Washington State Legislature heed this warning: As California goes, so goes the the nation
Posted by Scott "The Piper" St. Clair - May 26, 2009Last week well over 4 million Californians went to the polls to pass judgement on six ballot propositions on issues ranging from education, children's services, and mental health funding; modernizing the state lottery; improving the states "Rainy Day" fund; and freezing elected officials' salaries during budget deficit years.
Of the six, five went down to such crushing defeats that calling it a case of electoral genocide may not be far off the mark. The only one to pass was Prop 1F, the measure that called for holding the line on compensation for elected officials.
The margins of defeat ranged from 62.2 percent to 66.4 percent against the measures. The lone victor passed by 74.1 percent.
A quick scan through county-by-county results on a couple of the losers showed them getting thumped in every county in the state. No support, no positive traction from anyone - nothing but outright and absolute repudiation.
Shades of Proposition 13, the 1978 measure that limited California property taxes to 1 percent of the value of the property. Prop 13 passed by 64.8 percent of the vote, and is credited with being the granddaddy of the tax revolt movement.
Anyone see a pattern emerging here?
Since what happens two states south of the Evergreen State often establishes a trend that eventually wends its way north, members of the Washington State Legislature ought to follow these election results closer than a dull razor on a pock-marked cheek. The clear message is that a similar fate probably awaits any such measures put by them before the voters.
Each California proposition passed the State Assembly (that's what they call the legislature down there) overwhelmingly, with some failing to garner any opposition at all. Talk about clueless elected officials!
D'oh!
As for the politicians who supported the tax-increase measures? They'll have to face their constituents and run on their records. I wonder how many of them will like getting booted out of office by a margin of defeat as solid as the ones for the measures they supported?
Washington State Legislature...Are you listening???
The Piper
Thoughts? Add Comment -
Sue Lani Madsen said on May 27 2009 at 1:12am
The results in California also show a profound distrust of the "special tax/special fund" shell game which our own Legislature uses freely. We need to build our budget by starting from the priorities and determining what we really need to be buying and balancing it against what we can afford.
Which is a smarter way to stay out of budget trouble - going to the grocery store with an itemized, prioritized list and a balanced checkbook, or wandering the aisles hungry with a no limit credit card? The voters of California just clamped down on the credit card.