Schools or  Mental health? Nah.

But elected officials pay?

Now you’re talking! Voters know what’s important.

Not to dwell too much on the inconsequential. But the American Idol vote and the California vote do point out the same problem.

What do the voters know?

When you leave it up to the people,  imperfect democracies becomes even more imperfect. Nice gimmick, letting the people decide. But in the end, are the people, or at least those who turn out to vote, any better than your elected representative?

Seems like California;s problems began when the state veered from a representative democracy to include  the initiative process and direct democracy.

Sounds great, but you end up with a hodge podge of policies  swayed by the political flavor of the day. Where’s the long range vision? You can’t have any with term limits and hamstrung budgets with their 2/3rds majority requirement, all a direct result of letting the voters take policy matters into their own hands.

If you don’t live in the state and are all too happy to let California fall, consider that it is only one-tenth of the national population, and merely the 8th largest economy in the world.

If California fails,  everyone in the country  will feel it to some degree.

The answer, unfortunately, is more federal money and  more borrowing. Still,  all that does not make the state whole. It just  means the state can afford to cut less.

But when you’re already down to the bone, the decision comes down to which do I need more, my left leg or my right?

Hands down, Adam Lambert has been the most talented performer to emerge from this season’s cast.  The guy is s Freddie Mercury and Ethel Merman’s love child. (Imagine that one for a minute).

But I’m just not sure if America is ready to vote for such an openly gay idol.

It shouldn’t matter, of course. Ask Sir Elton John how its hurt his career.

But Adam seems to have been  hit by a sudden rise in the appreciation of Arkansas troubadour Kris Allen. To be fair, Kris is a gifted singer in his own right, just not the best.

Throughout the entire season,  no one has quite dominated like Adam. He’s has been a mountain of talent next to some nice little musical molehills.  He’s been so far ahead of the pack, Adam’s been the show’s Rachel Alexandra, by golly.

In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s toned it down a bit for prime-time.

But leaving it up to a fan’s vote makes it questionable whether he will be fairly  rewarded for his domination this year.

Adam deserves to win tonight.

If Adam doesn’t and Kris wins by a slight margin, it won’t be because Kris was more talented.  Chalk it up to good old fashioned American homophobia.  From gay marriage to gays in the miltary, we know it’s there. Why should “American Idol” be immune?