California spits at its leaders

It seems those few who voted, voted against most of the propositions that were the content of yesterday's special election.

Of course the blame game is raging today. Voters are blamed for wanting services without wanting to pay for them (imho, this is the legacy of a part of voodoo economics; the idea that cutting taxes somehow generates enough new income to pay for the services the taxes used to pay for. Voters were promised this WOULD happen and are no longer used to paying for what they wish to receive from their government.)

There is the usual bitter liberal-bashing from the fanatically anti-tax as well as the blame-it-all-on-the-illegals contingent.

There is some evidence that illegal immigrants make a net positive contribution to government revenue. I think we need to find out for certain if this is the case before making policy concerning them. I don't see what the problem is with deporting the ones who have committed major crimes, however.

As for prisoners in general, can't we send minor offenders home with ankle bracelets instead of paying for three hots and a cot for each?

I personally am ok with legalizing marijuana, since the demand for it never seems to go away, and therefore we may as well get the tax money for it and take some of the easy money away from criminal gangs. However, I don't think children should have to be exposed to it in their homes or that anyone should have to endure smoke in public (FWIW I feel the same about tobacco.) License its use to places which get permits for it. Some of us are allergic! and we also don't want anyone to be trying to drive a car with a "contact high."

I know this is heresy but I'm ok with cutting some school days. I don't remember having so many school days in my youth. It would be better than teacher layoffs. I do think our schools need a review of their administrative expenses.

Selling our state assets seems a bit silly. Once gone you can't get them back.

It's time for a lot of freebies in Sacramento to be curbed (cars and other perks) if only to help people feel that they are not tightening their belts at a time when their representatives are not. And I think elected officials should have to face the same health insurance market citizens and their employers have to face.

As for state workers, we need to remember that massive layoffs will only result in further economic contraction. Some of those workers are your customers, business owners! We could look at reforming the pension system and trimming salary/benefits at the top levels.

Citizens might be willing to bear a temporary burden of modest tax increase but only if they are certain the money is going to reduce the deficit and/or the state debt. One problem with the current crop of propositions is that more borrowing was suggested. The costs of borrowing, and the state's bottom-of-the-barrel credit rating, are one of the things that are worrying people. Our taxpayers at this point would probably rather ask for a legislature which served for free on weekends and did not get paid rather than finance any more borrowing!

Some structural reform is needed. Past propositions have hamstrung the budget in various ways. But this has to be explained clearly to the people in a nonpartisan manner. The 2/3 requirement to pass a budget has to go. It is silly to pay legislators all year to do little more than argue about the budget.

I am not sure the Prop. 13 tax savings should have applied to commercial property, although the only way to rescind this would probably have to be a slow process done in stages due to the weakness of the economy.

I would like us to consider making an affordable health insurance available for small businesses, including one-person businesses. We need to increase employment to get out of the death spiral of job cuts, contraction, lower state tax revenues received, more job cuts...

Most people probably are willing to temporarily pay a small amount more in taxes and user fees, if they don't have the radical right screaming that they don't really have to, and also have some reductions in services.

Life-saving services such as health care, firefighting, police really should be off of the chopping block, in a sane world. And the very poor should be left alone, unless you want more desperate homeless people and/or to have killed some vulnerable citizens to pass the damn budget. A courageous and moral leader has to come right out and say this to voters.

But likewise, taxpayers' money has to be carefully accounted for, to prove that it is going for necessities rather than bloat or incompetence, and to reduce deficit and debt. Or the votes are always going to be "NO."