re: #713 ipsos

The third one (actually question #2) lets the state legislature review bills electronically instead of killing trees to print drafts of bills. It’s a good measure and I voted yes.

Question #3, the school technology one, is awful. It throws a bunch of money at school districts that never asked for it and don’t know what to do with it, and it saddles them with ongoing maintenance and support costs that aren’t funded. I voted very strongly no on that puppy.

Question #1 was the tough call. We desperately need redistricting reform in NY State, but this bill isn’t a very good stab at the problem. It leaves too much power in the hands of the legislature. I still voted yes, but reluctantly.

Oh, and the “Women’s Equality Party” is a line created by Andrew Cuomo as a veiled F-U to the real progressive party in the state, Working Families, after WFP extracted some weak concessions from him in exchange for their cross-endorsement. I hope “Women’s Equality” doesn’t drag too many votes off the WFP line this year. (In New York, the governor’s race determines ballot line placement for the next four years. 50,000 votes on a party line in the race guarantees that party a ballot spot. The more votes a party gets, the higher up it appears on the ballot. I voted very grudgingly for Cuomo, because Astorino is so awful, but I did it on the WFP line so they’ll get the vote.)

Cuomo’s father was more progressive wasn’t he? Don’t know too much about him.