california

 

written by my sister

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Once upon a time there was a state and her name was California. She smelled of honeysuckle and oranges. She was a happy and bright state. Everyone who came was impressed with her beauty and she soon became known as the Golden State. Decades passed and this dear old California began to feel weathered and worn. She loved all her people, but through the years sensed a change. It was a gradual change, but it was not for the better. It was an unhealthy change full of money and greed. It was polluted air and poisoned children. It was innocent deaths and costly consequences. And it broke Mother Earth's heart to see her sweet California suffer so. But then one day there was an opportunity! A chance for her people to bring back her smile! She silently pleaded for good to prevail. For a healthier future with clean air and a cure! A cure for a disease that takes HALF of her people!! She waited and waited until she heard the results and then beamed inside when her people came through. For now money would be spent in all the right places and children were given a chance to be kids. Clean air was abundant, healthy people were thriving and California, once again, became happy and bright.

Californians for a Cure. Yes on Prop 29.

positive

image from here

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I have often had to remind myself of this exact mantra. Stay Positive! I haven't been able to find how Prop 29 is looking in the polls. Fingers crossed we can inch in to a win. Just over a week away...

boom

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Primaries are in one week!! JUNE 5th.

Some people may still not know about Prop 29! Everyone is busy...it takes literally a minute to write an email, text, blog, FB status, tweet or pin that you will be voting YES on Prop 29. Add a $1 tax to every pack of cigarettes sold and that additional money will go directly to cancer research.

Please don't read this and go on doing what you will do next. Choose to act.

Boom.

freedom

quote from here

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Hope everyone is enjoying their Memorial Day! I am so happy I live in a place allows for freedom to vote and voice our opinions how we would like. This blog has been a good reminder of just that.

Enjoy your day off and have a safe, happy holiday.

lindsey

image from here

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There can be no words for this post. I am voting Yes for my cousin Lindsey.

Yes for a cure for something that should never, ever take the life of someone you love.

smoke

image from here

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If only I could push second-hand smoke away just like in this picture. But I cannot. Did you know that researchers have no idea how long second hand smoke stays in the air? Scary. This goes beyond eliminating it from restaurants and planes. We need to eliminate it from our state.

The first way to do this is raise the tax (Vote Yes on 29) on cigarettes to show Big Tobacco we don't want them around.

truth

This video is too good not to share. This is what a Big Tobacco commercial would look like without all their lies.

tobacco

We can do this. We can help make Prop 29 pass. And here is why we should:

+ The tobacco industry creates and markets a product that, when used as directed, will kill one out of two regular smokers prematurely.
+ The tobacco industry adjusts the nicotine levels in cigarettes to make it harder for you to quit.
+ The tobacco industry adds ammonia to tobacco to speed up the nicotine hit to your brain.
+ The tobacco industry needs new smokers to replace those who quit or die, so they advertise. They spent over $12 billion marketing their products nationwide in 2006 - that's $42 for every man, woman and child accounted for in the U.S. Census.*

Please don't let Tobacco continue to market to our children. Our future. Yes on 29!


^{* facts from here}

sail

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Two weeks from today! We are two weeks out from California's June 5th primaries. I encourage everyone to use their voice and proclaim their Yes on 29 vote somewhere today.

Did you know? Worldwide, it is estimated that 1.69 billion pounds of cigarette butts end up as waste each year. A study conducted by the California Department of Transportation found that cigarette butts make up 34 percent of the total waste captured in California.*

So, if a cure for cancer isn't your number one priority for voting yes on 29, make it about a healthier state! A cleaner state. In another way than just air quality. A cleaner California begins with less cigarettes around.

* via Tobacco Free California

everyone

image from here

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Research shows that one cigarette has up to 70 cancer-causing chemicals in it.

The California Air Resources Board classified secondhand smoke as a "Toxic Air Contaminant" in the same category as asbestos, cyanide and arsenic - all of which can lead to serious illness and death.

[Second hand smoke] can stay in the air long after a cigarette has been put out and can be involuntarily inhaled by nonsmokers.

