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March 03, 2004 THE MAGIC ASTERISK....Brad DeLong is pleased that Roger Altman will be putting together John Kerry's budget priorities document:
Can I be inexcusably cynical for a moment? Thanks. I (and Brad) live in a state which last October was facing a $10 billion budget hole. We responded by electing a governor who promised to "stop the crazy deficit spending." As soon as he took office he increased the deficit by $4 billion by cutting vehicle license fees. Then in December he proposed to finance this tax cut by issuing an extra $4 billion* in bonds. Yesterday my fellow citizens eagerly approved this bond issue by a wide margin. At the same time they made it clear in no uncertain terms that they will not put up with any tax increases whatsoever as a means of addressing the deficit. My point? What makes us think that the people of America are interested in someone who is competent, steeped in the issues, and allergic to the magic asterisk? As near as I can tell, they are far more likely to vote for people who (a) lie to them, (b) cut their taxes, and (c) pretend that a magic asterisk really will make the deficits caused by their tax cuts go away. The American public is practically addicted to the magic asterisk. I have a nasty suspicion that Roger Altman's budget document will not inspire very many people to vote for John Kerry. UPDATE: John Quiggin is thinking along the same lines, and he's about as cynical as me even though he doesn't quite admit it. For what it's worth, I vote for option 2, although I admit that Paul Krugman's relentless exposure of George Bush's bogus budget numbers makes it more difficult than usual. Still, anyone with a little style can pull it off. And it's such a golden oldie that it hardly even counts as a lie anymore. Plus John's description of it is both unusually amusing and absolutely dead accurate. *Last year the California legislature approved approximately $10 billion in bonds that are in danger of being overturned in court. Arnold's bond measure doesn't just replace the legislature's bonds, it approves an extra $5 billion. This additional borrowing will mostly go toward financing the tax cut. Posted by Kevin Drum at March 3, 2004 09:29 PM | TrackBackComments
As near as I can tell, they are far more likely to vote for people who (a) lie to them, (b) cut their taxes, and (c) pretend that they have a magic wand that will make the deficits caused by their tax cuts go away. That only works for Republicans. Posted by: rachelrachel at March 3, 2004 09:33 PM | PERMALINKthat's exactly how Homer Simpson became garbage commissioner. Posted by: nova silverpill at March 3, 2004 09:34 PM | PERMALINKComing up with the budget priorities is the finance department's job. Getting people to vote for it is marketing's! Posted by: QuakerinaBasement at March 3, 2004 09:47 PM | PERMALINKYes, by all means Kerry should pledge to raise taxes. It worked so wonderfully for Walter Mondale in 84'. Idgits. Posted by: gavin at March 3, 2004 09:51 PM | PERMALINKThanks Kevin. Nothing like insinuating that us Americans are ignorant, back-water crust heads unable to recognize the need to increase revenue so our country can return to the Pre-Bush II economic prominence. Kerry is going to have to come out with something like "taxes are going to be raised weather I'm in office or not."This is the only way people will understand the signifcance of the dilemma we face.We all know bush or congress is going to raise taxes so Kerry has to make it know beforehand its not his fault.Just take the bush talking points to his side. Posted by: smalfish at March 3, 2004 09:57 PM | PERMALINKHas anyone seen the Frontline report "Tax me if you can"?This would be a good place for kerry to start on convincing the public whats wrong with our economy. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/tax/view/ Posted by: smalfish at March 3, 2004 10:01 PM | PERMALINKHuzzah! Yes, the american public can't wait to pay more taxes. What a wonderful message to campaign on, full steam ahead. Kerry in 2004! Posted by: gavin at March 3, 2004 10:12 PM | PERMALINKheres another way to do without a tax hike.Cut military spending.401 billion for killing boxcutter armed terrasts is jus uncalled for.
