government waste isn't the problem, voters are.

[themadscientist]

At least according to the LA Times.

California voters exercise their power -- and that's the problem

http://www.latimes.com/news/lo...story

Quote »Californians are well known for periodic voter revolts, but on Tuesday they did more than just lash out at Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Legislature over the state's fiscal debacle.

By rejecting five budget measures, Californians also brought into stark relief the fact that they, too, share blame for the political dysfunction that has brought California to the brink of insolvency.

Rightly or wrongly, voters in the special election refused either to extend new tax hikes or to cap state spending. They also declined to unlock funds that they had voted in better financial times to set aside for special purposes.[/quote]I think it's safe to say the media has felt they were superior to the rest of us, but I never expected such blatant admission of it.

So people decided they don't want to take up the slack for the government's excess, and that makes THEM the problem, not Sacramento; interesting.

California is a wacky state and all these ballot initiatives seem a bit excessive, but the government asked, now they know the answer. Good for Californians.

It has often been said that as goes California, so goes the nation, and that scares me most of the time. This, however, is something I would like to see California export. F-U, we ain't paying no more taxes!

Unfortunately, if the federal government bails California out, Californians are still going to pay up, just in federal tax increases vice state taxes. we all get to help too. Isn't that nice?

[HashiriyaS14]

Well, while I didn't follow the link, the quote says that the voters:

"Refused either to extend new tax hikes OR TO CAP STATE SPENDING".

They should have gone with the spending cap. The voters are, in effect (to my eyes, if I'm wrong, please tell me) saying that they want $100 worth of government services but are only willing to pay $25 for it (or whatever).

1+1 does not equal 3. These voters need to either cap spending or raise taxes. I'm in the "cap spending" camp, naturally.

[szh]

The problem was that the CAP on spending was not as simple as it first blush seemed. Yeah, it would have capped things for a year or two, but then the other provisions of each proposition would have kicked in - making the spending worse in later years.

That is why the voters rejected the blatant attempt by the politicians to pull the wool over their eyes.

They DID cap their salaries though!

Z

[HashiriyaS14]

The problem was that the CAP on spending was not as simple as it first blush seemed. Yeah, it would have capped things for a year or two, but then the other provisions of each proposition would have kicked in - making the spending worse in later years.

That is why the voters rejected the blatant attempt by the politicians to pull the wool over their eyes.

They DID cap their salaries though!

Z

^^Thanks for the detail, I appreciate the summary.