The US Surgeon General says there is NO safe level of exposure to second-hand smoke.*

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I don't think anyone realizes how much second-hand smoke one can inhale in a single day. One afternoon at Disneyland can equate to smoking 1 cigarette yourself just through second-hand smoke. The facts are so clear and available for everyone! Please spread your Yes vote so we can make it known to Tobacco that they are not welcome in our lives.

*all facts directly from Tobacco Free California website

paradox

My husband is in Business school right now. Upon hearing about Prop 29 I wanted to get involved somehow. And he had just read this paradox in his studies. He shared it with me and that night I started this blog.

The Stockdale paradox received it's name from a Jim Stockdale who was a US military officer in the Vietnam war. He was held captive for eight years. One can only imagine the intense torture Stockdale underwent as a prisoner of war. During that eight years he watched his fellow comrades cling to hope as a way to escape their pain. He noted that the most optimistic POW's died. It is said, "...they died of a broken heart."

The optimists failed to look reality in the face. They couldn't handle the reality. However, Stockdale saw the reality he faced on daily (hourly?) basis and worked to do something about it. He "...he stepped up and did everything he could to lift the morale and prolong the lives of his fellow prisoners. He created a tapping code so they could communicate with each other. He developed a milestone system that helped them deal with torture. And he sent intelligence information to his wife, hidden in the seemingly innocent letters he wrote."

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How can the Stockdale paradox be likened to Yes on 29? Any effort to raise the tax on cigarettes has failed the past fourteen times on California ballot initiatives. I have not done anything to change that. I figured it was time. It is a reality I have faced the past three months that this might not pass. I am not overly optimistic that it will pass this time. But, here is to hoping. Hoping that what I have been doing will make a dent in an effort to create change.

Yes on 29. Yes on 29. Please share it: Yes on 29 come June 5th!

rights

image from here

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Quote from Dr. Suess book Yertle the Turtle.  One of my girls favorites! I love Dr. Seuss and the fundamental morals he weaves into stories.

When I read this book a few weeks ago though I couldn't stop thinking of how it applies to Prop 29. We are voting for our children! We are voting for the little people that will run our country, our world, some day. If we can do anything right, it is create a safer place for them to live. One that will make tobacco less available to them while simultaneously making the air cleaner.

Lives will be saved and enriched with a Yes vote on 29!

nicotine

This video takes 26 seconds to watch. We have the seven captains of the Tobacco industry lying under oath claiming nicotine is "not addictive."

A No vote supports them. When have they ever had our state's (let alone our personal) interest in mind? Any propaganda they shew at us is for their monetary gain.

View the spending on Prop 29 thus far. 

text

Texting while driving takes lives. It is clearly a danger not only to yourself, but other people on the road. In 2008 California passed a law stating that texting and driving is illegal. To read the exact details of texting laws, read the law here.

And yet. Somehow Tobacco found a way to loophole their way through the system. [Ahem] They use their $ to buy legislation.

Tobacco is clearly a danger for yourself and other people. It kills more people than texting while driving!

But just like the cancer warning on packs of tobacco, logic is tossed to the wayside and we go on doing what we know is not good for us - all under the heading of, "It's my life and I can darn well do what I want with it."*

Guess what though, it's not only your life. It's not only your world. We shape the world we want for our children. And for me? That means pricing them out of the market. Ban them. Make them illegal. I'll settle for a $1 tax on cigarettes by voting Yes on 29.


*quote

world

Change The World ticket available here.

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Your ticket to change the world. Now listen up, here is how:

Studies show that when cigarettes taxes rise, smoking rates drop. Of course. But, somehow Big Tobacco has been able to keep the tax on cigarettes within the state of California at a national low. So, it is our turn to show Big Tobacco that we are done with them. We have a voice. And we will use it.

1. Change your profile picture across your social media sites with a Yes on 29 graphic. Here is one that I have made available for you. Or a photo of you in your t-shirt! We are three weeks out from the primaries on June 5th!

