Posted by
gov buster on Sunday, February 08, 2009 7:35:26 PM
Okay, when a state is out of money there are two options; raise taxes or cut spending. Sounds pretty simple doesn't it. So why are California and other states struggling with this? A quick referendum where the state's voters decide on which path to take would clear this up in a matter of weeks. Voters who vote for reduced spending could also choose the programs that they think should be cut from a list of the biggest state spending projects. That let's the politicians off the hook by letting their bosses (the voters) make the call.
This simple solution would work well if California's elected officials truly respected the thoughts and guidance of the electorate. But sadly, they don't. They believe that they are smarter than the voters and know best how to spend the voters' money. Allowing voters to actually decide on spending issues would put pet initiatives in jeopardy and reduce the power of the mighty elected ones. Democracy get tossed to the curb when its time to start spending.