Pat Orr
For the Apple Valley Review

Last week we celebrated Memorial Day which is to remember and honor those who have given their lives in the service of this country. The concept of dying to keep one’s neighbors free is uniquely an American concept that we have practiced since the American Revolution.
The one part of our system that we get to control, who represents us to manage the government which we created, is a free election. That is your role today.
If you haven’t voted by mail already then do so in person today. If you do not vote, you have no right to complain about anything the government does or does not do for you or to you.
If you leave it up to someone else, or discharge this duty lightly, you have no recourse but to take whatever you get — and like it.

An alternative that may lead to something

I have heard the same refrain over and over: “I don’t want to vote for Hillary or Trump!”
Well, believe it or not, there is an alternative that may actually someday lead to a viable third party in America. This is not an endorsement, just information for your use.
The Libertarian Party Convention has selected two former governors as their 2016 Presidential “ticket,” former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson for the top spot and former Massachusetts Governor William Weld for Vice-President.
If the Libertarian Party nationwide gets up to 15 percent support (today they hover around 10 to 12 percent in many polls) in five national opinion polls, their candidates get to participate in the round of presidential debates.
Does this mean they can win? Well, no, but it gives them a fighting chance to gain a credible foothold and become a third party alternative.
Due to the widespread dissatisfaction in both major parties with their nominees, it is likely the Libertarians will benefit from wandering voters left without a candidate and tally enough votes to be a factor in future races. That could mean more serious, higher-caliber Libertarian candidates in 2020 and another choice for the old anti-big government constitutional conservative voter to land.
If you absolutely positively can’t vote for Hill or Don, you could consider going Libertarian and give that party a larger future role in national politics.

The evolution of Governor Sunspot

We never thought we would see our beloved Governor seek financial restraint from his fellow Democrats, so the news that he is asking them to rein in spending and save more to offset revenue decreases in a potential recession he is predicting is heartwarming.
Except for his desire to continue wasting big bucks on his “train to nowhere,” it is a new and seemingly thrifty Jerry Brown emerging in his final years in office.
Naturally, the Democrats in the Legislature want to hear none of it and have big plans to spend 140 percent of the state surplus on new “investments” like welfare programs and boondoggle projects around the state to benefit their union contributors.
Since the Governor has no one he has to make happy since he won’t be running again, he can play hardball if the Legislature gets too far out of his comfort zone in new spending. Brown predicts just a slight recession could reduce state revenue, which is heavily dependent on capital gains and income taxes, $55 billion in one year which would wipe out his measly $8.9 billion “rainy day fund.”
He would like the Legislature to agree to bump up the rainy day fund by at least double if not triple in the next two years. That seems like a pipe dream, but what the heck, wishes are free.
His budget needs to be adopted June 15, so watch the fireworks begin.

The bad governor is still in there too

Just when the Governor appears to have grown into a fiscally responsible older adult, he pushes a new ballot initiative (coming in November) to release more violent felons on parole.
The District Attorney’s Association, which already successfully sued to stop Sunspot from slipping this provision into a juvenile crime bill earlier in the year, is adamantly opposed to the new proposed law because they say it is written in such “murky language” that the definition of who has been convicted of a “violent felony” could be limited to those only convicted of murder.
The governor is determined to keep emptying the state’s prisons both to save money and to avoid the wrath of a federal court order because of jail overcrowding. It's clear from Brown’s comment that he will do “whatever it takes to get this done,” extending to bribery with state funds.
When it appeared his initiative wasn’t going to get the proper amount of signatures, he signed a law whipped up quickly that allowed local election officials to keep processing ballot initiative signatures until May 20 — past the original deadline. As incentive, he sent along what has been described as a “wad of cash” to Registrars of Voters to help pay for the extra labor costs of extending the verification period.
The extension allowed him to gather an extra million signatures. It’s good to be the Governor.

— Pat Orr is a local business owner, community volunteer and political junkie.