Regulate and Legalize Marijuana in California

Posted on November 27, 2011 by mmunson

There is a new effort in California to end the prohibition of marijuana in our state. And you are all encouraged to visit the official website or their official Facebook page.

If you liked Proposition 19 and you are disappointed that it did not pass in 2010, find out about this new ballot measure that is coming our way. This ballot measure does more things than what Proposition 19 and the medical legalization initiative Proposition 215.

The prohibition of marijuana would be eliminated for adults, allows for hemp agriculture and products which bill was vetoed by Governor Brown recently. This measure does not change laws about use by minors, medical use, workplace use or impairment while using marijuana.

The same infrastructure that is used to regulate beer and wine would be the same infrastructure to regulate marijuana.

Prevents the state and local agencies from cooperating with the federal government in dealing with marijuana issues.

Allows for reasonable number of plants  12 outdoors or 24 indoors to be grown in a household for personal use not for sale. Also, these plants must be cultivated in an area not visible to the general public.

The current war on drugs has failed, we are stuffing people into prisons and drug cartels are causing problems due to our prohibition of marijuana just like gangsters plagued our cities during the days of alcohol prohibition. We spend too much money on this drug war on marijuana, but can not afford to do other police activities in our cities such as dealing with the rapists and murderers that exist in society.

Help our economy, reduce crime, and prevent access to the drug for our youth. Visit the official site and sign a petition as soon as possible.

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Too Many People on a Black Friday

Posted on November 26, 2011 by mmunson

After my shift on Friday I decided to visit another store to see if there was any deals left over and it became more of a bother than it was worth. I am generally a nice person, but when I am not paid to deal with the general public the niceness can dissipate rather easily. ‘

I was hoping to get a laptop since I returned to school to hopefully get my credential eventually so I could become a school teacher.

However with the parking lot crowded and people crowding the parking lot surrounding Best Buy, it was hard to make a decision on what to buy. I also had some tween girls going on Facebook, but if it is the most crowded time in the store web browsing should be quick and short so customers can investigate products so people can actually BUY stuff.

Also I noticed when I was looking at the screen while trying to get an opportunity to check to see if the pc was worth buying. The 11 or 12 year old girl was faking she was 21 to get on Facebook, I hope no expecting guys think she’s legal due to her status information on her profile page. I tried to tell the tween and her friends that I will report her to Facebook to kill her account if she doesn’t let me use the pc due to breaking Facebook regulations. But even if they vanished from that pc, and I bought that laptop waiting in line in that zoo was a bad idea. I saved a hundred dollars just buying elsewhere. (Parents, please monitor your child’s online activity and even if you do not give them online access. Check their names to see if they signed up without your permission.)

Best Buy was not a fun visit, I ended up picking up this at the Microsoft Store. I hope it turns out to be a good laptop. It may not have the good gaming graphics. However it can play most of the indie games on Steam and Final Fantasy 11.

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Bob Dutton out polls Mike Morrell

Posted on November 23, 2011 by mmunson

Bob Dutton is termed out, redistricting created new maps. Musical chairs led to Mike Morrell wanting to run for the new Assembly District 40. Mike Morrell is placed in a new Democratic Party friendly district and he wanted to run in more friendlier climate.

Bob released a poll stating that high and medium propensity voters, prefer Bob to Mike.

Bob wins due to more name ID and more cash on hand to give him the advantage.

Dutton:            28% (4/4) and 33% (3/4)

Morrell:           20% (4/4) and 17% (3/4)

The district that Mike Morrell is originally from, district 41 is not a good climate for a Republican, due to the social policies of Assemblyman Morrell, it would be hard for him to win. Voting against bills such as AB 9 to make schools safe for all students from harassment and intimidation would not make him quality material. I am hoping that someone like Terry Hamilton runs against Chris Holden in Assembly District 41. Heck, David Drier would be a good fit for that district. 

Even though Bob Dutton is basically identical to Mike Morrell, I am siding with Bob Dutton.

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Taxing Services, No Thank You

Posted on November 22, 2011 by mmunson

The rich in California in the “Think Long Committee for California” want to work together to make it where services are taxed. For state income tax rates to be lowered they want to have a tradeoff of services being taxed for the first time. If you want to take your dog to the veterinarian, get your teeth fixed at the dentist or your car repaired be prepared to pay extra.

Earlier this year my family had to pay for a hernia repair for my sister’s puppy and get him neutered at the same time and that rang up to 1800 dollars. If we had the Think Long proposal passed, that would add another 90 dollars to the bill. Not all of us are made of money, but we should not have to tax anything that moves to get the funding our state needs. Even though health care and education may be excluded, I don’t know of animal health care will be taxed as part of this program.

I hope all the providers of services in California work together to defeat the Think Long sponsored proposal. It is basically socking the fiscal obligations of the state to the people that cannot easily afford these tax increases. These billionaires are trying to increase their net worth on the backs of the people earning less even though they have plenty of money to go around.

Maybe the best solution is to make do with the money we have now, cap the maximum amount an individual can have for a public pension so college football coaches and city managers would no longer earn 500,000 a year upon retirement while making sure the low and mid range of public employees would still be protected at the same time.

Be careful what ballot measures you sign in the front of shopping centers and read the fine print so it does not cost you hard in the long run.

Say no to the misguided billionaires.

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Pro SB 48 Letter I Wrote

Posted on November 22, 2011 by mmunson

This letter may be edited in the newspaper, but this is what I submitted.

Ignorance, prejudice and fear walk hand in hand for those who want to strip out the information about the accomplishments of the LGBT community from the recently passed SB 48. The proponents for the repeal drive do not want the sunlight of information to humanize the LGBT community in our schools so they can use the community as a means to dehumanize and demean these individuals for political power and contributions.