2. Use whatever means of social media you prefer and make it known. Let your friends know you are voting Yes on California Prop 29. Update your status, tweet, blog, pin, gram, etc.

It will spread. Last I read Yes on 29 was behind in the polls. But! The doctor seen on tv (Dr. LaDonna Porter) standing in for Big Tobacco has resigned from the state health advisory board. And Big Tobacco has removed the ad from television. High five!

disturb

Are these photos disturbing to you at all? It repulses me. Found here, extremely controversial photos taken by Belgian photographer Frieke Janssens

The fact remains that children smoke and the number is not declining. 88% of smokers started before they were 18 years old. But, things would change with a Yes vote on prop 29.

Raising the cost of a pack of cigarettes $1 per pack is projected to:

• stop 228,000 Californian kids from smoking
• avoid 22,300 smoking-affected births over the next five years
• nearly 1 in 3 kids who smoke will die from tobacco-related diseases
• If youth remain smoke-free until the age of 26, less than 1% ever start

Prop 29 is a vote for our future. For the world our children will grow and know so well. Let us set the precedent now for them.

*The children were not actually smoking in these photos. The photographs were created using chalk and cheese sticks to mirror a cigarette. Incense and candles were used to create the look of smoke.

quinoa

Quite possibly the best recipe I have found on Pinterest. Originally found here.

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Wrap this quinoa-black bean filling in flour tortillas and serve with your choice of all the usual fajita toppings: sliced avocado
, tomatoes, bell peppers, sour cream
, grated cheese, sliced red onion.

1 cup quinoa
Salt
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 large garlic cloves
1 large handful of cilantro leaves
about a cup ¼ cup fresh lime juice
Ground black pepper
¼ cup extra virgin coconut oil (I used safflower oil)

Bring 2 cups of water, the quinoa, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until water is absorbed and quinoa is tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Along with black beans, place quinoa into a serving bowl. Meanwhile, mince garlic and cilantro in food processor. Add lime juice and a light sprinkling of salt and pepper; process to combine.

Add [coconut] oil; process again to combine. Because quinoa is like a sponge and absorbs the dressing quickly, toss the quinoa and black beans with the dressing right before serving for boldest flavor.

Serve warm.

7.0

Another fact about Prop 29. The opposition will lead you to believe that Yes on 29 takes money out of California's General Monetary Fund. Tobacco says, "[California] can't afford another costly bureaucracy...another new spending program."

Since when does Tobacco have our state's welfare at heart? 

1. All research done in conjunction with cancer research will be fully funded by the $1 tax on every pack of cigarettes. Money will not be taken away from schools. Even the California Superintendent of Public School Tom Torlakson and California's PTA is supporting a Yes vote! 

2. Tobacco companies (the opposition) compare Yes on 29 to high speed rail and stem cell research, which take money out of California's state budget. Again, the money from a yes vote will come directly from a $1 tax on a pack of cigarettes. The national average for cigarette tax is $1.47. California is way behind with a $0.87 tax.

The entire cost of Yes on 29 will be funded by the smokers who purchase cigarettes. A USER FEE if you want to put it simply.


There you go...two ways to refute what Tobacco wants you to believe. Go and spread it this weekend and have a happy, happy Mother's day!

emerge

image from Tobacco Free California 

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I could not figure out how to embed this video. Please, please watch it here.

[California was first to outlaw smoking on airplanes and first to have smoke-free restaurants. 

And yet...tobacco kills more people than AIDS, drugs, alcohol, murder and car crashes COMBINED.]

Vote for our children. Vote for a better future. Vote Yes on California Prop 29.

criticize

I needed this today. Turns out not everyone thinks that raising the tax on cigarettes by $1 is an ingenious idea (read this article and leave a comment supporting YES on 29 please). And they are believing the lies tobacco creates.

