One of my favorite movie lines – because it made me think – was in “Chariots of Fire,” a 1981 film about the true story of two British track athletes, one a determined Jew, and the other a devout Christian, who compete in the 1924 Olympics. The film was the winner of four Academy Awards including best picture. Harold Abrahams is afraid he can’t beat Eric Liddell. He tells his girlfriend, “If I can’t win, I won’t run!” She aptly observes, “If you don’t run, you can’t win.”
Too bad Republicans (and a good number of Independents) in CA don’t have wise and discerning girlfriends. I have witnessed several elections over the years where the margin of victory by which the Democrat won was the exact number associated with conservatives who didn’t vote because they thought they could not win. It is a very perverse and disastrous self-fulfilling prophecy to lose because you don’t think you can win when the only thing you had to do to prove yourself wrong was to vote.
I am often asked, “What can I do to make a difference”? The simplest thing is to get involved and recruit other “unbelievers” to do the same. Today I will outline three things you can do.
The First Thing You Can Do is VOTE
Proposition 50 is before voters, and it is as important as it is devious. The fake excuse to redistrict California mid-census has to do with Texas doing the same. But Texas redistricted because it was found to be in violation of the laws pertaining to how districts can be drawn in light of the Voting Rights Act. Regardless, Texas had a legitimate reason to redistrict, while Gavin Newsom’s Prop. 50 is nothing less than a raw power grab.
What is at stake?
The elimination of all but three Congressional seats held by Republicans in California. The goal? Shift the balance of power in the House back to Democrats to stonewall the Trump agenda. What to do?
VOTE!
And urge everyone you know to vote NO on Prop. 50. The deadline to vote is this coming Tuesday, November 4. Prop 50 suspends California’s Citizen’s Redistricting commission for purely partisan purposes.
Don’t let Newsom get away with it.
The Second Thing
Speaking of voting. One of the things the corrupt Democrat political machine relies upon to win in California is various types of election machinations ripe for fraud. This would include so-called “ballot harvesting,” which allows bundlers to drop off hundreds of ballots gathered under, at best, suspicious circumstances. The cure? The requirement to vote in person and show a government-approved ID to do so. The proposed Voter ID ballot measure, if approved by voters, would become a state Constitutional Amendment that would require citizenship verification for all voter registrations and government-issued ID for casting a ballot in an election. But, before voters get a chance to approve this measure, we need your help to get it on the ballot. That means organizers must get enough signatures to get the measure before voters. Please visit the following website to download the petition and urge your family and friends throughout the state of CA to do the same: https://www.reformcalifornia.org/cavoterid/sign-the-petition
The Third Thing
The next issue that needs your immediate attention is an effort by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayer’s Association to shore up Prop. 13. The passage of Prop 13 was a seminal event in our tax-and-spend state back in the 1970s. Prop. 13 accomplished several things for taxpayers. First, it capped the rise of property tax from year to year. This was so essential to property owners who were losing their homes that they owned outright, because the meteoric rise in property taxes was literally taxing them out of their homes. The second provision of Prop 13 required a two-thirds vote to raise local taxes. Well, to make a long story short, our politicians and our courts have been whittling away at these protections and the HJTA would like to shore up and bullet-proof Prop. 13.
This is another instance where we need your help to qualify this measure for the ballot by downloading a petition, signing it, and mailing it right now, today! You can find this petition at the following website: https://www.hjta.org/saveprop13/
In conclusion, I recently spoke at a church about Charlie Kirk and what his life and death represented about America. In essence, Americans have two birthrights. The first as believers in God, in general, the second as Americans whose founding DNA recognized that our divine rights come from God, not government. The question before those who will not stand up for truth, justice, and the American way as Charlie Kirk did, is why have you sold or squandered your birthright?
If you are interested in hearing more, click below:
Andy Caldwell, Executive Director, COLAB
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Thank you, Andy. This needs to be said: we have self-inflicted voter suppression happening. People fall into two groups, one of which you mentioned in the article.
1. My vote doesn't matter - voter no shows (Over 20k registered, over 100k non-registered)
2. The voting system is rigged, so the only time to vote is in person on election day - not helpful for low propensity voters.
#2, since you already hit #1. Of the Rep-Plus voters (both R's and Independents that have voted for R's), there are over 35k low propensity voters in SB County alone. Ventura and SLO follow the same trend. Telling people who are already prone to not getting their ballot in to wait until the final day to take the test means many won't show. It also places an impossible strain on the party tracking voters to get them in.
Yes, we have a problem with the voting system. But insisting on playing checkers because of that, while the other side plays chess, makes no sense. There is a difference between outspoken fixing of the voter integrity issue (the process) and an ongoing election (voting). Don't conflate the two. If you can't understand that 30 days gives an advantage over a single day in the game we are given, then you shouldn't be giving voting advice. Just do you. You are not the problem as a high propensity voter, but your "rigged system" voice during elections suppresses low propensity voters - the data is clear. Again, just do you.
Bottom line: Promote voting early and track your ballot until you see it counted, even if you're an adamant in-person voter. If I get kidney stones on election day, I'm going to the hospital for relief, not the ballot box. Accidents and life happen. Use any of the available 30 days to take your test - because the other side is doing this and proactively ballot harvesting the entire time.
Ballot tracker (takes 30 seconds and you can sign up for automatic notifications): https://california.ballottrax.net/voter
P.S. My Prop 50 ballot was kicked back after I submitted early. I had to cure it. Did yours make it in? You should check the tracker!
Thank you Andy for continuing to sound the alarm. We see the ongoing charade that Dems are perpetuating to the tune of $200 million in special elections costs. What an outrage, all while the state is going broke! It goes to show how desperate they are.
I believe present polling showing Prop 50 passage. Anyone surprised?
Meanwhile, our federal government remains closed due to the Democrat dumpster fire. Soon, air travel will be not possible due to this shutdown. It should be clear to all that the Democratic thug leadership wants to take down the Trump administration, destroying our economy in the process.
How can anyone, especially SENIOR CITIZENS, support this lawlessness, all planned, organized and implemented by our DEMOCRATIC ELECTED OFFICIALS and the Unions which controls them.
Message to Seniors: Stupid is as stupid does!
https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/prop-50-polling-support-explained-21129768.php