gavin: get a god--mned clue, would ja? no one said kerry should vow to raise taxes. stop acting like a child. this is a discussion for grownups. Posted by: TomTomTommy at March 3, 2004 10:16 PM | PERMALINKThanks Kevin. Nothing like insinuating that us Americans are ignorant, back-water crust heads unable to recognize the need to increase revenue so our country can return to the Pre-Bush II economic prominence. Insinuating? Nope, that's an unvarnished statement of fact. Sad fact, but still true. Posted by: Viserys at March 3, 2004 10:17 PM | PERMALINKThere's no way in hell Kerry can say he's going to raise taxes, at least on everyone. A conservative anti-government, anti-tax cloud has hung over this country for nearly twenty years and unless something dramatic happens I doubt Kerry will be able to change that. Moreover, with Bush's war chest full and ready to start cranking, I think he'll have enough to deal with just to keep his lead. This doesn't mean taxes shouldn't come up. Kerry ought to counter Bush on taxes by explaining how Bush's 2001 budget further shifted the alternative minimum tax onto the middle class. If Kerry wins and fails to mention it, Republicans will use it post-2005 to "demonstrate" how liberal Kerry uses underhanded tactics to tax people. He's also got a new thing to use on foreign policy--Bush failing to get Abu Zarqawi when he had the chance (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4431601). Kerry ought to play the game safe and keep doing what he's doing--fighting Bush. Posted by: CK at March 3, 2004 10:17 PM | PERMALINKAnd to think I moved away. I certainly wouldn't have to pay for entertainment if I had stayed in Sacto. D Posted by: Dano at March 3, 2004 10:17 PM | PERMALINKAfter Krugman's great rant about payroll taxes being regressive (Another lie. They are neither regressive nor progressive) it may perhaps be useful to point out that a tax on vehicle license fees IS regressive. Of course, if your definition of a regressive tax is "one which Republicans introduced" and a progressive tax is "one which Democrats introduced" then you are beyond reason anyway. The right has been extremely good at making "raising taxes" a more feared thing than that other third rail "social security". How do you make public policy that takes taxes off the table? And what is even more aggravating is that the mis-spending of our "scarce resources" (the tax dollars that come in) is completely screwed - do you want to spend $.50 on a dollar for prisons, $.30 to cover the interest, and $.20 for everything else? We don't even get a choice and the politicians are being rolled by those who will accuse them that they are "soft on crime" or "soft on terrorism" or "weak on defense". But each one of these things cheats our society and our families because we don't provide a healthy society to raise our families. How do you break through this incredible fog of denial and pack of lies? Clinton knew how to talk about taxes and fairness that was able to connect with people. Can Kerry make the same case? And now that we are so much deeper in the hole than we were when Clinton was elected, how do we clean up the mess without totally screwing the country? What would Rubin say? (And he better tell Alan Greenspan to go jump in a lake because he has already shown that he doesn't care about ordinary Americans and is very happy to rip them off to make the very well to do better off.) Posted by: Mary at March 3, 2004 10:22 PM | PERMALINKIn poll after poll do the majority of Americans WANT to roll back the tax cuts. This is just a buncha jibber jabber. Posted by: reef the dog at March 3, 2004 10:34 PM | PERMALINK"do you want to spend $.50 on a dollar for prisons, $.30 to cover the interest, and $.20 for everything else?"
Thats borrow 7 to make 1.What kind of idiot makes those kinds of deals? Posted by: smalfish at March 3, 2004 10:36 PM | PERMALINKKerry should come out for a strong new middle class tax cut. Say a payroll tax cut. Make the amount clear and tempting. Say something like, "I will cut $1000 in payroll taxes for each American worker." What is Bush going to say, "We can't afford it, I already spent all the money." Forget being the adult and talking to people like adults. Do what the Republicans do, bribe people. The Republicans figured out that they can give away $100,000 tax breaks to millionaires and no one complains so long as you slip them a twenty. Forget that, promise all working people the $1000 and it will be a landslide. Besides, this will stimulate jobs and the economy, two things we need. Posted by: money_for_nothing at March 3, 2004 10:48 PM | PERMALINK*nod* When given a choice, people choose programs over tax cuts. It's not THAT hard a sell. Actually, by the time November rolls around, I'm expecting a more tuned-in electorate than in past years...not a whole lot more, but a small increase.. Baby steps to the economist..baby steps to the White House :p Why is Bush 2 so afraid to