AZ Prop 105 (casinos, minimum wage, taxes)

[HX_Guy]

Coming up on the election in just one month from tomorrow, I wanted to bring this up again and make sure everyone knows what it is and what it will do.

Prop 105 basically changes the law when it comes to voting to effectively count a "non vote" as a "no vote" for items related to taxes.

Maybe it's just me, but I think an absent vote is a right in itself, and just because I did not vote, or was not able to vote, does not mean I agree or disagree with what is being proposed, and my not voting should not be counted for or against what is being proposed.

I'm actually really surprise there isn't more attention being given to this and there isn't a bigger uprising against it. I mean, what if I'm sick or in the hospital or out of state or whatever and can't make it to the polls...does that mean my vote should count as if I actually went down and voted "no"?
Also, people who are recently deceased or moved out of state or had their voting rights recently revoked would still count as a "no"...how does that make sense? It's absurd and frustrating that this even made it on the ballot.

I urge people to vote no on Prop. 105, or at least if you vote yes, be informed on what exactly you are voting for.

[exit2lef]

Agree completely. I'm afraid this will pass because people will misunderstand it as just being about a majority vote. It's not. It's an attempt to make it almost impossible to get anything passed by assuming every non-vote is a no vote. It serves only extreme anti-tax interests at the potential cost of every type of public works or civic improvement that voters (meaning those who actually make the effort to vote) might choose to approve.

My fear is that it will pass because many voters will misunderstand it; my hope is that the courts will throw it out if it does pass.

[HX_Guy]

Here is an article from AZCentral.com with more information on the proposal, as well as a list of items that had this been in place, would have not passed...

Prop. 105: Tax relief or end of initiatives?

2006

Prop. 201: Banned smoking in most indoor public places, including restaurants and bars. To pay for enforcement, applied a 2-cent-per-pack tax on cigarettes.

Prop. 202: Raised the state minimum wage to $6.75 per hour.

Prop. 203: Added an 80-cent-per-pack tax to cigarettes, with the revenue funding early-childhood education and health programs.

2002

Prop. 202: Gaming initiative allowed Nevada-style blackjack and more slot machines in Arizona tribal casinos. Increased the minimum gambling age from 18 to 21.

2000

Prop. 204: Funded health care for Arizona's working poor with money the state received from the settlement of a suit against tobacco companies.

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by HX_Guy

Coming up on the election in just one month from tomorrow, I wanted to bring this up again and make sure everyone knows what it is and what it will do.

Prop 105 basically changes the law when it comes to voting to effectively count a "non vote" as a "no vote" for items related to taxes.

Maybe it's just me, but I think an absent vote is a right in itself, and just because I did not vote, or was not able to vote, does not mean I agree or disagree with what is being proposed, and my not voting should not be counted for or against what is being proposed.

I'm actually really surprise there isn't more attention being given to this and there isn't a bigger uprising against it. I mean, what if I'm sick or in the hospital or out of state or whatever and can't make it to the polls...does that mean my vote should count as if I actually went down and voted "no"?
Also, people who are recently deceased or moved out of state or had their voting rights recently revoked would still count as a "no"...how does that make sense? It's absurd and frustrating that this even made it on the ballot.

I urge people to vote no on Prop. 105, or at least if you vote yes, be informed on what exactly you are voting for.

I completely agree with your viewpoints on Prop. 105. This is a measure which SOUNDS worthwhile because it would prevent massive taxation. However, voters need to read further into this initiative because the results can be very damaging. "Majority Rules" is truly hypocritical because if the majority of the VOTING populace approves future measures, they could easily be defeated by counting those who don't vote as instant NOs.

Besides Prop. 105, there are a few others that are tricky as well ... such as Props. 102, 201, and 202. People really need to look at the "fine print" of these initiatives because there are hidden agendas which are very misleading, and actually can result in the opposite of what the titles state. For instance: Prop. 202 is the "Stop Illegal Hiring Act", which sounds agreeable ... but it actually contains some provisions which would make it tougher for citizens to report businesses that violate the law already in existence.

In the Arizona forum, I started a thread about the details of these ballot propositions. I highly suggest that all voters read the thread before casting votes.
//www.city-data.com/forum/arizo...positions.html

[MotleyCrew]

Thanks for pointing this very important issue out.