WASSUP 2008

The really cool thing about this video is that those are the original actors ...

An Average Look at the CA Propositions

Well, I'm sure by now we're all settled (or even entrenched) in our votes for President, Senator, Congressperson, etc. However, most of the state and local propositions were a little less well known to me when The Average Man finally sat down to fill out the ol' absentee ballot. So I took a look through the recommendations from several trusted sources and, for the most part, averaged 'em out.

They are:
Santa Barbara Independent
Los Angeles Times
League of Women Voters
Democratic Party of Santa Barbara
Click any of those links for details on their recommendations.

STATE MEASURES:

Prop 1A: High Speed Rail
Independent: Yes
LA Times: Yes
LWV: Yes
SB Dems: Yes
Average Man: Yes

Prop 2: Farm Animal Cruelty
Independent: Yes
LA Times: No
SB Dems: Yes
Average Man: Yes. LA Times says agriculture will move out of CA to avoid it, but that doesn't seem likely. Plus, it's just the right thing to do.

Prop 3: Childrens Hospital Bond
Independent: Yes
LA Times: Yes
LWV: Yes
SB Dems: Yes
Average Man: Yes

Prop 4: Parental notification before abortion
Independent: No
LA Times: No
LWV: No
SB Dems: No
Average Man: No

Prop 5: Nonviolent Drug Offenses.
Independent: Yes
LA Times: No
LWV: Yes
SB Dems: Yes
Average Man: Yes. Has its faults, but a step in the right direction towards treating drug use as a medical rather than criminal issue.

Prop 6: Mandatory Prison Sentencing
Independent: No
LA Times: No
LWV: No
SB Dems: No
Average Man: No. Costs billions, puts more people in jail. Enough, already.

Prop 7: Renewable Energy
Independent: Yes
LA Times: No
LWV: No
SB Dems: Yes
Average Man: A tricky one. I'm 100% behind the idea, but not sure how well this will actually work. Figuring it might fail, voted yes to show support.

Prop 8: Prohibit Same-Sex Marriage
Independent: No
LA Times: No
LWV: No
SB Dems: No
Average Man: Absolutely NO. WTF is wrong with people that care who marries who? This looks like a cruel (and obscenely well-funded) attempt to get conservatives to the polls when they know their boy McCain doesn't stand a chance in CA.

Prop 9: Victims Rights
Independent: No
LA Times: No
LWV: No
SB Dems: No
Average Man: No. Not that I really understand the details, but it would apparently would give families of crime victims more say in the justice system. Revenge does not equal justice. Let the laws do the job.

Prop 10: Alternative Fuel Vehicles
Independent: No
LA Times: No
LWV: No
SB Dems: Neutral
Average Man: No. This one's definitely a scam. It's largely funded by oilman T. Boone Pickens, who wants cars to run on natural gas, which he apparently has a ton of. Let him pay for his own pipelines and fueling stations.

Prop 11: Redistricting Reform
Independent: Yes
LA Times: Yes
LWV: Yes
SB Dems: No
Average Man: Yes. Makes redistricting non-partisan. Makes sense that the party opposes it, but it's the fair way to handle it.

Prop 12: Bond to Help Vets Purchase Homes
Independent: Yes
LA Times: Yes
SB Dems: Yes
Average Man: Yes. Times calls it "the best deal on the ballot" since the money is paid back. And regardless, it's the least we can do.

LOCAL MEASURES:

Measure A: Road Repair & Safety
Independent: Yes
LWV: Yes
SB Dems: Yes
Average Man: Yes. Another no-brainer.

Measure G: Utility Fees
Independent: Yes
SB Dems: Yes
Average Man: Yes. Continues an existing tax on phone bills that goes towards roads, police and firefighters.

Measures H & I: Property Tax for Schools
Independent: Yes
LWV: Yes
SB Dems: Yes
Average Man: Yes. 50 bucks a year to our struggling public schools? You got it.

There you go! Hope it helps.

PALIN AS PRESIDENT

A few people sent me this link today. If you want a way too much fun way to (shudder) visualize Sarah Palin in the Oval Office, this is a must see!

A few simple instructions:

Run your mouse over things.
Click when you see the arrow turn into a hand.
Click on the spinning globe for different responses to different points on the map.
Open the windows, doors, and desk cabinets.
All sorts of fun to be found!

Protest Wendy McCaw with your dollars

The Exceptional Wife and I went and caught Citizen McCaw again last night at the Fiesta. Still an excellent chronicle of what went down two years ago (and continues to do down) with our local paper. And made even better with some streamlining of footage, and new info. If you can't get out to see it this weekend, pick up the DVD from their website for $20 -- these brave guys are thousands in the hole from making the movie, and every bit helps.

After the flick, the union was passing out flyers that list the local shops that still advertise with the NP (as of 10/8/08):

DOWNTOWN:
Santa Barbara Athletic Club
Hayward's
Enterprise Fish Co
Santa Cruz Market
Churchill Jewlers
Esau's Cafe
Mountain Air Sports
Lazy Acres
Home Improvement Center
Cabana Home
Santa Barbara Eyeglass Factory
One World Imports
Rugs and More/Antica Furnishings

UPPER STATE/DE LA VINA
Chuck's Restaurant
Tremblay Financial
Hot Springs Spa & Patio
Holser and Bailey

AUTO DEALERS
SB Chrysler Jeep
SB Nissan
SB Volkswagen
Graham Chevrolet
Hughes Auto

MONTECITO
Silverhorn
Fillippinis Financial Group

So if you shop at one of these places (and support the fired reporters), ask to talk to the manager, and let 'em know how you feel. Personally, I won't shop at any advertiser that supports this newspaper (or read the paper myself) until Wendy McCaw recognizes the union, as she is obliged to do by law and has been ordered to do by the court, and agrees to keep her opinions away from the news reporting.

Banking away from WAMU

The Average Man got his very first bank account at WAMU, way back when it was GW. Since moving to SB, I've often contemplated moving to a smaller, local bank, but with no specific complaints, also never found a reason or the time to actually do it.

But with the collapse of WAMU and buyout by JPMorganChase™®©, now seems like the time. While the Average balances are way under the $100K FDIC insurance limit, WAMU's sub-prime scamming pisses me off, and besides, bigger is hardly ever better when it comes to customer service. So the Average checking and savings are gonna go local.

Unfortunately, I have no clue which one to choose. Santa Barbara Bank & Trust seems to have a lot of branches around, and hey, it's got Santa Barbara in the name. But yesterday I saw an ad for Montecito B&T that says they don't charge for ATM use anywhere, which would be nice. And now that I've been looking around, I see others, like Community West, Mid-State and Los Padres.

So I need your help -- if you use a locally owned bank, how do you like it? Are the locations convenient? If you've had a problem, how's the customer service? How's the online banking? Any other reasons to choose one over another? Thanks in advance!

On another subject, the Average Man needs no help choosing his new favorite restaurant: SLY'S in downtown Carp. The Exceptional Wife and I shared dinner there last week and it was PHENOMENAL! There's nothing super fancy on the menu, just comfort foods. But everything was made with quality ingredients and what seemed like incredible attention to detail. The onion strings were impossibly light and crispy, the filet mignon chili nice and spicy (but not too hot), and the scalloped potatoes 'n' cheese was nothing short of love in a dish. After we split two unbelievable desserts, I felt like I might explode, but man was it worth it. Mmmm mmm mmm!

On second thought, forget the bank, we're just gonna spend all our money there.

VOTE YES ON PROP 2!

Just because we eat'm, doesn't mean we have to be cruel ...