YES! versus NO
We’re about a week away from Election Day here in the USA, the first Tuesday following the first Monday of November. It’s an off year, with not as much at stake nationally. There’s an referendum to repeal Ohio’s anti-collective bargaining law, and an anti-choice measure in Mississippi that will define a fertilized egg as a “person”. Those are important to those states individually and as precedents for the rest of the country.
Here in Washington state, we have no such big choices to make on our state ballots. For the third election in a row, there’s a measure on the ballot to end the state-run liquor stores, but that’s about it of any significance.
Locally, on the other hand, there are hundreds of city council, port commissioner, district water board, dog catcher and school district jobs being contested, along with lots of local measures.
One thing I’ve noticed every Autumn since I moved here four years ago is the Washingtonian love of election signs. Of course, everywhere I’ve lived there’s been plenty of “VOTE FOR JOE!” signs, but Washington takes it to another level. Maybe it’s because in California, where I lived most of my life before recently, they had stricter laws about where one could put election signs. Maybe it’s easy access to wood pulp from which to make cardboard signs. Whatever it is, around here, at seemingly every intersection, on any otherwise occupied roadside stretch of grass, on any piece of visible property that isn’t being used for something else, we see a vast array of campaign signs prompting the driver to vote for this person or that.
Late in September, hundreds of signs appeared in Lynnwood, the Seattle suburb where I work, with just seemingly one word: “YES!”
At every intersection, YES! At freeway off ramps, YES! Alongside the sidewalks, whole stretches of road were having sign orgasms: YES! YES! YES! YES!
If you looked closely, you might notice what we were being urged to vote YES! To: Proposal #1.
It actually improved my mood as I traveled through Lynnwood. The word “YES” is the epitome of positivity! Is it a good day today? YES! Can I accomplish whatever I want? YES!
Then, about 3 weeks ago, the negative NO campaign got their act signs together. The NO crowd didn’t go and stalk out virgin sign territory to post their message. No, instead, they simply piggybacked the YES group and now, wherever you see a YES! sign, you see a NO sign attached to it.
Unlike the wonderfully positive YES! Campaign, the NO campaign has decided to forgo the use of the persuasive exclamation point. They think they don ’t need this punctuation? How cocky. The YES! campaign chose brightly colored backgrounds for their signs, The NO people have a very negative bloack background.
Essentially, the town of Lynnwood now looks like it’s capital of indecisiveness, with YES! & NO on every corner.
Who will win? I have no idea. There are no polls to say which side is winning.
I’m putting my money on YES!
Oh, I supposed you’re wondering what the whole referendum is about. It’s about a struggle as old as democratic city councils and mayors, namely the struggle between the two. Last year, the mayor of Lynnwood got into a major sex &corruption scandal , and so the city council found it an opportune time to eliminate the postion altogether. Lots of towns don’t have elected mayors; instead, that executive role is performed by a city manager kind of person who is appointed by the city council. That’s what the referendum is about: do we have a professional, non-political city executive versus a democratically elected mayor.
VOTE ON FRIENDBURST!!!
YES!
Or
NO
Alright, YES it is!
You need a beige sign with a green background which says, “Maybe?”
🙄
http://www.politicalruminations.com/2011/03/gov-rick-snyder-and-michigan-republicans-engaging-in-disaster-capitalism.html
Can I vote twice?
Imagine if everyone wrote in Meh! 😆
Sign orgasm…I liked this formulation!
In a lot of these kinds of yes/no things, the issue is clouded because voting yes means you voted no. It’s all in the sneaky wording of the issue being voted on.
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I’d vote yes just to see the the rapid changeover in the city council. Instead of a different mayor from consecutive elections, we would see a different council member from every ward on every council member election cycle.
In the end, the city will end up like all the other cities that don’t elect a mayor and let the city council hire a manager— ungodly salaries and perqs of each new manager that will inevitably change each election cycle
The one day the taxpayers wake up to higher tax bills to support the city manager’s $5M salary and benefits because Lynwood just snagged Forbes most wanted city manager draft pick. :groovy:
Good blog…I know how you feel.
How about signs that say “Yes to Orgasm, No to politics and greed” :0
I wish disposable signs would be outlawed, it’s a waste of time, money, and resources.
BREAKING NEWS!!
With all 33 voting stations reporting… and 3,697 votes counted (in a city of 40,000 residents)
NO has deafeated YES 54 TO 46 %!!!!
Supporters of NO everywhere are rejoicing.