PRICE OF DEMOCRACY… Squid knows democracy isn’t free. That said, it normally isn’t as expensive as a home in Pebble Beach.

The redistricting measure that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and others hope will qualify for the November ballot is approaching such costs. Schwarzenegger recently contributed another $700,000 to get it on the ballot, bringing his total donations to the measure to $1.26 million, making the guv the largest donor to the campaign. The measure, sponsored by California Common Cause, would take the power to draw legislative and Board of Equalization districts out of the hands of state lawmakers. Instead, a 14-member citizens panel, composed of five Democrats, five Republicans and four declined-to-state members would draw the boundaries.

But despite the $2.14 million supporters have spent to get the measure on the ballot, it’s struggling on the streets, says Blockbuster Democracy blogger Joe Mathews. People still are gathering signatures for the measure, and Mathews reports the price per signature is rising from $2 to $2.25. “The price increase suggests that the redistricting initiative is still seriously short of signatures, and time is short to get the measure qualified,” he writes. In other words, democracy is profitable, too.

OH BABY… Squid is really good at giving advice. It’s an uncommon quality.

Squid recently discovered a place where advice about sex, health and pregnancy is freely imparted by Monterey’s Compassion Pregnancy Center & Clinic. Regrettably, they don’t stop there.

Their website’s mission statement strikes a decidedly spiritual tone by promising “the unconditional love of Jesus Christ.” The center encourages pregnant single women to give motherhood a go on their own, offering this U.S. Census Bureau statistic as reassurance that they are not alone: From 1970 to 2000, single mothers increased from 3 million to 10 million. Their advice to the men: “If she truly is pregnant then she is already being overwhelmed by hormone changes that hinder her from making good decisions.”

Squid found most of this questionable advice mildly amusing, then saw that something must’ve hindered the center from making a good decision themselves. Their URL sits on a right-to-life directory of the Southern Party of Georgia (spofga.org) website, which is prominently emblazoned with Confederate flags, and touts a political aspirant who bemoans “40-plus years of unabated federal encroachment on the States” (Southern code for “the feds made us treat blacks like citizens”).

Here’s some advice from a pro: Stick to the pregnancy tests and doctor exams. And pay attention to who you jump in bed with.