Arnold: The Candidate Speaks

“It’s the most difficult [decision] I’ve made in my entire life, except the one I made in 1978 when I decided to get a bikini wax.”

–Arnold, on deciding to run for Governor

Good Cop Bad Cop

Any cops that happen to view this site: answer me a question, please?

What is the point of stopping someone, pedestrian or motorist, asking to see ID, then putting the ID in your pocket and sending the subject on their way?

Fully one-quarter of the clients at my agency who need assistance replacing their Cal ID need it because a uniformed officer asked to see it … then kept it. That’s $6 per ID, and the occasional $12 or $15 if we are able to assist with Driver License replacement (most of the time, we can’t – our funding can’t really support it). With the money we spend every single day replacing these ID’s – imagine how many other people could be assisted if we didn’t have to pay for someone else’s intimidation tactics.

I don’t get it. If they aren’t breaking the law & you’re not taking them in, why keep their ID?

Eenie-meenie-miney-moe, part deux: “Hey Moe!”

California Secretary of State – Elections Division – 2003 Statewide Special Election Certified List of Candidates

Feast your eyes, if you haven’t already (or do it again, if you’re so inclined). But click away if your eyes begin to bleed …

Gah.

I’m just so tempted to sell my house and move to Alaska. Do they have this sort of thing in Alaska?

The little frustrations that go with the job

One of the things my agency does is help people get their California ID card (occasionally, we help with driver’s licenses, too – but primarily the funding is for ID cards). If necessary, we help folks get their birth certificates if they need it to establish their identity with the state. You must have an ID Card. There’s just no way around it if you want a job or need social services.

Anyhoo …

Do you have ANY idea how FRUSTRATING it is to request a birth certificate from some states?

Here’s the situation: client is homeless & has no identification whatsoever. We send a request for a certified copy of their birth certificate to their state of birth & pay for it. For security purposes (presumably) many states require that the requestor prove who they are.

OK, I understand that … but really, isn’t the birth certificate itself the primary means for proving who we are to any government entity? How do we prove who we are if we don’t have the proof we need to prove who we are to get the proof?

Most states that require ‘proof’ want a photocopy of picture ID.

Gah.

Client is homeless, without income, has already slipped through a hundred cracks in the system, and NEEDS photo ID. But now they need to have a photo ID in order to get the proof they need to get a photo ID.

Again, gah.

You with me so far?

Some states don’t need a thing but parents’ names, date of birth, and a return address. Others demand ironclad proof of identity: the aforementioned photo ID, or worse … a notarized signature. FLORIDA, for one, requires both. How is a person who can’t pay for a $9 birth certificate supposed to come up with $10 for notary services? Seriously, now, is this a conspiracy to keep the poor as far out of the loop as possible?

Topping it off, states like Massachusetts & New York charge EXORBITANT fees for vital records. Doesn’t $28 seem a tad much for a birth certificate? It does to me. Especially when a state like New Jersey or Pennsylvania only charges $4. (Naturally, both NJ & PA nearly wipe out that kindness with their photo ID requirement. Gah, a third time.)

So …

Arizona, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, and ESPECIALLY Florida … you’re on my list.

So. Arnold’s in.

And Gary Coleman, too.

I think I can now safely say that I live in a banana republic.

Really, this whole thing is just so embarrassing. 2% or less of the voting population can overthrow the government. Just how stable *is* representative democracy, folks?

Eenie-meenie-minie-moe

‘Declared’ candidates to replace Davis in California Recall Special Election … ‘officially’ at 189, as of this moment. ‘Unofficially’, the number may be closer to 350. But let’s work with what we have, shall we?

Per the California Secretary of State website:

Information Last Updated On: 08/04/03, 4:00pm

189	Number of individuals for whom the Secretary of State’s office has received official notice from county elections officials that those individuals have obtained candidacy papers. This information is detailed by party in the chart below.

Party	Total	Pending	Completed
Democratic	67	67	0
Republican	62	62	0
American Independent	0	0	0
Green	5	5	0
Libertarian	4	4	0
Natural Law	0	0	0
Peace and Freedom	2	2	0
Independent	49	49	0
Total	189	189	0

155	Number of persons for whom the Secretary of State’s office has received unofficial information from county election officials.

344	Total (official and unofficial)

Most appealing candidate? Larry Flynt! What’s a conscientious voter to do?

You know who I miss?

Andrew Edwards.

Anyone heard from him lately?

New digs for Body & Soul

Ooooh, check out Jeanne’s pretty new site. Very nice!

New digs for Body & Soul

Ooooh, check out Jeanne’s pretty new site. Very nice!