California’s problems absolutely are the result of Prop 13, and the requirement for a supermajority to pass any tax increase. If the Democratic majority in California actually had the power to run the state, they could have passed a very modest tax increase years ago and the states finances would be fine. It is the fact that an intransigent minority, in California, have the power to prevent the majority from governing that is the cause of the state’s problems.
It would be equally disastrous, incidentally, if there were a Republican majority in California and they were totally unable to balance the budget through drastic cuts in state services, because of an intransigent Democratic minority. The real issue is not which way the budget should be balanced, the point is that the state constitution has been set up so as to make the state ungovernable in an age of strong partisan ideologies.
Likewise, for the United States as a whole. The problem is essentially a constitutional one in which the government is prevented from taking the necessary decisive and timely action (and that is the case whichever side nominally runs the government, and whatever they believe the necessary action to be). A constitution designed by 18th century gentleman landowners who all shared a broadly common world view and understood the value of compromise (but were also neurotically scared that a strong executive branch or an elected majority would become evil tyrants like the demonized King George) simply does not work in the 21st century, where one party believes in science and math and reason (much as those 18th century gentlemen did), and the other believes in The Rapture (or, at least, depends for its political survival upon people who do).
So, as this is the pit, I will finish by saying: Fuck James Madison!
I must remind you that California reaped a budgetary windfall not all that long ago, and instead of saving for a rainy day, they spent it like a drunken sailor at a tittie bar. Don’t blame prop 13 for all the financial woes CA faces.
Prop 13 pushed California’s income from stable property tax, to wildly fluctuating sales and income tax.
The super-majority makes it difficult for either party to govern
And the legislature (which, by the way, consists of newbies thanks to term limits) is incapable of making tough decisions forced by 1 and 2, and has kicked the can down the road for 30 years.
That’s funny, I read something on r/conspiracy that was saying that Super Congress is just another step toward NWO and Illuminati takeover and all that jazz. Ahh, the internet is like a box of penny candy. It’s full of all different kinds of flavors, most of them being nutty.
Actually, no I don’t know what he is getting at other than trying to blame all the country’s problems on one political party. And, I am not trying to make the thread about “We got to beat them Democrats!” - I hate both parties equally.
Quite right. Yet for some reason you only call me on this?
“My” people?
Excuse me, but I had zero to do with anything the government is doing and I do not belong to any party. Also, you are now doing what you just told me was not the time and place for.
Snort. Obviously you have no idea what is going on here…
You can pinpoint the Enron and energy debacle in California for the states financial problems. They were financially pretty healthy until grand scale theft occurred.
That was just one of the killing blows, the other being the burst of the housing bubble. The problem is and always has been that too few pay too much in taxes to support too many.
I see there are others spouting off on our problems who also don’t know what they are talking about, such as we no longer require a supermajority and even if we did? Tax increases are the bleeding problem! :smack:
curlcoat, you do realize your favorite entitlement/benefit/government money is on the line, too, right? Or do you think that if they cut social security and/or disability for all the riff-raff you complain about that somehow you’ll be exempt? You won’t.
La la la la I can’t hear you! curlcoat embodies all that’s wrong with this country: empty unsubstantiated posturing with zero self-awareness. I knew you could do it curl: congratulations!
That was some fine analysis jsc. But don’t forget the fact that lots of spending is mandated by our 100+ interlocking initiatives passed since Prop 13. And don’t forget that you can amend the CA state constitution with spending requirements with a simple majority of voters - forever. Even the US Congress doesn’t have this power, since future Congresses can always over-ride previous Congresses.
Finally, don’t forget that during the 1990 recession, Republicans agreed to split the difference and raise taxes temporarily. And yes, the tax increase was actually reversed on schedule. But that was when grownups weren’t banned from the Republican Party.
CA has the most fucked up democratic structure in the world, bar none. True there are democracies with worse outcomes, but none have such convoluted red-tape and special interest encrusted procedures. But back in the 1970s CA was praised for their careful deliberation. The state has gone from best to worst in 2 generations.
We’ve been discussing budget cuts during the worst downturn since the Great Depression. Crack your macroeconomics textbook and discover that this is exactly backwards. We should be spending like drunken chimpanzees on infrastructure, research, and grants to the states so they won’t have to lay off firefighters, cops and teachers during the worst downturn since the Great Depression. After all, borrowing costs are at a record low.
Obama has dropped the ball by capitulating to the Republican’s brain dead and ignorant rhetoric. We need a tougher President: I should have voted for Hillary. I originally thought that the swamps would go nuts if a Clinton were elected again to the top office. I was misguided: Republican hysterics invent nonsense whenever a Democrat is President: prevarication is as natural to Republicans as moving their lips.
Well… there’s a 50-50 chance that a deal will be struck at the last minute. And a 50-50 chance after that of a deal after Wall Street swoons.
But there’s also a possibility that the Congressional Republicans will fail to see reason even by Aug 15th and that Obama will be so focused on post-partisanship that he won’t simply declare the debt limit unconstitutional, as per the 14th amendment, clause 4.
So, the answer is yes - you are that stupid. Nothing like showing everyone that you have no idea what you are talking about but boy, are you right there casting aspersions!