raise taxes? After all, Reagan and Bush 1 did it. Posted by: doug r at March 3, 2004 11:00 PM | PERMALINKFolks are going to be like gavin -- 'raise taxes! The gubmint can keep its grubby paws off my money!' That's a fact of life. What Kerry needs to point out is that it is irrelevant who raises taxes, whether it be Kerry, Bush, or someone else. The important point to make is that it is George W. Bush and his congress-critters that have made a tax increase inevitable. Period. Republicans spent the money. You don't have any choice in the matter -- as an American, you are now obligated to PAY BACK THE MONEY that Bush and his friends spent. They also choked the revenue stream off that could pay this stuff back. So what we are really talking about is a repeal of tax cuts, but at this point that is probably not enough. Again, thanks a whole hell of a lot, George. The only real question is do you want to start paying now, or do you want to wait until the US government is forced to default on its debt, thus sending the world economy into a major depression? We can not let this debate be framed as a jihad against tax-raisers. The reality that must be shouted from the rooftops form now until November is that Bush, and Bush alone, is responsible for any tax increase coming down the pike. Posted by: Timothy Klein at March 3, 2004 11:02 PM | PERMALINKAM says, "After Krugman's great rant about payroll taxes being regressive (Another lie. They are neither regressive nor progressive)" AM: if you're going to accuse someone of lying, get the facts straight first. Because of the cap on the social security tax (at $87,000 I think) payroll taxes are regressive. That is, someone earning $250,000 per year pays the same social security tax as someone earning $87,000. This makes it--by definition--a regressive tax. By coming out strongly for a pro-worker tax cut, Kerry would change the dynamics of the debate. "The state is the great fictitious entity by which everyone seeks to live at the expense of everyone else." Frédéric Bastiat, Selected Essays on Political Economy Posted by: grytpype at March 3, 2004 11:32 PM | PERMALINKPanJack beat me to it. If you're going to accuse someone of lying, please know what you're talking about first. Also, didn't Mondale actually use the "your taxes are going to be raised whether I'm president or Reagan" line in '84? That's not the approach I'd use. I'd ask people how the Bush tax cuts have made their lives better. I daresay the majority of voters haven't gotten too much bang out of these huge tax cuts; at the same time the economy has been weak, personal debt has been rising, wages are largely static and our deficit has ballooned. Posted by: Poop ruiz at March 3, 2004 11:44 PM | PERMALINKIt would be great if Kerry would just stand up and speak the truth: Bush wants to cut taxes for billionaires, and to pay for this by raising taxes on poor and middle-class people. This isn't just selfishness - it's insane fiscal policy. Taxes are going to go up. Bush & Co have made certain of that. The only question is, who's going to pay the increase? If Bush is elected in November, it'll be the middle classes: if Kerry is elected in November, it'll be the billionaires.
To be honest... I really don't think that people mind paying additional (or better said, higher) taxes -- so long as the purpose is clearly stated and the need is just. Clinton got away with it for 8 years simply because "the economy was stupid" when it first ran... That and the fact that there was that National Debt Clock in NY, which kept ticking and ticking and ticking… That clock was a visible sign of the conscience of American, and put a real face on the waste and abuse of our taxes flaunted by corrupt politicians of whatever stripe. Clinton promised to address the national debt, and told US that the only way that was going to happen was through higher taxes. Congress, under Clinton's one time arch-nemesis Gingrich furthered that agenda by forcing a government-spending cap by way of a balanced budget. Finally, congress began handling their monies like you and I handle our household finances. Bills began getting paid, and a small kitty in the bank account began to form. With the formation of that surplus, the notion of paying back on the national debt--and repaying (or bolstering the Social Security Trust Fund)--became a realistic objective. The shame of it all is that in three short years, both of those two goal posts have been cast so far a field, that they may be unattainable unless some serious people take the reigns and identify the necessary sacrifices, and after that, begin validating that course of action--convincing America to do the right thing for themselves and their children... American's are the most giving people on the face of this planet. As I noted earlier, if the cause is just and attainable, they will be willing to suffer to achieve it. Just don't abuse that trust--the same abuse like that which we all have suffered