CA: (Sac Bee) Editorial - YES on Prop 56 - Loosen the supermajority straitjacket

Sac Bee ^ | 1/31/04 | Op/Ed

[NormsRevenge]

Remember how angry you were when the Legislature failed to pass a budget on time last summer? Maybe you were angry, too, about the late budget the summer before that.

How about in 2001 or 1998 or 1997 or 1996 or 1995 or any of the 22 times in the last 28 years that the Legislature missed its constitutional deadline for passing a state budget?

[NormsRevenge]

Tees up the ball. (ducks and covers) :-\

[NormsRevenge]

.

[Scenic Sounds]

OMG, not gridlock!!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

The Bold is your handiwork?

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

OK, I now understand!

[NormsRevenge]

At the heart of that broken system is a major flaw: California's constitution, almost uniquely among the states, requires a two-thirds vote in each house of the Legislature to pass the annual budget bill. Since it's rare for either major party to have a two-thirds majority, the supermajority requirement is a recipe for gridlock and partisan gamesmanship.

As frustrating as late budgets are, they aren't the worst consequences of the two-thirds rule. Over and over again, the two-thirds rule has yielded bad budgets with higher levels of spending than the majority wants, pork-barrel projects, special-interest tax breaks and red ink.

And to top it off, the two-thirds rule leaves neither party accountable for those bad results.

---

Methinks the Sac Bee is a wee bit more than duplicitous in the mess we are in as they have been one of the unwitting(?) proponents of more more more , more govt, more spending, more taxes, and in so doing, supportive of the runamuck liberal spending sprees that now hang like an albatross around this state's future, imo.

[NormsRevenge]

Yes, The Bold and underline are mine. The lies, spin and propaganda, unwitting or otherwise, are the Bee's .. ;-}

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Thanks!

[byteback]

NoBlankChecks.com

[jocko12]

VOTE NO ON 56.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Good one!

[hotpotato]

You answered my question before I asked it! I was wondering if this was the same proposition. What's with the republican reps not warning constituents about this already. If the democrats get this, it's Katie Bar the Door! There will be no end to tax increases and spending because spending is to be regulated by what is taken in if prop 58 passes... I think it's 58 with 57 being the $15B bond issue. I've been in CA almost 8 years now and it never ceases to amaze me how the people continue to vote in ways that are destroying this state.

[Capitalist Eric]

Ummm... I thought the 2/3 majority requirement was for raising taxes, not necessarily getting a budget passed...

Is my understanding of this incorrect, or is the Sac Bee publishing bovine excrement???

[hotpotato]

This is a great graphic but it really needs to identify which initiative. It won't be called "blank check" initiative, it will be called something like "balance the budget" initiative when voters see it on the ballot. Can you get the number of the initiative on there to start imprinting it on people's brains?

[hotpotato]

See post #9 I had the same question you did.

[Capitalist Eric]

The state’s largest coalition of taxpayers has united against the Blank Check Initiative because it would eliminate the 2/3rds legislative vote requirement for increasing state taxes.

So the Sacramento Bee is bull-sh*tting us...

'Nuff said.

[Amerigomag]

At the heart of that broken system is a major flaw: California's constitution, almost uniquely among the states, requires a two-thirds vote in each house of the Legislature to pass the annual budget bill.

The McClatchy machine at its finest.

...and yes Earnest, the bold type is mine.

[Lancey Howard]

As a result, the Legislature has failed to enact the spending cuts and tax increases needed to balance the budget

You had to read half the editorial to get there, but there it was. These simple scumbags at the Bee know full well that spending cuts don't happen. What they want are tax increases made easy. Now we will see exactly how stupid Californians are (or are not).

[Lancey Howard]

"California's constitution, almost uniquely among the states, requires a two-thirds vote in each house of the Legislature to pass the annual budget bill."

The above (complete) sentence was pulled verbatim from the editorial. Not to beat a dead horse or anything, but I would like to be crystal clear on this: The legislature can pass the annual budget bill with a simple majority as long as the budget bill does not include tax hikes, can it not?

The Sacramento Bee's editorial writer is shamelessly lying here, right?

Thank you.

[Amerigomag]

it will be called something like "balance the budget" initiative when voters see it on the ballot

Actually it will be titled the ...

"State Budget, Related Taxes, and Reserve. Voting Requirements. Penalties. Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute

... when it appears on the ballot. Imagine that!