Reasons to recommend

The Times has endorsed in Tuesday's election, as it does with each election, not for the purpose of telling voters to just trust us instead of thinking for themselves, but for the opposite reason -- to research the issues and think through each of the decisions the same way voters do (when they have the time and resources) and to offer our reasoning along with our conclusions. Over the last three months, we have rolled out our recommendations on most of the major ballot questions. Here's a recap of our analysis:

On bonds, it is useful to imagine the ballot as a trip to the supermarket with a shopping list and a credit card. Is the bond measure on the list -- the things we as a state have thought about and planned for -- or is it an impulse buy that plays to our appetites without feeding our needs?

Proposition 1A, which would authorize bonds for a high-speed rail system, looks a lot like an impulse buy but has long been planned as an integral part of an infrastructure program, alongside the measures for roads, bridges, schools, water projects and housing we approved two years ago. Similarly, Proposition 3 would shore up the state's network of children's hospitals that Californians will pay for -- now, in debt service with this bond issue, or later, with even higher payments to bail out the county hospitals that must handle juvenile patients if specialized children's hospitals can't do their jobs. Proposition 12 helps veterans buy homes and has virtually no effect on the state budget because the mortgage payments pay off the debt. So, although we are skeptical about bonds, The Times is ready to support propositions 1A, 3 and 12.

As for local bonds, Measure Q, a $7-billion school bond, is more a grab-bag crafted for political needs than smart planning for education. Voters should skip it and let the schools put forward a more responsible bond for the next trip to the store. Measure J, a community college bond, is a better deal and deserves support. On taxes, the additional half-cent sales tax contemplated by Measure R may hurt, but not as much as doing without the transportation projects it will provide. Los Angeles Measure A, a parcel tax for anti-gang programs, would undermine the city's progress on contract oversight.