over the past three years... Now look at what you did Mr. Kevin Drum... Now I am back at being pissed off over the Bush administrations abuse of our SS Trust Fund, and their (Greenspan's) attempts at passing the resulting buck back upon "We the People..." Damn Bastards. Kerry needs to promise to balance the budget without raising the taxes of the average taxpayer. No need to bother the walnut-sized brain of the average voter with details (estate tax, capital gains, dividends) that don't affect them personally. He can say "we'll eliminate the deficit while decreasing the taxes that workers pay." We, too, can employ the stagecraft which the economic royalists have developed. Posted by: bad Jim at March 3, 2004 11:58 PM | PERMALINKDidn't Mr. Altman have to resign from the last loser adminstration? Ik Kerry wins all our taxes will go up. He opposed all of the tax cuts that made the Clinton recession milder. With the Clinton recession. 9/11 and no tax cuts we would be in a depression right now. Posted by: kesier at March 4, 2004 02:02 AM | PERMALINKRight. If Strom Thurmond had been elected president back in 1948, we wouldn't have had all these problems over all these years. Does anybody not know that George III is the first president since Hoover to have lost jobs during his term? Kesier, first you need to explain why we shouldn't have enough taxes to pay for government? A deficit is merely deferred, more expensive taxes. You're just engaging in a little Enron mental judo when you convince yourself otherwise. Posted by: Sandals at March 4, 2004 02:40 AM | PERMALINKWays to cut the deficit without losing (too many) votes: 1) reinstate Pentagon audit; 2) eliminate just a few of the most outrageous tax loopholes and shelters; 3) get corporations to pay some taxes (start with preventing them from making a profit on taxes); 4) de-fund the CIA coup machine--that should be the UN's job, anyway; 5) reduce nuclear stockpile, which costs a fortune to maintain and keep trigger-ready, to just five planets' worth of destructive potential; 6) make it illegal for representatives of offshore entities to lobby congress; 7) (pure fantasy) nationalize our national security; 8) (more fantasy) criminalize federal budget fraud. Posted by: Robert E at March 4, 2004 02:46 AM | PERMALINKYes, in the same way that Ari F. The only real question is do you want to start paying now, or do you want to wait until the US government is forced to default on its debt? Um, duh? Of course we have to wait. The American people will not accept a tax hike. And if the cost of keeping taxes down is the economy explodes into smoking wreckage, then that's the price they're willing to pay. The first candidate that is honest about the economy loses the next election. I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today. I think people will like Kerry, over the summer, because he's your dad. Father knows best. Bush is not your dad. I'm referring to disaffected Republicans. Posted by: John Isbell at March 4, 2004 04:18 AM | PERMALINKKesier writes... "Ik Kerry wins all our taxes will go up. He opposed all of the tax cuts that made the Clinton recession milder. With the Clinton recession. 9/11 and no tax cuts we would be in a depression right now. Sir, not to pop your bubble, but the recession experienced was going to happen no matter what. Simply because Clinton was sitting in the chair at the time means little... Thinking on that factoid, I think a simple Google-Search will tell you that the actions of both the Republicans and Democrats during that time--yes with Clinton's leadership--warded off a potential recession years earlier... The US propped up the Russian economy when it was on the verge of collaspe--yes it was in our self interest, but it was done and our economy as a result missed biting a very large bullet. Remember the Hedge-Fund mess a few years later... Tell me what the impact would have been had the Clinton administration decided to turn a blind eye to that fiasco. Let me just note, it would have had world wide consequences. Suffice it to say events overcame responses. The Dot.Com scenario occurred due to greed, pure and simple. Other economies around the world began faltering, from S. Korea, and Brazil to Mexico. America offered support--far faster that that offered by the WTO. In short -- and I should have gone this route in the first place... Speak not to things in which you have no real insight... Posted by: PK at March 4, 2004 04:40 AM | PERMALINK Few people ever say so in public, but Americans are stupid and easily led. What was it John Lennon said about being doped up on sex, religion and TV? Oh, and don't forget war. Lots of Americans LOVE war but are ashamed to admit it. Posted by: bipod at March 4, 2004 04:51 AM | PERMALINKMr Tom West writes "The American people will not accept a tax hike. And if the cost of keeping taxes down is the economy explodes into smoking wreckage, then that's the price they're willing to pay."
