[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Brian Leubitz
Founder and Publisher
Calitics

By this time, I hope you've heard about Prop 98. But that's not the case everywhere, so much attention has been paid to getting the word out about the really negative effects that Prop 98 would have upon California. A great group of people came together to talk about the Landlords' Scheme to eliminate rent control, tenant protections, and affordable housing regulations.

Several folks came with cardboard boxes to make the point that many people living in rent controlled units would be forced to the streets. Many units would be converted to luxury condo conversion projects and housing supply in San Francisco would dwindle further. Affordable housing is already tough enough to come by (just look at Craigslist if you don't believe me), the last thing we need is Prop 98 eliminating much of the affordable supply.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Marty D. Omoto
Director/Organizer
California Disability Community Action Network

Policymakers often like to use words that make the world - as they hope we'll see it - better.

That is human nature and to some extent we all do that to mask or somehow hide unpleasant or bad news (like responding to a friend in need of exercise who asks how their brand new spandex exercise shorts look on them, though I suppose it depends on the friend).

It's like the proverbial story of a parent telling a child that the old family dog was taken to a farm out in the country so he can roam free and live (rather than being told unfortunately that he was "put down" or less delicately, put in a cardboard box and "killed" at the local vet's office. Either way, its hard to make that sound good).

One believes masking the truth of course, makes it easier on the child, though it is also done to make it easier on the person who is giving the news so that it doesn't sound so bad.

Likewise, use of different words can create an artificial reality that allow policymakers during a budget crisis to speak of unpleasant proposals, bad and even horrific ideas that one would normally dare not speak in public (never mind in church).