Roy Allmond, Pete Peterson, and Dan Schnur: A Closer Analysis

Salvete.

Elections are coming in, and, while I have already gone over my stance for secretary of state, I would like to make a slight footnote. The only other running candidate that is not Green or Democrat is Roy Allmond. I thought I'd give a shout out to him before explaining my choice further.

(For those of you who are too lazy to scroll down a tad and get my choice of secretary of state, here it is:

Secretary of State: Tie, between Dan Schnur and Pete Peterson. I loved both of these candidates. Dan Schnur, an independent, stresses the need for a nonpartisan judge for both sides. He promises to be anti-corruption, a quality that I see in my beloved Isamaa ja Res Publica Liit (IRL) and absolutely adore in a candidate. On the other hand, Pete Peterson has a well laid-out plan of his policies and goals as secretary of state. Quite honestly, I might flip a coin on election day.

In addition, I would also like to point out a few things about this choice at the end).

Roy Allmond's campaign statement is easy to miss for a standard Republican conservative. I came back to his campaign, educated voter that I am, to dissect it and figure out if he's the right candidate for me. Upon dissection, I find it blatantly clear that he is a supporter of The Blaze. He has a 1791.com email address, and he clearly does not consider the Republican Party to be conservative. That much is clear. I will give him points that his heart is in the right place, and I support him for that.

Unfortunately, that's about as far as it gets. Roy Allmond is the Peace and Freedom candidate of the conservative right; he makes heavily biased, unfounded assertions that would make any Democrat face-palm. I'm not saying that's necessarily bad, but I definitely would not want that in a leader. I would say that Roy Allmond would walk into office and perhaps regret his decision within a week, just as I might. A candidate whose only policy is being anti-progressive is an okay candidate, but not an optimal candidate. Also, Comic Sans? Why, Roy? Why? (No, I am not basing my argument on the use of Comic Sans, although it is an example of the poor campaigning tactics).

By no means am I saying that Pete Peterson and Dan Schnur are optimal candidates either, which is also why I've decided to blog today. As I research Pete Peterson, I note that the LA Times supports both Pete Peterson and Ashley Swearengin, and they support each other. (For those of you who don't recall, Swearengin is the Republican mayor of Fresno running against David Evans for controller.) I get the sense of establishment that Allmond talked about, even though Peterson is simply a professor at Pepperdine with a load of political experience. 

It would also be unfair to accuse Roy Allmond of being blatantly biased without accusing Dan Schnur of being anti-biased. Dan Schnur seems to be against political parties, for fair elections, and little else. Further research shows that he wants to (in the background) demand politics courses and give the office of the secretary of state a technical renovation. 

I guess when all is said and done, I'm still voting for either Schnur or Peterson, but the general choice is much less distinct. To Peterson, I have nothing but good will to you, and I hope you excel in life, but I cannot vote for you without experience and a solid plan. God Bless, though.

P.S. David Evans, who is running for controller, is, like Allmond, an outsider in the Republican race, but he is a CFO and has both experience, a constructive philosophy, and a general outline of what he needs to do. I will most likely be voting for him.

File55's "Intolerable": Fantastic

Salvete.

An amazing documentary has come out just a few hours ago.

File55's Intolerable is one of the most well-writ, well-developed, conservative documentaries I have seen. Its primary focus is the development and the history of the Tea Party, and better yet, it is free to watch and to download. The documentary essentially summarizes the birth of the Tea Party, compares it to the original Tea Party of the 1770s, and debunks several myths about the Tea Party. The documentary goes around to a slew of Tea Party hubs to interview their members and instigators nationwide.

What surprises me most about the Tea Party is the anti-corporation sentiment. The Tea Party isn't so illogical as to generally hate businesses, but they loathe government's connection with large businesses, something that one wouldn't expect of them. An unusually large portion went into explaining that. In fact, the Tea Party seems fairly centrist, perhaps conservative centrist. Sure, the film was developed by Blaze staff and uses Blaze articles, but there is very little pro-establishment-Republican sentiment in the film, if at all. The music and structure is fitting, and I believe it's shockingly well put together, given its background. It's short, it's succinct, and it's well worth one's time.

The link is http://intolerable.us/ . Check it out.

Seattle is the New Detroit

Salvete.

Did you hear? Seattle is the new Detroit. Guess who has their new minimum wage set at $15. As of now, we have the corporate giant Microsoft funding the city's economy. As of a few years from now, businesses will have to pay for practically half of their employees. They will either downsize or die out. As of a few years from then, Microsoft will realize that Seattle would be a poor place to run a business, leaving for some other place, perhaps China. Business will be stripped from Seattle, and a desperate citizenry will elect a government that feeds off of desperation. Congratulations, Seattle. You've put yourself on the path to Detroit. Have fun, or get off.

Plaustrum Political Picks of the Year: California Election Edition, Part 1

Salvete.

Without further ado, here are my picks of the year. First, for the easy ones:

United States Representative: 4th Congressional District of CA: Tom McClintock. I had to start with this guy; he's absolutely amazing. He thinks outside the box, drawing attention to problems that need attention before immediately coming up with an effective solution. He is (to the best of my knowledge) transparent; he even has his own YouTube channel, which he continuously updates: https://www.youtube.com/user/McClintockCA04. No, wait, he has two YouTube channels that he continuously updates: https://www.youtube.com/user/votemcclintock. He is important to me personally: a few years ago, he supported a charter school that was opening up. Granted, that charter school became a cesspit of mediocrity almost instantaneously, but it was the thought that counted, especially with this great man. Vote for him if you live anywhere in his district, I deplore you.

Insurance Commissioner: Ted Gaines. Between a Democrat, a Peace and Freedom, and a Republican, who do you think I'm voting for?

