Well, it's been an exciting week.  I've managed to navigate yet another birthday (my 49th) while avoiding the usual requisite public humiliation that goes with it.  A pleasant celebration with Sylvia's Small Group, dinner out on the day with my lovely wife Cecile and her brother, and discreet good wishes from a handful of good friends who indulge my pathological desires for what passes for modesty in me.

Another hard week at work, trying to keep up with the unmanageable mountain of tasks.

Final preparations for next week's elections, and my laughter at the bug-eyed surprise at my predictions, including my boss' boss; he is a good guy and a student of both history and politics, but he believes I'm being overly optimistic when I predict Republican wins nationally and in the state.  For your benefit, I'm predicting minor losses in the House, loss of one seat in the Senate, the GOP retains majority control of both houses, and vindication of the party of the right, as well as Republican wins of statewide offices here in California.  When - not if - these predictions come true, I will be feeling lucky enough to buy lottery tickets AND bet on Cal to beat both UCLA and USC.  On that last one, remember you heard it first at STAND.

Before the big announcement to follow, here's a wrap-up of STAND's recommendations:

California and Federal offices:

Governor: Arnold SCHWARZENEGGER
Lt. Governor: Tom McCLINTOCK.  Wish Garamendi a happy retirement from politics while you send the very talented McClintock to the number 2 office, and I want to see him promoted to #1 the next time there's an opening in the Governor's office.
Secretary of State: Bruce McPHERSON
Controller: Tony STRICKLAND
Treasurer: Claude PARRISH.  After what Lockyer has done meddling with Workers' Compensation in the legislature, he's another one that should be enjoying a retirement.
Attorney General: Chuck POOCHIGIAN.  This one is no contest; expecting Brown to enforce laws in which he's proved over and over he doesn't believe is wishful thinking.  Of all the state jobs there are, Attorney General is probably the one for which Brown is least qualified.  Poochigian's performance in the legislature have proved he's up for to job.
Insurance Commisioner: Steve POIZNER.  This race is near and dear to my heart, being in the trade.  The reforms of Workers' Compensation in recent years are an absolutely essential to the economic survival not of my business, but of the State.  The current occupant of that office has done nothing but use it for personal grandstanding, as he did this past week.  Poizner has actually running a business in the private sector, something his opponent, longtime political laughingstock Cruz Bustamante, wouldn't understand.  To regulate business, you need to know how it works.
4th District, Board of Equalization: Glen FORSCH
U.S. Senator: Richard MOUNTJOY.  I once lived in the district in which Mountjoy was a legislator, and he was a great one.  Mountjoy understands the needs of national security, border control, tort reform, fiscal restraint, and was always very much in touch with the citizens he represented.  What a breath of fresh air he'd be replacing Di Fi - and for the record, Barbara Boxer is an embarrassment and needs to be the next to go away.
U.S. Representative: William BODELL.  No disrespect intended to incumbent Adam Schiff, who can actually be one of the most reasonable members of his party (which, at least in this state, is damning with faint praise).  I do wish Schiff well; I simply like Bodell better of the issues.
State Senate, 22nd District: Mike TEN
State Assembly, 49th District: Esthela SIEGRIST.  Readers of STAND already know about Siegrist, and her election to the legislature will be a much-needed change.  MUCH needed.

State Ballot measures (see my post on these for the reasoning):
1A - YES
1B - NO
1C - NO
1D - NO
1E - still no opinion.  Help me out here, friends.
83 - YES
84 - NO
85 - YES
86 - NO
87 - NO
88 - NO
89 - NO
90 - YES

Alhambra City Council (see my recent write-up for the details):

First District: Stephen SHAM
Second District: Barbara MESSINA
Fifth District: Adele ANDRADE-STADLER

You know, to save you all the effort in the voting process, they should really let you just print this post and bring it with you to give to the poll worker.  You could just say "I read STAND, and I agree with his votes."  If you really want to make my day, print a hundred copies of this post and give them to all your friends to help them do the right thing on Election Day.  It's just so well reasoned, there should be a law that would let you press one button that just says "I vote for everything in STAND."  Wouldn't that make voting a much better experience for you?

I'll work on that.

And hey, won't you be glad in just a couple of days, when you get control of your mailbox back, and the calls from the robodialers stop, and the election cycle is over? 

Unless, of course, you count post-election gloating, month-long tirades from sore losers about exit polls, and the unavoidable post-mortem analysis of what happened.  If you all ask really nicely, I'll do one, and then you can just ignore all the others.

Now for the big announcement for which you've all been waiting (note, grammarians, the proper placement of the preposition in that construction):

If you're going to STAND, then you need to have two feet to do it effectively, and STAND now has two feet.  This one, here at Townhall, is going to continue to focus primarily on culture, politics, and the important issues of the day.  A second STAND has been inaugurated over at Blogspot, and it will focus more on issues directly related to faith and philosophy.  Obviously, there's going to be a lot of overlap between the two: they are both subsets of the same worldview.  STAND's central theme is that if you are living consistently, then everything in your life should be a subject to your core beliefs.  Come on over and see what I mean. 

The faith-based STAND is co-hosted by my wife Cecile, and some of you will like her more than you like me, and that's fine with me, because you know, I like her a lot too.  You'll also like a lot of the people you'll get to meet there.  And as always, let us know what you think - that's why we let people comment.  We want to hear from you -

- Keith