Ballot will determine your legacy
By: GARY KNIGHT - For the North County Times

On Nov. 7, those who have the right to vote will have an opportunity to cast our ballots on how we will be governed and taxed in the future. Many of the items we will be asked to vote on are the result of legislation created in 1911 called the California Ballot Initiative. California uses the direct initiative process, which enables voters to bypass the Legislature and put an issue of concern directly on the ballot for voter approval or rejection.

As citizens, we will also be asked to consider a number of new bond measures that will allow the government to tax us to raise funds for various causes. What a wonderful country, we have a choice!

Now for the real topic of this month's "Economic Chatter": What is our destiny, and what will be our legacy? The word "destiny" has in its root the same meaning as our word destination, which means, "The place where one is going or is sent," or, "The purpose for which something is destined." Each of us makes choices, individually or collectively, that determine outcomes and shape our destiny. Most of our decisions have only minor consequences, but some will have an impact for years, if not for our entire lives. Destiny is our future and the path we will follow.

Legacy, on the other hand, refers to "anything handed down from the past or bequeathed." Legacy is that which we leave behind and reflects our past. Another way to look at legacy is that which will be inherited by our descendents, such as a million dollars or an old moose head.

On the first Tuesday in November, we will vote and choose our future path, and by doing so, we will determine what will be inherited by those who will follow. My goal with this article is not to influence your vote in a particular way, but to encourage you to take seriously the impact of the decisions you make by exercising your freedom to vote.

You will decide issues of housing, transportation, air and water quality, education, health care and personal rights. Many of the ballot measures will ask you to increase the taxes you pay to fund the various projects. Please don't treat all of these measures the same and decide to vote all "yes" or all "no." Each deserves your scrutiny and serious consideration, because the choices you make will shape your destiny and determine your legacy.

Gary Knight is president and chief executive officer of the San Diego North Economic Development Council in San Marcos. Contact him at (760) 598-9311 or www.sdnedc.org.