I have a real problem

[Scairp]

My husband, a British citizen in this country for some 20+ years, is really pressuring me to vote for Schwartzeneggger in the upcoming California recall election. I have never in the past, well, MANY years since I was able to vote, voted anything other than Democrat. His arguement is that electing a Democrat will personally cost us a great deal of money, including the car tax and higher taxes for those who make more than $75,000 per year, which he does. Arnold has promised to repeal the car tax, and I also assume that he would go after the very wealthy in California for higher taxes and not those of us in the middle class. My husband says that a vote against the recall and for Bustamonte is endangering our future because it could be very difficult for his company to both stay in business and to keep him because he has one of the highest salaries in the CA part of this international company. I am so torn I don't know what to do. I want to remain loyal to the party but doing so seems to be putting my family at financial risk. Does someone smarter than me have any words of wisdom or advise to give? I am willing to listen to anything anyone has to say.

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. Vote what you feel is right

by the way regardless of who is elected those taxes
will have to remain.

Also the car tax was actually a provision in the bill... if
income went down by a certain percentage teh tax was going to
go up, regardless.

What I say is... vote the way you feel, and with your conscience.

[dobak]

2. depends

What do you value more:

$$$ or Your Values


sorry if it sounds harsh

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

3. Where is he getting that information?

Has he proven it to you?

Arnold will repeal the car tax? Where will he make up that money from? His wealthy donors? Schools? Hospitals? Law Enforcement?

Davis WANTS to repeal the car tax. It was LAST remedy when Republicans objected to a minor temporary increase in the sales tax which affects the poor by pennies, given how little they buy but increases the cost of a $100,000 car.

I don't know what your husband's company does, but it sounds like tech. The tech market is recovering in California and since Republicans favor farming out more work and outsourcing, I don't see how that bolsters his argument.

I see your husband spreading alot of fear void of information.

Arnold also met with Ken Lay and Richard Riordan....the story is here in an attempt to try to stifle the investigation into how Enron manipulated energy in the state.

Arnold's Enron Connection
—By Jason Leopold, Utne.com

http://www.utne.com/web_special/web_specials_2003-08/articles/10757-1.html

So unless yout husband is in the energy gouging business ( I REALLY DON'T MEAN THAT NASTY), in which case he might be right, I don't see his point

[Scairp]

8. Oh boy

I hear what each of you is saying, and my principles of being a liberal are very important to me, but so is being able to pay our bills and put food on the table. We don't live grandly. We rent a two bedroom apartment in a decent part of suburban Southern California. We have two cars, neither of which are what you could remotely call "luxury" cars. He believes that Arnold or McClintock will repeal the car tax and not increase taxes for the middle class. He says that Bustamonte will increase taxes for those of us who earn more than $75,000 per year. He is not in the tech business nor does he have anything to do with energy. He says a Democrat will adversely affect ordinary Californians. He despises Gray Davis and thinks he's been bad for our state. I should also add that he cannot vote as he is not an American citizen. But he has lived here for a long time as a productive member of society. He also a very intelligent person, having been educated at Cambridge (Great Britain). We are not screaming at each other over this but it is a source of tension at the moment as I have told him my intention is to vote Democrat. It's really hard to decide what to do.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

11. Look I'm not asking you to defend your life and I am in your income

category in a very general sense based on what you have said.

Again, the state currently has an 8 billion dollar deficit. If Arnold repeals the car tax, where will he cut? WIll the cut he makes cst you more elsewhere? Do you even know? Can he cut?

I really think your husband is basing that on pure speculation but do what you are going to do.

If your car tax goes down and your energy bills go up have you saved? One is a fixed cost, The other isn't making it MORE difficult to budget.

[nadinbrzezinski]

12. Does your hubby listen to

Right Wing Radio? I suspect he does. mamy in So Cal do,
because that is all there is.

They are spreadign a lot of misinformation. Find out
EXACTLY what is Arnie's platform, *good luck* and use that
to counter his arguments.

Also he has lived here for 20 years, time he becomes a
US Citizen, for MANY REASONS, including the USPA.

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

4. Your vote is not his business

It's immoral, unethical, and perhaps illegal for someone to pressure someone else to vote a certain way. Vote your conscience, and just don't reveal who you voted for to him. Since he's not even an American citizen, he doesn't even have a voice at all in the matter.

[SoCalDem]

5. two words

secret ballot

[Djinn]

7. Lie for marital harmony

Tell him you voted Arnie - how will he ever know, anyway who tells their partner everything?

I have the argument about voting for societies benefit versus voting for your own wallet's benefit each time an election. I personally think voting for your wallet is pretty short sighted, no-one is an island - if my govt promised to give me and my friends a million dollars but said to do so they would also have dismantle the welfare system I'd tell them to go jump - not much point in a million bucks if I have to live in a prison of my own construction because everybody else has been driven to crime.

It's obviously an unrealistic example but you really shouldn't vote with only your immeidate financial circumstances in mind. I would also be very surprised if the election of a Republican makes any difference at all to your husband's business - unless he's got turnovers in the billion range why would the repub's even notice him?

[DieboldMustDie]

6. If your husband wants to vote he should become a citizen.

[DemBones DemBones]

9. Life's uncertain -- you might vote for Arnold & have your husband's

fears come true anyway. . . My first thought is that I wouldn't trust Arnold with my financial future but you're the one actually voting in California so you need to investigate and see which candidate will protect your family's interests.

[sandnsea]

10. Vote for the stripper!!

That's what my 70 year old dad says, he's encouraging our family that is still in California and other family friends to vote for the stripper!

