Washington, California, Arizona, and Ohio to Have Controversial Bills on Their Ballots

On November 4, 2008, we will not only find out who our new leader for the next four years is, but we'll learn the fate of several controversial things in a number of states.

In Washington State, for example, lawmakers wish to enact a measure that would legalize physician-assisted suicide. Initiative 1000, if passed, would make the Evergreen State only the second in the country to give terminally ill patients the option of ending their own lives under the supervision of their doctor.

Supporters say that enacting the law means that people can avoid the excruciating pain and humiliation that comes with withering away due to terminal illness. Thus, they would end their suffering and be able to "die with dignity," as the affirmative case states. Several folks in this camp cite what happened to Terry Schiavo, who became the subject of a high-profile national debate, government weigh-ins, and the inevitable media circus, before succumbing to her terminal brain illness.

Opponents of the proposed law state that the language of the initiative contains way too many loopholes; many of which could constitute a breach of ethics or create other problems. For instance, opponents claim that the initiative requires no consultation or consent from the patients' friends or family, before the lethal drugs are administered. Therefore, friends or family would never know that their terminally-ill friend decided to take their own life.

Many other folks don't like the law, stating that the bill also enables mentally-ill, depressed, and/or suicidal folks to irrationally decide to go through with the procedure without a psychological evaluation. Currently, Oregon is the only state where physician-assisted suicide is legal.

A New Take on an Old Issue

Meanwhile in California, their potentially controversial Proposition 4 will also be put in the hands of voters on Election Day. The measure, also referred to as Sarah's Law, would require that all un-emancipated minors, sans a few exceptions, have their physician notify their parent or legal guardian before they are allowed to terminate their pregnancy. The measure would also require that a minor wait 48 hours after the notification, before the procedure is completed.

Supporters of this Constitutional amendment say that it ought to be passed, because of the chance that a minor may put themselves at risk of complications by having such a procedure. Furthermore, we could better hunt down dangerous and/or violent sexual predators that impregnate their young female victims.

Opponents say that things should stay as they are, because some parents would kick their daughters out of their homes, beat them, or even worse, upon learning that they're pregnant and/or requesting an abortion. Also, besides the fact that communication is non-existent in some families, it is argued that such a law would make dangerous back alley, or self-inflicted abortions that much more attractive.

We All Fall Down

However, for reasons of putting the welfare of entire states, not just individuals, in jeopardy, two measures in Arizona and Ohio put a lot more on the line. In specific, Arizona's Proposition 200, and Ohio's House Bill 545, will determine whether no fax payday loan companies shall continue helping working Americans in dire straits.

A law on the books in Arizona installs an exemption, in favor of payday lenders, so that they're not subject to the same 36 percent interest rate cap that other loan products (mortgages, credit cards, other bank loans) must conform to. If this law, dubbed the Payday Loan Reform Act, were to pass, no fax payday loan stores in the state would remain open past 2010, the year when the original bill's "sunset clause" goes into effect. If not, Arizonans would be robbed of an invaluable way out of tough times once the measure expires. Additionally, the failure would put 2,500 people out of work, in a time when the economic outlook is pretty bleak.

No fax payday loans are also at risk in Ohio, thanks to the Governor Ted Strickland-backed HB 545. In this case, citizens' financial options will be ripped right out from under them, should the measure be enacted. What's worse, the number of Ohio jobs lost would dwarf the number on the chopping block in Arizona; a whopping 6,000 to be exact.

Bottom line, nobody can tell you how to vote. But, shall you be concerned about losing your access to no fax payday loans, and preserving 8,500 families' abilities to supply a roof over their heads and food on the table, maybe you ought to think about it.

On November 4, you can save an entire state's economy from hitting rock bottom; Vote "Yes" on Arizona's Proposition 200, and "No" on Ohio's HB 545.