Proposition 50, a referendum on Trump

Notwithstanding messaging from the Republican Party, a "No" vote on Prop 50 is not about defending fair elections or maintaining their integrity. It is simply a vote for the wrong side of a referendum on the Trump administration. The current regime has a quadfecta; it controls the Executive, the House, the Senate, and the Supreme Court. If you like: · Having our country run by an unconstrained president who continues to show utter disregard for the Constitution and the rule of law, · Funding tax cuts for billionaires on the backs of those who depend on Medicaid, · The decimation of the civil service by Elon Musk and his programmer buddies, · The ongoing assault on the government by Project 2025 author Russell Vought, · Masked ICE agents taking US residents into custody without courtesy or due process, · The unwelcome injection of federalized National Guard troops into cities for the bogus reason of fighting urban crime, · Congress again being paralyzed and government workers again being furloughed, then vote "No" on Prop 50. No need to read any further. But if you would like a chance to break the quadfecta by gaining control of the House of Representatives, then vote "Yes" on Prop 50 because if it fails, we will endure another two years of the current chaos. If you've followed the debate on Prop 50 at all, you will know that Democrats proposed it ONLY to counter Trump's request that Texas redraw its congressional districts, mid-census, to gerrymander another five seats for the Republicans. Without any voter or bipartisan input, the Texas Legislature complied. If you've followed the issue, you will also know that Prop 50 proposes just a temporary change, with California's bipartisan commission taking charge again in 2032, after the next census. Ideally, the congressional districts of every state should be drawn once after each census by a bipartisan commission. If Texas had a bipartisan commission, Trump's request would not have been honored and Prop 50 would not be necessary. But to counter the nakedly partisan effort by Texan politicians to maintain control of the U.S. House of Representatives, despite the current regime's negative ratings, Prop 50 is needed. We need to vote "Yes." Jeffrey D. Roughgarden Auburn