Public Mood on Budget Demands Statewide ReformPaul Hogarthbyline‚ Jan. 30‚ 2009Because Governor Schwarzenegger is impotent at brokering a budget, the state will be out of money on February 1st – and will start issuing I.O.U.’s. That means no tax rebates, no financial aid and no other means of assistance. Now we are looking at a statewide special election to get out of this mess. If all we get is more Arnold gimmicks to delay the problem another year, it will be a tragically wasted opportunity. Because now, more than ever, the public is willing to consider tax reform to get us out of the right wing fiscal straitjacket. Beyond the Democrats’ effort to scrap the archaic two-thirds budget rule, legislators must consider placing ballot measures to amend Prop 13 (by exempting commercial property) – and eliminate Prop 218’s onerous requirement that local revenue measures get a two-thirds vote by the electorate. With the recession wreaking havoc on our fiscal health, the public has finally woken up to the horror of right-wing tax policy. For the first – and possibly only – time, voters might approve progressive ways to raise revenue. |