After going though the 22(!!) local ballot proposals put before San Francisco voters this November, I have pretty much made my decisions except for one: Moving the elections for Mayor, District Attorney other city-wide offices to even-numbered years.
On one side of the ledger, it will increase participation and save the city the costs of holding elections in odd numbered years. On the other hand, it can be argued that the issues before the city are so important that we should avoid the distractions that are naturally caused by presidential and gubernatorial races. All these arguments are valid and I thought I would open up this diary to discussion among fellow San Franciscans and others who may hold their local elections during even-numbered years.
With Al Gore's soaring speech last month calling for an America powered with electricity from 100% renewable sources, a stirring vision comes to mind of a Can Do America, an America that looks at the seemingly impossible and says "why not?"
Interesting. McCain will be scooping up campaign cash in scaaaaaary San Francisco.
Remember this?
So does this mean John McCain is now celebrating "San Francisco values"? It wouldn't be a bad thing, you know. As I wrote nearly two years ago:
But let's talk about "San Francisco values", you know -- tolerance, entrepreneurship, and creativity.
Since O'Reilly boycotts everything he hates, I look forward to his boycott of all Bay Area-origin products. Same with every conservative who bashes San Francisco and the Bay Area. So no iPods or anything Apple. No HP computers. No Google. No Yahoo. No eBay. Those conservative bloggers using Blogspot, MovableType, or TypePad? Sorry. Those products are Bay Area-based.
Also no Adobe or Macromedia products. No computers, either, since most run on AMD or Intel. No tax preparation using Intuit products. Cancel your Netflix subscription. Cancel your TiVo subscription. Remove your Network Associates or Symantec virus protection software from your computer. Unplug your Netgear wifi router.
Don't wear Levis (or any kind of jeans), Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, or buy your kids Gymboree. Avoid LeapFrog learning toys. Boycott Pixar movies. Boycott any movie using George Lucas' ILM special effects shop. Stay away from Treos and other Palm devices. Don't let Charles Schwab manage your portfolio. Don't bank at Wells Fargo.
Yeah, those "San Francisco values" sure are dragging the region down. Making it weak as it falls behind the rest of the country -- the parts that don't share "San Francisco values" -- economically and socially.
Or, maybe -- just maybe -- it's made the region a magnet for the world's smartest, most innovative, most entrepreneurial individuals and an incubator of the world's most dramatic technological advances.
In the subsequent two years, Silicon Valley is now ground zero for the funding and creation of a new generation of green businesses. There's a reason Al Gore is a partner at one of the region's top Venture Capital firms.
Nancy Pelosi has her own version of what "San Francisco Values" means:
"San Francisco values to me means that every child in our city has health insurance until they are 25 years old. San Francisco values say we don't have a minimum wage, we have a living wage. In San Francisco we respect the dignity and worth of every person and respect is the order of the day there. Issues like protecting the environment aren't issues for us -- they are values and ethics.
"I think they highlight them because they are the forces that are fighting health insurance for our children... they are the forces that are fighting increases in the minimum wage. So when they sort of use their winks and nods about San Francisco values, they are talking about the fact that we respect our gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. But what they are really afraid of is economic justice.
It wouldn't be a bad thing for McCain to celebrate "San Francisco Values". Our nation would be better off in the process. There's a reason why the Bay Area and other tolerant regions of the country (like NYC, Chicago, Boston, NoVa, NC's Research Triangle) are booming while much of the rest of the country lags behind. Pelosi focuses on economic justice, I focus on entrepreneurship, tolerance, and creativity. All of these are San Francisco values that have helped drive the region's economy to one of the strongest in the nation while literally changing our culture for the better -- first with the invention of the PC, now with the surge of green innovations that will hopefully help save our planet.
But forget all of this, because for the GOP, it's just another enemy to hate, to go along with their demonization of African Americans, Latinos, civil libertarians, immigrants, Muslims, residents of Massachusetts, working women, anyone who has sex, Hollywood, and foreigners. Sure, it has alienated entire chunks of the country and promises electoral calamity in the mid-term, but they're desperately hoping it pulls their asses from the fire one last election.
Meanwhile, McCain visits San Francisco like the hypocrite that he is. But to his credit, he's computer illiterate. So perhaps, if nothing else, that's one result of "San Francisco values" he can continue boycotting.
I recently blogged on who and what is Progressive Future, and why and where you could get more information, contribute to the cause, or even consider working for it. Since then the diary has been rescued, and lively debate has ensued. So, we've had some fun, and you might still want to check that out.
This diary is something of an update to that one. If you'll follow me under the fold, you can find out where today's canvas team is in San Francisco, where else Progressive Future is currently canvassing in the USA, and where to watch for more information and good times-- directly from Progressive Future!
However it best works for you, don't miss these chances for getting involved in taking our netroots-type organizing offline, and into the heart of America's neighborhoods!
You know that the right has done an incredible job of framing issues when you look at what they've done with the perception of San Francisco. If the city was located in a red state, they would be singing its praises to no end. Because San Francisco and the Bay Area in general, my friends, sparked the greatest economic engine the world has seen since the industrial revolution.
As President George Bush has steadily rolled back environmental protections – his shocking commitment to open up our beautiful coastlines to offshore drilling is only the latest outrage – the responsibility to protect our environment has fallen to cities, states and many dedicated individuals.
San Francisco is one of the greenest cities in the country today because we did not wait for Washington. We are taking action now to green our environment and our economy from the ground up. But we are making so much progress because we are working with so many talented people.
You would think that, for a political junkie like me, San Francisco would be heaven, and it really is. However, it can also be a curse. When I lived in Michigan, it was very easy to keep up with the political scene. National, state and county races were held during even-numbered years, local elections during odd-numbered years and school board races were decided during the summer. County races, at least in Wayne County, were typically quiet. But now I live in San Francisco.
I am sure you’ve heard about the effort in San Francisco to name the biggest sewer in the city George W Bush Sewage Plant. They will vote for it in November, no kidding.
It may sound like a student prank, but the proposal is almost certain to be passed. Democrats usually secure between 70 and 80 per cent of the vote in San Francisco – and in 2006 passed a proposition to impeach Mr. Bush and his Vice-President Dick Cheney by a majority of almost two to one.
I hope there will be similar efforts in other cities where regulations permit and there’s strong Democratic support and enough votes anticipated to pass such propositions.
I saw this in today's San Francisco Chronicle. A local political theater group has collected enough signatures to put a measure on the ballot renaming the SF sewage plant after the beloved soon-to-be-ex-president.
All it cost them was the time to gather the signatures, which apparently was easy, and the fiscal impact is no more than repainting the current sign.
The local GOP has promised (in the article) to spend whatever it takes to defeat the measure.
Real Komedy Gold in the comments, so don't pass them up.
Tired of being asked for money by campaigns...take a little break to help out a fellow blogger, a foodie community and farmers being affected by the floods.
I'm just home after a long day and a long drive home, but can't wait to get up at least a bit of information on a truly inspiring event.
This week, at San Francisco's Moscone Center, AHIP - America's Health Insurance Plans - are having their annual meeting. Today, a coalition led by the California Nurses Association gave them an appropriate greeting.
It was an event that made me proud to be a nurse, proud to be a member of my union and hopeful for the future.
No doubt others will do a better job of telling the story and add some visuals I don't have immediate access to. But until they do, I wanted to get this up.
