Arnold should announce a plebiscite on the state government, in which every eligible voter is sent a one page piece of paper. On the front of the sheet it lists taxes, and asks what taxes should be created or increased. On the back, it shows itemized expenditures that can be legally cut.
The paper asks the voters to select what taxes to increase, and what cuts to make, until the total between the two pages is ZERO. It includes a stamped envelope with return postage.
Then, when all the idea are assembled, new taxes and program cuts are tallied with a simple majority. The legislature can vote up or down on the package, and Arnold will sign it if it passes.
If the public wants $20/gal gasoline, they get it. If they want the state to stop funding the universities, they get that, too.
“Arnold should announce a plebiscite on the state government...”
It would have the effect of serving notice, would it not? What if there were a plurality?