01-20-2008, 02:38 PM
rbbyrd definitely has it right that California is screwed up, in large measure due to the initiative process. Prop. 13 was good in that it kept old people from being taxed out of their own homes, but that was just the beginning of a cascade of mandatory spending initiatives and tax- and fee-reduction initiatives. They don't add up to a balanced budget, as you can see here:
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/sund...y?ctrack=1&cset=true
That's not why I'm bailing out in two years, but it certainly has shown me that if given the choice by initiative ballot, large majorities of both Democrats and Republicans will vote (have voted) to lower their taxes while at the same time insisting on higher services from the public sector.
There's a lot of discussion here on Punaweb about limiting growth, limiting tourism, etc. I have my own thoughts, but I don't have any answers. If California is any example, I don't think legislation by voter initiative has worked very well, by many measures.
How do I know?
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/sund...y?ctrack=1&cset=true
That's not why I'm bailing out in two years, but it certainly has shown me that if given the choice by initiative ballot, large majorities of both Democrats and Republicans will vote (have voted) to lower their taxes while at the same time insisting on higher services from the public sector.
There's a lot of discussion here on Punaweb about limiting growth, limiting tourism, etc. I have my own thoughts, but I don't have any answers. If California is any example, I don't think legislation by voter initiative has worked very well, by many measures.
How do I know?
Aloha! ;-)