If you pay these taxes today, Social Security will be solvent until 2040. If you do not recognize it, that was a promise made during the 1980's SS debate, after years of government raiding that trust funds coffers to pay for projects of the day, and maintain budget During the late 1990's the same issue came before the House. Propositions were to place a lock on the monies within that fund, making them untouchable by Congress as a source of ready, reserve cash. That notion didn't pass the Republican run house though. This in fact was the primary source of Bush's tax rebate given to American taxpayers both the 1st and 2nd time around. Now the real point of this history lesson is to state the obvious, when we received that tax rebate, just how did it enrich your life? For me, it was just an extra $400 plus bucks, whoopie, I am off to begin investing in our economy now--not... My water bill costs that much in 6 months. It covered a bill that was looming on the horizon... Period. If it wasn't there, I would have made due, just like I believe you would have. Really, a rebate was not what I was interested in at the time. What I was interested in was the initial goal of paying off the national debt, maintaining a balanced budget, and returing SS to solvency. Strange what three years can do, and what do I have to show for it? A couple of water bills paid, and the prospect of huge... No let me restate that last HUGE tax increases along with and even larger national debt looming on the horizon... Face reality. American will pay higher taxes if the truth is told. Hiding from that factoid is almost as dim-witted as maintaining that WMD's were the real reason we initially went into Iraq... AM -- would you please tell us what "regressive" and "progressive" mean to you since you say the I always though there was no such thing as a Let's cut to the chase. This is yet another manifestation of the obvious fact that Americans hate children. 1. They kill them with wanton abandon before they are born. 2. They subject them to commercial propaganda and violence for hours a day. 3. They saddle them with unbearable debts so the parents (and grandparents) can spend a bit more time trolling the malls or lounging at the casino. "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you?" Posted by: General Glut at March 4, 2004 06:07 AM | PERMALINKRight. I think the American people would vastly prefer someone who covers deficits by borrowing, and putting the reckoning onto future generations. ie. modern Republican economic theory. Posted by: Bob H at March 4, 2004 06:13 AM | PERMALINKKerry is going to have to come out with something like "taxes are going to be raised weather I'm in office or not." Mondale: "My opponent will raise your taxes. So will I. The difference is, he won't tell you. I just did." Reagan was elected. Posted by: cleek at March 4, 2004 06:20 AM | PERMALINKI agree, the proletariat cannot be trusted with the reins of government. Posted by: steve at March 4, 2004 06:43 AM | PERMALINKDevastating critique of Kerry. Kevin's real question should be...what is the point of discussing Kerry's positions when he has no credibility on taking a position. http://politics.slate.msn.com/id/2096540/ Posted by: keiser at March 4, 2004 06:43 AM | PERMALINKPOOOOOFFFF...NOW IT MAKES SENSE. Kerry picked Roger Altman because Altman had to resign for LYING TO CONGRESS. Nice of Kerry to make one of his first picks someone who knowlingly lied to Congress and was forced to resign by Clinton (Back then Clinton felt differently about lying I guess). I guess Kerry is not worried about having an ETHICAL adminstration...Wonder if he'll bring back Web Hebbell and Mike Espy...... Maybe Roger Altman should go back to making movies. I really liked "Short Cuts." It would be better than LYING TO CONGRESS at the behest of his lord and master Clinton. Clinton's lying probably caused the recession because so many came to disbelieve what he said. Posted by: keiser at March 4, 2004 07:11 AM | PERMALINKOne big reason Arnold's bonds passed is because the entire Democratic power structure essentially signed on to them, and there was no substantial campaign against them. When only one side has any visible advocacy, it helps a lot. Before the big united push for them, the bonds were polling with a double digit lead for "No" over "Yes". Had there been a substantial anti-57/58 campaign, they wouldn't, I suspect, have passed. So I wouldn't draw any generalization from that issue for how voters will respond to an issue with forceful advocates on both sides. Posted by: cmdicely at March 4, 2004 07:18 AM | PERMALINKThe people who suggest Kerry support raising taxes by carefully explaining the reasons forget one big political maxim: If you are explaining you are losing. Any hint of raising taxes for whatever reason will be grabbed by the right and shouted from the rooftops: Kerry will raise your taxes!! No explaining will ever get you out of the mess. Kerry must CUT taxes. It is as simple as that. Maybe he cuts them on some and raises them on others, but he MUST cut taxes. Posted by: Tripp at March 4, 2004 07:20 AM | PERMALINKthe deficit IS taxes. they just haven't been paid yet. Posted by: Olaf glad and big at March 4, 2004 07:32 AM | PERMALINKThe fiscal issue goes to the heart of the sustainability of American democracy. The arithmetic is transparent. The kind of fiscal crunch that is looming happened to a number of European countries in the 1920s as a result of the failure to finance the overhang of debt and various pension obligations to invalid soldiers, war widows, and in the case of Germany, reparations. A common consequence of the legislative gridlock over who should pay these debts, and also who should pay to keep the state running led to the establishment of highly authoritarian regimes with the power to cut state expenditures without Parliamentary approval (which in most cases meant cutting the salaries of civil servants, limiting pensions, and other social benefits). As the U.S. government approaches bankruptcy, one may anticipate a