Fresno Famous

Minus Measure B, I didn't feel as tied into last night's elections as I have in years past. The whole thing seemed to have dragged on for far too long and by the time last night's results started coming I was more than ready for it to be over. So, it was nice that Obama won sorta quickly, yeah?That said, here are some thoughts:

• Measure B looks like it passed. With a 2/3 majority, no less. This is a heartening victory.  Libraries are a huge quality of life issue and it is awesome to see people still understand the importance of them and are willing to sacrifice so we can have them. You all aren't as selfish and terrible as I thought. My hope now is that the library system will take the lessons from this campaign as it moves forward. Because while Measure B funds are vital in maintaining modern, efficient libraries, relying on them entirely (for 50% of the operating budget, for example) means the library will always be in jeopardy. Obviously, the fiscal shape of the county and state is the real threat, but it would be nice to not have a make-or-break decision when Measure B comes up for renewal in 16 years.
• Prop 37 did not pass. Not to sound jaded, but, duh. I'm not 100% sure if genetically modified foods are pure evil, but as consumers, we have a right to know what we're eating. But this was a question of too much too soon. There are large swaths of people who probably aren't familiar with the concept of GMOs even. We're just now beginning to see organic foods entering the mainstream consumption channels. People are beginning to think seriously about what they put in their bodies, but it's a slow go. If there is victory here, it is in having the measure on the ballot at all. That sort of public attention is an important step.
• Rosanne Barr didn't get elected. Then again, who knew she was running? Or Gary Johnson? Or Jill Stein? Or any other third party candidate. You wouldn't know it from the debates, or from watching/listening/reading the news for the most part. To its credit KFCF featured Jill Stein several times in the lead up to the election and there was some Gary Johnson talk floating around. But the overall impression is clear: You have two choices, so you better go with the best of the two. It's a shame. Running Rosanne Barr doesn't add any legitimacy to the Peace and Freedom Party (at least not in the mainstream) or its platform, but ignoring it (or the Green Party or the Libertarians) makes it seem like some kind of lunatic fringe. It is not. A real third party option (and not the Tea Party variety) is what we need to break from the status quo.