Picture by cjc4454 under Creative Commons

Now that that exuberance and the excitement of the Presidential elections are over, it is tempting to sit back and relax for the next 4 years. As Californians however, we cannot be unaware that the state is going through a tremendous financial crisis. Even though a messy budget was hammered out by the Californian legislature in February, cracks in the system are already evident with loss of revenues already increasing the budget deficit.

Governor Schwartzenegger is proposing a few stopgap measures to ease the problem. Unfortunately, the way the state’s Constitution is framed, a lot of the changes cannot be made without the support of voters. We may be apathetic to the changes being proposed out of Sacramento, but these changes impact our lives in a very real and immediate way.

Take a few minutes to go over the Propositions on the ballot and if you have a vote, go and exercise it tomorrow. Whether you have kids in school or a family member in need of mental health services, or you are just a resident of California, thse measures will make a difference in your life.  Take the time to read up and go do your civic duty. If nothing else, it gives you the right to complain about how your government is not working for you.

Read here for a short explanation of the various propositions and my recommendations. If you have an opinion on any one of them, add them to the comments. Any light that can be shed on our confusing political process is welcome.