Two weeks ago the President of the California Medical Association said,


As the President of the California Medical Association (CMA), which represents 35,000 physicians in all modes of practice and specialties across California, I join my colleagues in expressing disappointment with the television and radio advertising currently on the air suggesting that physicians oppose Proposition 29. That is simply not true.
Earlier this year, CMA’s 50 member Board of Trustees voted without objection to support Prop 29 because our organization strongly believes in protecting public health. This initiative will provide vital funding to make advances in the prevention, detection and treatment of cancer, heart disease and other smoking-related illnesses – all goals California doctors fully support.

Use common sense - tobacco companies stand to lose billions of dollars - do you really think they won't pull out all the stops trying to confuse and deceive voters?  Prop. 29 makes sense in every aspect.  Anyone posting messages to the contrary should clearly make reference to the actual full legal text of Prop 29, rather than making vague and clearly incorrect statements about its intentions and how the cancer research will be funded.

 Do what is right in this election. Vote for a cure. Vote to keep cigarettes away from our children. Vote to raise the price of cigarettes and lower the amount of second hand smoke in California. Vote YES on Prop 29!

6.0

Recently a television ad was released featuring Howard Jarvis, the president of the California Taxpayer Association.

He urges voters to vote no on prop 29.

I have a few things to say about this. First, do some research on Jarvis. He is a smoker himself and was paid for by Big Tobacco to stand in the commercial. The California Taxpayer Association has long been in cahootz with Big Tobacco. Also, as a member of the Taxpayer Association he is going to resist any rise in taxes, even if it does not affect the majority of Californians. Did you know the majority of Californians do not smoke? He suggests that every Californian will be affected by the $1 additional tax.

Not true!

Unless you are buying cigarettes you will never feel the monetary affects of the higher tax.

As a bonus to everyone though, when Prop 29 does pass more research will lead to a better treatment and hopefully a cure. And then you will be extremely proud you voted Yes on 29!

time

image from pinterest

And that is true. But, readers/followers/supporters we don't have very much time left. California primaries are on June 5th (!) That is under one month away. If social media can be used, let it be used here and spread it like wildfire.

California has not raised the taxes on a cigarettes in the past ten years. Gasp! That's completely ridiculous to me. Why is it not happening? Because Big Tobacco feels the need to pump millions of dollars to defeat any hope of raising the price on it's poison. California is one of only THREE states in the US to not raise taxes on cigarettes in the past ten years.

For what a health-conscious state California is, why are we behind on it? Because Tobacco thinks legislation can be bought. Earlier this year they approached a cardiologist to speak for tobacco and No on 29. He upheld his Hippocratic Oath and declined. Instead Tobacco went with the only other doctor they could find (same one as 2006) Dr. LaDonna Porter. See the commercial below and how Big Tobacco construes prop 29 in their favor.



We are better than that. A $1 increase on a pack of cigarettes is about time. Put it towards a cure for cancer? Needed much sooner than later! Yes on 29.

overview

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I have included a short bullet list of why I am supporting Yes on 29. This is what I try to quickly tell people when I start talking about Prop 29. Almost everyone has seen the television ads paid for by Big Tobacco. You will see more, gear up for it. They just spent another $20 million in tv ads to defeat it (filled with lies and loopholes).

1. The money does stay in California (section 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3 in the initiative text, read here)
2. You will not ever be affected by the tax unless you buy a pack of cigarettes (contrary to what Howard Jarvis, President of the California Taxpayer Association would lead you to believe. Sidenote: he is a smoker himself)
3. The additional money ($735 million/year) made from Prop 29 does go directly to cancer research. The entire ballot initiative states this repeatedly, read the prop for yourself.
4. Tobacco related illnesses kills more people than HIV, drugs, murder, car crashes COMBINED.
5. You pay $613/year in health care costs for tobacco related illnesses. It is time smokers started to pay for that themselves.
6. California has not raised taxes on cigarettes in the past decade. It is one of three states that has the lowest tax on cigarettes in the country.
7. The California Medical Association, American Cancer Society, American Lung Association, American Heart Association, Livestrong, Tobacco Free Kids, California State Board of Education, Superintendent over California Schools, California PTA and more all support Yes on 29. (Look at the companies that support No on 29...gah! Big Tobacco and convenience stores like 7-Eleven and AM/PM, the largest retailers of cigarettes.)

