Mencken on Schwarzenegger, California, Prop. 13
The New York Times reports:
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger returned home from a White House visit on Wednesday to find the state dangerously broke, his constituents defiant after a special election on Tuesday and calls for a constitutional convention — six months ago little more than a wonkish whisper — a cacophony.As the notion of California as ungovernable grows stronger than ever, Mr. Schwarzenegger, a Republican, has expressed support for a convention to address such things as the state’s arcane budget requirements and its process for proliferate ballot initiatives, both of which necessitated Tuesday’s statewide vote on budget matters approved months ago by state lawmakers.
H.L Mencken: "Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard."
California's tendency to require statewide ballots on anything and everything is the latest evidence that direct, Athenian-style democracy may not be a great idea. The founders set up a system of representative democracy for a good reason.
Comments
It is easy to make this blanket statement that the initiative process is at the route of the problem, but the truth is quite different. Yes it is true that a republican has been governor in California for the majority of the last 20 years, but the legislature has been in democratic control for the same time. Both are at fault for spending beyond the states incoming revenues. Both attempt to show fiscal constraint by claiming reductions in the proposed budget increases as cuts. I’m sorry but increasing spending by 10% instead of the desired 15% is not a cut. A spending cut is a decrease in the budget form what was spent the previous year. If this act had not been done off & on for the past 20 plus years California may just have had surplus. But then again, when has California liberal ways ever not met a social program they have not wanted to fund.
Posted by: Benjamin Resendez | May 22, 2009 3:47 PM