Treasurer: Greg Conlon. Between a Democrat, a Green, and a Republican, who do you think I'm voting for? (Also, how would the Green Party, who sets money as the lowest priority, be in any way qualified for treasurer?) In all honesty, I was pleasantly surprised with the statement presented by both the Democratic and Green candidates, especially the Green candidate. Granted, Ellen H. Brown (Green) ended with a crash ("It's time to break free of from the Wall Street casino and create our own bank- with profits to the people!"), but she made an otherwise sound argument. Still, I would vote for the Republican: The party that focuses the most on a healthy economy would likely be the most qualified for control of the economy.

Controller: David Evans. There was a Green, three Democrats, and two Republicans running for office. Ashley Swearengin was the other Republican, but I seriously doubt that the mayor of the city of Fresno would be to my liking. Between his simple statement ("Most qualified for Controller.") and the fact that he is a certified accountant, "not a career politician," I would say that he makes the better case anyway. The Green Party made me sick. (The latter quote was taken from http://www.evans4controller2014.com/)

Secretary of State: Tie, between Dan Schnur and Pete Peterson. I loved both of these candidates. Dan Schnur, an independent, stresses the need for a nonpartisan judge for both sides. He promises to be anti-corruption, a quality that I see in my beloved Isamaa ja Res Publica Liit (IRL) and absolutely adore in a candidate. On the other hand, Pete Peterson has a well laid-out plan of his policies and goals as secretary of state. Quite honestly, I might flip a coin on election day.

More in future parts.

Plaustrum Political Picks of the Year: CA Election Edition: Introduction

Salvete.

Well, after laughably falling short of the Lent-post-a-day quota and having waited more than two weeks to post something again, I figured that I might as well post something now.

A lot has happened. As readers probably know, I'm a Californian conservative, an odd yet pleasant kind of minority. As of last Saturday, I have officially registered as a member of the Modern Whig Party. Some trusted friends of mine have pointed out that I will be left out of Republican primaries, so I may consider switching to registering as a Republican, but for now I am satisfied existing in the league of third parties. I can't wait for what kind of mail they're going to send me.

So, while we're on the topic of voting, I have received a voter information guide. As I look through them, I have made clear observations and picks for the upcoming elections.

For one, I urge the viewer to abstain from voting for the Peace and Freedom Party. They stand for everything that I hate and stand against everything that I love. I stand for everything they hate and stand against everything they love. I would rather vote for the Communist Party, the ever-popular Green Party, anything but the Peace and Freedom Party. They don't even have the logos that I prize so much in my adversaries when they make their arguments. They essentially take liberal cliches, extract and discard the logic, and amplify it to unreasonable amounts before spitting it out in the face of what little decency California has (the same decency that pushed Proposition 8 in our favor).

Look no further than the party's political statement. Count the liberal cliches. My conservative estimate is 7 (pun intended). According to them, they are the party who will "work together democratically and cooperatively for the common good, rather than being slaves to the rich and their corporations." Because, as we all know, "[w]e should not have to sacrifice our health, our livelihoods and our planet for our bosses' profits. We can tax the rich..."

Simply put? Yes, it is that kind of party. You can see why I would rather vote for the Communists; those guys are beacons of reason compared to these guys.

If you choose to look further, please highlight the candidate for insurance commissioner from the Peace and Freedom Party. To compare, I will take out sections from the Republican and Democratic candidates, respectively:

"As a family insurance agent for the past 30 years, I've had to fight insurance companies on behalf of my clients... As Insurance Commissioner, I will work to increase criminal penalties for fraud and will aggressively prosecute those who prey on seniors and our most vulnerable citizens... The Insurance Commissioner has a duty to protect consumers and foster a business climate that will improve our state's economy and create more jobs."
-Ted Gaines

"Four years ago, Californians elected Dave Jones as Insurance Commissioner to fight for consumers and hold insurance companies accountable. Dave Jones has saved consumers $1.4 billion by ratcheting down excessive auto and homeowners insurance rates... Dave Jones refuses to accept contributions or gifts from insurance companies... The Consumer Federation of California has named Dave Jones a "Consumer Champion."
-Dave Jones

See, those were good. I dislike the idea of hiring elected officials for the purpose of confronting insurance agencies, but I admire that both the Democratic and Republican candidates realize specifically what their job means for the average Joe, what they need to do, how they have done it, and/or what they will do. Now, here is the Peace and Freedom Party candidate. Literally, this is everything she put down:

"Quality healthcare should be a universal right! Abolish the insurance companies! Register Peace and Freedom Party."
-Nathalie Hrizi

A word of advice for Mrs. Hrizi: when you're trying to run for office, stuff like this makes you look stupid. Sure, it might give you votes among the people who are either excessively liberal or excessively dumb, but you have lost whatever respect from me that you could have earned. If you want something brief, try something along the lines of what the libertarian candidate for attorney general did:

"Uphold the Bill of Rights, including 2nd Amendment. Protect our privacy. End marijuana prohibition. No death penalty. Prosecute police misconduct. End civil asset forfeiture."
-Jonathan Jaech

Basic outlines of what he plans to do. Perhaps you could leave the audience hanging, like Republican candidate for controller:

"Most qualified for Controller."
-David Evans

Heck, even the Green candidate for secretary of state could do better:

"Label GMOs, legalize cannabis, close nuclear plants, ban fracking, and divest from fossil fuels."
-David Curtis

All of those sound more logical, more cool-headed, and more qualified than... what was it again?

"Quality healthcare should be a universal right! Abolish the insurance companies! Register Peace and Freedom Party."
-Nathalie Hrizi

The picks will be out in a few.