Propositions and proposals are your voice

Frontiersman editorial board

Very soon now we'll be at the polls for the last major event in this year's election cycle. Most of the attention, as is usually the case, has been focused upon candidates. It's important to remember that there is much more than just the open seats to consider. The Frontiersman has been running a series relating to the ballot measures and proposals to be considered by voters on Nov. 12. In this issue readers will find an article about Proposition B on page A3.

Ballot measures and proposals, while they don't often get as much attention as candidates, may actually represent the voters' best opportunity to directly participate in the process. We vote for candidates based largely upon what they say during campaigns, and that may not always be as informative as we'd like. Candidates make promises and commit to philosophies that may not pan out after they're elected. Sometimes that's because they discover there are roadblocks in place before they even get started, and sometimes it's because they had other ideas in mind to begin with.

Bond issues, and other propositions are what they are. They don't have their own agendas. They don't make promises they can't, or don't intend to, keep. The intent of those bond proposals and propositions is written in permanent ink. Do you think we need to spend more on roads or schools, and are you willing to make the sacrifices it will require to do so? Should we move the capital to the Valley -- by way of Anchorage as some opponents like to point out -- or should it stay where it is? That's it.

The beauty of those kinds of choices is that they are a great barometer of our values and priorities. If you live in a place where the majority of education bonds pass, politicians who are paying attention will recognize that education is a priority for them. If most of the education bonds fail, but infrastructure bonds get a lot of support, politicians can give more attention to growth and transportation issues.

These choices are the best way for voters to voice their concerns with a ballot. Understand the propositions on this year's ballot, and make choices that matter to you. Most importantly, don't listen to the rhetoric about the choices you have. A politician who opposes spending as a rule will often oppose bond issues as a rule. Take the time to understand the long-term effects of those bonds. Sometimes a little spending now can actually save money later. On the other hand, spending simply for its own sake can leave us unable to deal with real problems when they arise.

We have to make those decisions, and understanding what's really at stake is the only way to do that well.

Tell your representatives what you think. After all, that's what they're supposed to think, too.