will probably go through; Maryland are permitting video lotteries (WTF? someone explain please?); Mass. have done something with income tax; Michigan are allowing medical marijuana and the vote on stem cell research has been wavering back and forth; Nebraska IS ending Affirmative Action; South Dakota are NOT limiting abortion and Washington ARE permitting doctor-assisted suicide.
These things matter. These things obviously matter IN the states, but they matter outside of them too. US laws on gay marriage, on abortion, even on taxes, get pulled out and discussed and held up as examples or warnings all over the place.
In honour of Arizona, California and Florida, I declare Vienna Teng: