During the famous Lincoln-Douglas presidential debates, Abraham Lincoln said,

"If you call a tail a leg, how many legs has a dog? Five? No; calling a tail a leg don't make it a leg."

The same philosophy can be taken toward two propositions on the ballot for this coming election. Beware of greenwashing. Just because a ballot proposition sounds green, doesn't make it green.

I am speaking of Proposition 7 and Proposition 10 on the November ballot. Both of these propositions are opposed by not only the Sierra Club, but also by other environmental organizations. While this column does not go into the details, we urge you to read the articles on page 4 of this issue and check out various other independent references.

Greenwashing is the same technique used by the Bush administration for such destructive legislation as the "Healthy Forests Initiative" which was pro-logging forest-exploitation and the "Clear Skies Initiative" which sought to weaken air pollution laws. As being green becomes more important to voters, we can expect to see more special interest bills being dressed in green in the future.

As always, the bottom line rests with you, the voter, who must study the facts and try not to be carried away by the emotional claims and slick advertising. I always find it useful to see which organizations are for or against a particular bill.

If you are for some reason not registered to vote, or if you have moved since you voted last, the last day to register is October 20. If you will be unable to get to your assigned polling place on November 4, the last day to request a vote-by-mail ballot is October 28.

To learn more about your voting status, polling place or other election information contact:

Monterey County:
http://montereycountyelections.us/
796-1499

Santa Cruz County:
http://www.votescount.com/
454-2060.

—Debbie Bulger

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