On Tuesday, The Malibu Times visited the Malibu Country Mart to gauge how locals felt regarding the passage or defeat of the various state propositions in last week’s election.
David Newman and Nagzla Schankula were reading the newspaper near the park area.
“I’m thrilled that most of them were turned down,” Newman said. Commenting on Propositions 19, 20 and 22, respectively, he said, “I’m glad the marijuana one did not pass. I’m very pleased committees will redraw the congressional districts. I’m happy the state can’t take money from local funds.”
Schankula nodded in agreement: “I feel the same way.”
Outside of Marmalade restaurant and Diesel, A Bookstore, Malcolm Loomis said, “I’m glad Prop. 23 didn’t pass. That was obviously Big Oil behind that one, and they’ve already done enough damage to our environment this year with the Gulf disaster.”
Nearby at the playground, young mother Ashley Adams was overseeing her 19-month-old. Of all the propositions, 19 stood out for her.
“That’s really the one I kept up with,” Adams said. “Right now, [marijuana] is as legal as it’s going to get [with medical marijuana]. You have to see your doctor to get it. I don’t think it should be legal other than just for medical reasons.”
She paused and smiled, “Before I had a son, I might have voted for it. But becoming a parent changes the way you view things.”
A senior citizen, who declined to give her name, said she was not around last week to vote.
“I was gone during the election,” she said, adding that “I found [the propositions] very confusing.” Yet she did not find any “terrible disappointments” with the outcome.
Brothers Michael and Bill Weaver, both young fathers playing with their children at the playground, had good excuses for not voting last week. “We’re both Canadians,” Michael said.
For seven years, Michael Weaver has been married to an American. He’s currently awaiting citizenship. While note able to vote, the Canadian appeared to be the most opinionated and politically engaged of those interviewed.
He explained that Proposition 19 was out of the question in his home.
“She works with drug-endangered children,” Weaver said of his wife. “She was adamant not to vote for 19, because she viewed it as a gateway drug.”
Weaver added that if he was able to vote, “anything that limits funding is paramount,” as he felt that, from President Obama on down, spending money the country does not have is a reckless gambit. “Any time I’m in Vegas, I spend my winnings quickly because it feels like it’s not mine,” he said, drawing an analogy. “And we’re bankrupt [as a country].”
Expanding on the difference between Canadian and American politics, the Weaver brothers felt that Americans have it better. Thus, they’re disappointed with the lack of voter turnout.
“There’s complete apathy here,” Michael said. “We don’t get it. They have it good here.”
“Voter participation is lower in Canada,” Bill said. “Maybe because there’s less money in the system. In Canada, it’s not the same rhetoric, it’s a bit turned down.”
Michael explained that there are referendums in his native country, but not propositions that itemize what people can vote for. He was surprised that more people do not take advantage of that.
“It’s not the same culture,” he said. “Here, you actually feel that your vote counts.”