I can't do this on my own. None of us can. Big Tobacco is too big. And too rich. It needs to be done by all of us. By the people, in the most grassroots type of way. Social media is our only tool to spread it faster than television ads. Please do this!

do

Over the weekend my daughters and I went to the library. We checked out Imogene's Last Stand. It is one of the best books I have ever read to them. The text and illustrations show how strong one person can be (no matter the age) in creating change. If you are looking for a book to encourage a smart, courageous and confident daughter (or son), get it. I guarantee you will feel the same.

If you do not normally like opening your mouth about politics, think again about Yes on 29. Unless you back Big Tobacco, there is nothing but good that can come from it. I encourage you to simply make a statement through email, wearing a t-shirt, updating a Facebook status, blogging, pinning, tweeting, or instagram that you will be voting Yes on Prop 29. For a healthier state.

This is not an issue split down party lines. It is a health initiative and a way to stand up to Big Tobacco.

cinco

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I hope everyone has a happy weekend. If you go to a Cinco De Mayo party, might I suggest bringing up Prop 29? And explain why you are voting yes on 29: (It will be exactly one month away from the Primaries on June 5th!)

It is a $1 tax on a pack of cigarettes. So unless you are actually buying cigarettes you will NEVER feel the affects of the increase.

It will be the first rise in cigarette price in the last decade (!!).

It will keep children away from not only cigarettes, but second hand smoke too.

The money made from the $1 increase will go straight to California's top universities for cancer research (section 2 of the prop)

A yes vote provides hope for finding a CURE for cancer, through cancer research.

possible

image from here.

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Can I honest? Prop 29 may not pass. The past fourteen attempts to raise the price of cigarettes has failed.

Tobacco companies are SO big, spend SO much money and tell SO many lies. Just this weekend a friend texted me telling me she watched a commercial saying the money wouldn't stay in California. (?!?)

I quickly cleared up any confusion, with supporting facts directly found in the ballot. Read section 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3 to find that the money will be staying in California! If Yes on 29 wins it will be through grassroots efforts; from the people of California.

Please share it. Please be part of it. And thank you to anyone that has and continues to do so!

county

poster from here.

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Whether you are from Nor Cal or So Cal, Humboldt County or San Diego County let's UNITE and vote for a healthier state. Vote for a cure. Californians for a cure.

I love the state of California, lived here for most of my life. I would love to see our state find a cure for cancer!

5.0

Fact 5.0 about Yes on 29 is needed today. Yesterday was a GREAT day sharing t-shirts and talking to people about the proposition. There were a few people though that seemed to be believing the lies fed by Big Tobacco companies. So, to clarify any misconceptions here is 5.0 packed with facts and figures for you:)

Recently a television ad aired featuring a so-called "doctor" dressed in a white coat telling voters that none of the money made from Prop 29 will actually go to cancer research.

To anyone that believes this, I urge you to read the ballot initiative for yourself. The ad (paid for by Tobacco companies) is a lie. It states in the second paragraph that the money made off a $1 tax on a pack of cigarettes will go directly to cancer research. AND cancer research will be performed at California's top universities. Please do your own research. Once you do, I am confident you will know Yes on 29 is the correct vote.

Yesterday the San Francisco Chronicle came out in support of a Yes vote on Prop 29. Read the entire article here. My favorite part though? Directly from the article:

It's amazing how many deceptions can be packed into 30 seconds. For starters, the implication that physicians oppose Prop. 29 drew immediate repudiation from the president of the California Medical Association, who urged voters to "see past the smokescreen of Big Tobacco." ... Our Legislature has shown no willingness to take on Big Tobacco, which has co-opted enough allies to reject any new tax measure.
...Prop. 29 is a well-crafted measure that will save lives. Voters should approve it. 


Applaud now:)