Unfortunately the proponents believe that just knowing about LGBT people will make people become LGBT. Knowing about gay people is not going to make you want to be gay, either you are or you are not. Because of ignorance we have a lack of understanding or compassion. Fear leads to bullying and harassment in our school house walls. If we want kids to not be fearful of being beaten up or intimidated we should do our best to make our schools safe. When students are confident and happy, they perform well by giving themselves better grades.

Matt Munson

Ontario, California

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Fiat Lux the Brutality.

Posted on November 19, 2011 by mmunson

Recently demonstrators have protested at UC Berkley and UC Davis and the behavior of the UC Police Department makes me embarrassed that the University of California is endorsing the excessive force that their police department has used on their campus.

The police brutality in Fullerton California has led towards greater awareness of the issue of police brutality, it has helped lead towards more people being wary of our law enforcement. Police brutality on the UC system is not just an issue with the Occupy protesters, but it is a systematic problem that has happened from the fee hike protests of recent years.

Since the UC system is having fiscal difficulties due to our state budget crisis, it would be in great interest for the chancellors, UC President and the UC Regents to learn how to work with the students better instead of losing money from lawsuits and alumni closing their wallets due to these incidents.

If students were using clubs and throwing grenades to the police then yes, I could understand a violent response. However these individuals were using the same methods of Martin Luther King and Gandhi to demonstrate for the issues they care about. Just as how the police in the southern states used fire hydrants on the black civil rights protesters, it is only going to radicalize and increase the number of supporters for the Occupy movement.

Sadly I thought we were the United States, but more and more we are becoming a carbon copy of Vladimir Putin’s Russia. Crony corporatism, the lack of freedom of expression such as how opposition candidates and gay rights advocates get the same abuse as the Occupy protesters makes the comparison all so real.

For 2012, those who are concerned about the issues of the day should get mobilized in the ballot box so we could change the establishment for the better by running for office or teaming up with someone else who is so we can make the government work for the common people.

If the UC Regents and its chancellors fail to change tactics on non-violent resisters then it is up to the state legislature to write policy for them.

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Retail Life

Posted on November 18, 2011 by mmunson

I feel weird when I am on break or off duty and visit the other stores next to my store and customers from those stores ask for help. I was at CVS and had my mobile phone on and a bottle of chocolate milk to buy, and the lady asked me “Do You Work Here”, I told her in a sarcastic tone “Nope”, “But I will be happy to help you at the other store I work at”. I usually try to be respectful even when I am off duty, but it gets annoying when even when you are not wearing the colors of the store, it becomes more of a bother.

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Medicare for Dummies

Posted on November 11, 2011 by mmunson

My father is turning 65 next year and he is bewildered about how to navigate the world of Medicare. The mail box is filled with pitches with insurance companies offering to be your best buddy if you sign up for the year with them, but my father does intend to work until 67 or until his body says the show is over so he is reluctant to sign up for Medicare Part C or D.

I wish there was something well done for the people who do not want to utilize computers to find out what is the right Medicare combination that would fit them well.

I know the Wiley Company has one about Medicare Part D, but maybe a Medicare for Dummies that covers the spectrum of Medicare plans might be a good idea. Pack the book with an interactive program people can fire up on their mac or pc made with Adobe AIR and we could get something that might sell big copies since many baby boomers are entering the system and would help make it better for those individuals.

Common questions should be answered such as:

If I am currently working, do I still need to sign up?

What do Medicare Advantage plans (Part C) offer and how do they differ from each other?

Will I owe any extra money if I am still working if I enroll for Medicare Part A, while I am still working?

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Looking For a Few Good Friends

Posted on November 8, 2011 by mmunson

There is an independent animal rescue organization that needs your help badly.

Mercy’s K9 Rescue

We want to save more dogs, but we can’t unless we get some sponsors. We desperately need your help, so we can help more dogs!!!!?

Without your support they will not be able to help find homes for these dogs. And for the dogs that are currently there, they would like to see some new friends to make up for the ones who found their new homes.

Visit their Facebook Page and find out today.

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A Costly Election Day

Posted on November 8, 2011 by mmunson

Election Day happened, and it felt rather pointless since the other local school boards decided to realign their terms with the elections for state and federal offices during the even years where Chaffey College is the only governing board having their elections during the odd years.

Polling places were hosted in cities of the district from Chino Hills all the way to Fontana which makes it a great expense for the district which has to pay the county to host this election. Unfortunately the clerk at the registrar of voters was unwilling to disclose how much the governing board paid for the election. It seems likely I will have to file a freedom of information request to get this answer.

Upland, California recently did a mail only election which saved the city money when they had to fill a vacant city council race.  However by talking to the registrar of voters official she said that the elections code mandates Chaffey College to hold elections with polling places. So we might have to lobby our state legislators such as Mike Morrell, Norma Torres and Wilma Amina Carter to implement reforms so districts such as Chaffey College could have mail only elections when they are the only election on the ballot.

If districts such as Chaffey College have to pay for their elections to the county each election year, then mail only elections would be a very smart and prudent idea when we are facing deep budget cuts for the public services we value the most.

Due to my study of Political Science at Chaffey College and UC Riverside, I understand this may be an idea that the governing board might not easily cling to since low information and turnout elections mean its an easier chance to be re-elected and not spend much money on a ballot statement or signs across the district.

Even though there was still one race on the ballot, I still voted. People died for the right for people to vote for their own representatives and I made my choices for who will be re-elected for another term.

Matt Munson ‘01

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