Cuz see, they just put this guy in there a couple of months ago, what the hell are they doing throwing him out for? And Arnold is a movie star for chrissake, not a Governor!!

Dad's just an old guy that never graduated from high school and couldn't read or write too well; but managed to raise 4 kids without ever taking a penny from the government except his social security. And I mean he never even took unemployment benefits.

So if my dumb old dad can figure out it's bullshit, I think your husband can too.

(You're welcome to use my story if you think it'll work!!!)

[VOX]

13. Will your husband admit that the Bush economy has sent many states...

Not just California, into the dumper? California isn't the only state with serious fiscal woes right now.

Is your husband aware that Prop. 13 (way back in 1978) is the root cause of many of California's money troubles? This "property taxpayers revolt" (which is now a sacred cow for "me-first" Californians) has hamstrung the California legislative process for decades -- to the point where most changes must occur with ballot initiatives.

Final question -- What would your husband be saying right now if this absurd recall (funded by the right wing) had never happened? Gray Davis would still have several years of his term ahead of him. Was your husband worried about going out of business before the recall signatures were gathered? Bustamonte aside, what if the recall is voted down? Is your personal economic situation still in jeopardy?

Sorry to seem cold, but if your husband -- still a British citizen after 20+ years here -- doesn't wish to become a U.S. citizen and participate in voting, it's not his right to tell you -- a U.S. citizen -- how to cast your vote. Frightening you with an erroneous picture of fiscal doom is, IMO, rather manipulative.

I can guarantee you that voting in Arnie will not make any appreciable difference in the state's overall economy and business climate. It will, however, make a big difference for the Republican fundraising machine as it gets under way for the 2004 national election.

[LuLu550]

14. I'm not a Californian but

you have to pay the piper one way or another. Here in New York, Gov. Pataki "held the line" on raising taxes, but all he did was shift the burden down to the local entities to pay the bill. So our state income tax did not go up but our property taxes and sales taxes went through the roof. This is the typical shell game the Repukes play with the average citizen.

[radwriter0555]

15. Remaining loyal to the democrats puts your family at risk? Tad EXTREME

doncha think?

Davis is a good man who is withstanding the GOP power grab.

Vote NO on the recall, and we won't HAVE to worry about bustamante.

A couple dollars on a car tax for your family making more than $75K isn't going to send your family to financial ruin. Get real. A bit of an over-reaction.

[dawg]

16. The Republicans tell people they can have their cake and eat it too ...

Everyone wants to believe that, including your husband. He's probably a very intelligent man who simply has not had or taken the time to inform himself about all of the details of the California budget problems - where additional revenues might be raised and where expenses might be cut.

The Republicans tell him that they can cut the car tax, not raise taxes on his income group, and balance the budget without major cuts in important programs like education. He wants to believe, so he does.

Remind him that George W. Bush promised that we could pay off the national debt by 2012, enact large tax cuts, fund private accounts for Social Security, provide a Medicare prescription drug benefit, and still have a large surplus leftover in case of any unforeseen emergencies.

And if that doesn't work, lie and tell him you voted for Arnold.

[Kamika]

17. Vote what YOU feel is right, not blindly dem OR rep

This is buggering me but Do not act like a repub, vote what you THINK is best for you and possibly not too destructive to the rest of the world.

Only sheep would vote Blindly for either dem or rep

[dawg]

18. baa baa baa!

Edited to add: If I were running for Congress as a Republican, I wouldn't even vote for myself!

[Skittles]

19. WTF ARE YOU AND YOUR HUSBAND TALKING ABOUT?????

THE G.D. REPUGS PUT CALIFORNIA IN THE FINANCIAL MESS THEY ARE IN. AND YOU THINK ELECTING A WOMANIZING PIECE OF SHIT REPUBLICAN WILL SOLVE THAT??? PULL YOUR G.D. HEAD OUT IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Bridget Burke]

20. If he makes all that money

but your family is on the edge of financial ruin, something is not right.

What do you really know about your family finances? Is he the only wage earner? Does he have any "outside" expenses you don't know about? What would you do if something happened to him? Or if he decided he wanted out? How would you (& your children?) fare?

You also need to educate yourself about what is actually going on in your state. Read & talk & make your own decisions. Don't wait for "somebody smarter than " yourself to tell you what to think.

I know many fine citizens of other countries who live here--highly educated folks who contribute to the community. If they chose to retain citizenship elsewhere, that is definitely their right.

But if he wants a say about who gets elected HERE, he needs to become a citizen. Your vote is YOURS.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

21. You're not the only wife in the world

who's a Democrat with a right-wing greedhead for a husband.

Sad to say, one of my own brothers is a right-wing greedhead, but his wife is a Democrat. I doubt that she asks him how to vote.

[Scairp]

22. You have all given me a lot to think about

Much of it makes a great deal of sense. I am trying to look at the bigger picture here, one of them being (as another poster mentioned) the ability for the republican presidential incumbent to get a foothold here in California if the governorship goes republican. For a long time I didn't think my one vote counted all that much, but I have now changed that attitude. I will try to vote my conscience and my husband will just have to live with it. Thank you all for weighing in.

[bif]

23. Never succumb to family pressure

When I had just turned 18 my Dad gave me so much shit about voting for Reagan that (gasp!) I did. Never again will I ever listen to a family member about who to vote for. Face it, he won't leave you because you didn't vote for Arnold. Vote the way you want and tell him it's none of his business who you voted for. And don't tell him either.