An Experienced Guv, Please

WHEN Meg Whitman's boat rocked over her housekeeper, she called it politics, but she is a politician, dancing a little sidestep, then checking the polls, just no political knowledge or experience. In the primary I heard her say that she wanted to kill the bullet train: the greatest hope for a green California. Now she says she's for green jobs. Jerry Brown knew where the fat is, and gave a 19th-century clue on what both Whitman and Carly Fiorina want to do: cut government jobs and give tax breaks to the rich, which was known as trickle-down, then voodoo economics. They believe in it but don't have experience. When I endorse a candidate I don't expect them to agree on everything I believe, but to have a clue. I endorsed both Brown and Barbara Boxer, because of their knowledge and experience, and that's what California needs.

Bruce M. Gabriel, Santa Cruz

Estimates on Pot Tax Are, Um, High

[IN RESPONSE to "Hey 19," Currents, Oct. 6], Prop. 19 isn't going to bring in much revenue. What people will do is grow pot, smoke it and pay no tax. They will sell and give it to friends and they won't pay taxes either. Even if all the state did full retail pot sales, you are looking at a number of less than $500 million in revenue or less than a 0.4 percent increase in California's total revenue. People really should check out the hard facts analysis at www.kpbs.org/news/2010/oct/08/will-prop-19-cut-law-enforcement-costs/.

Robert Nolin, posted online

Feeling Good Is Not A Crime

LEGALIZING cannabis will mean that our children are not put in prison or jail for smoking something that grows out of the ground. As someone who has sold it for 35 years, I would gladly give up making a single penny off of it if it will stop ruining people's lives by punishing them for wanting to feel good. Our government doesn't only need to make it legal and stop putting people in jail, they owe us a huge f#$king apology for lying to us and preventing us from having something that is good for us just so they could sell us polyester and other oil-based products. And now look where we are with that.If you are going to let fear stop you from living I pray for you, but let's start dealing with this realistically and whether or not enough taxes are generated is really a side issue. Society in general will have a huge cultural wall removed and maybe we can start seeing each other as more the same instead of looking for our differences.

Legalizing cannabis is a good thing and worry about some unrealized governmental problems is just their karma for keeping it illegal all these years [sic]. YES ON 19!!!!!

Shawn, posted online

From The Editor

Starting this week, SantaCruz.com will be publishing 'Local Poets, Local Inspiration,' the formerly monthly print feature edited by poet Robert Sward, each Wednesday online. To find it, go to www.santacruz.com, click on 'News' at the top of the page, then click on 'Community.'

In other news, Santa Cruz Weekly's award-winning staff writer Curtis Cartier is moving to points north to accept a staff position with the Seattle Weekly. Good luck, Curtis. Your fans will miss you.

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