similar crisis, the probable consequence of which will be a constitutional amendment giving the executive the exclusive right to determine how funds will be spent and no doubt limiting how they may be raised. I doni't think people have the faintest idea how serious the potential crisis is. Posted by: Knut Wicksell at March 4, 2004 07:41 AM | PERMALINKA post I just made on this topic in my own blog: I've commented before that one of the things that appealed to me about Howard Dean was that he was a doctor and he had a doctor's sensibility when it came to approaching the problems we are facing today. When you go to your doctor you don't want him to be political in his diagnosis. You don't want him to fool you into thinking that things aren't as bad as they might be. You want brutal honesty. A doctor who doesn't warn a morbidly obese patient that they are eating themselves to death is an irresponsible doctor who should lose their license. A politician who does the same thing wins re-election. People say they don't want their leaders to lie to them. That is a lie. They just want them to tell the right kind of lie. Howard Dean was right in so many ways and that is why he lost. the deficit IS taxes. they just haven't been paid yet. True. The relative tax rates proposed by Kerry and Bush are not very important; the issue is spending. For today's spending, you can pay taxes of an equivalent amount today, or taxes of an equivalent amount plus interest tomorrow. So let's look at Bush and Kerry's relative spending plans. Who proposes to spend more, Bush or Kerry? Simple question. Posted by: Al at March 4, 2004 09:24 AM | PERMALINKCleverly, everything Arnold told California's voters about 57 & 58 may turn out to be lies, like almost everything he's told us before now. Today's Union-Tribune reports: " SACRAMENTO – While Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared that voter approval of his fiscal ballot propositions means "California is back on track," Wall Street analysts yesterday said it's a mixed blessing that may allow lawmakers to go back to their bad habits. "Standard & Poor's, a major credit-rating agency, said the $15 billion bond measure passed Tuesday provides enough additional money to allow lawmakers to postpone painful decisions about spending cuts and tax increases needed to bring the state budget back into balance." Which is effectively what Kevin and a few others tried to point out... Posted by: Jay Hopkins at March 4, 2004 09:42 AM | PERMALINKI really liked "Short Cuts." Hey! Kaiser said something any sensible person can agree with! Now if only he would actually answer some of the questions directed at him. Posted by: DJW at March 4, 2004 09:49 AM | PERMALINKThe passage of prop 57 and 58 is a perfect example why pure democracy (as opposed to representational government) is a bad idea. OF COURSE - the rank and file citizenry will vote to whip out the credit card! A representative has the leeway to make unpopular, but correct choices. I'm beginning to believe that perhaps we need a constitutional amendment: All Politicians shall serve one (1) term and one (1) term only of public office, and thereafter shall return to private life evermore (or possibly, be euthanized - just to be safe!). The career politicians and power-brokers are screwing us over. Posted by: Occam's Cuisinart at March 4, 2004 10:01 AM | PERMALINKKevin, I begin to think that you, my husband, and me are the only fiscal conservatives left in California. I voted "no" too, but I asked a good friend earlier in the day what she thought. She said "well, I didn't vote for him, but he's now governor, and I'd like to give him the chance he needs to make changes" Which I took to mean that a well educated, politically aware voter who isn't a republican is willing to forgo go economic sense and actually doubt an elected official's ideas because he's new in office. She'd rather trust, then think and THAT is the problem with the American electorate. *Sigh* Altman's resurrection is good news indeed. RA was one of the architects of the Clinton budget miracle (and a miracle it was, by the standard of prevailing expectations), back when I was one of very few believers. He was run out of town on the rail of a bipartisan sentorial hissy-fit over a misplaced verbal semicolon in budget testimony. (Those were the days when lying to Congressional committees -- or even a headfaking them -- was a career-limiting move.) The case against Altman was shaky from the get-go, but that was in a "zero tolerance" era. Posted by: RonK, Seattle at March 4, 2004 10:25 AM | PERMALINKThe results of Tuesday's election have pushed me one notch closer to concluding that the political process in California is broken beyong repair, and that it's time to seriously think about leaving the state. I was born and bred here, and I'd rather not leave, but I really wonder whether California has much of a future. UPDATE: John Quiggin is thinking along the same lines, and he's about as cynical as me ... Kevin, sorry to mention it in a serious discussion of issues, but “about as cynical as me” should read “as I.”
I'm surprised that no one mentioned how Prop. 56 got its ass kicked on Tuesday. 56 would have lowered the threshold needed to pass budget votes from 2/3 to 55% (I think those are the correct numbers). It was seen as a way to prevent Republicans--who are clearly the minority party here--from creating deadlock. Oh well. I think that, in general, term limits are a good idea in theory, but the reality is a bit messier than that. The people elected to the state Senate and House have complicated jobs that are pressure-packed. They spend the first year just learning how to do their jobs right; they have no stake in making sure their decisions are sound for the future, and, while it's a great idea that they won't spend the second half of their first term in perpetual campaign mode, at least that keeps their records open to scrutiny. Sure, term limits get rid of career time-wasters but it also tosses out people that are doing a good job and doesn't exactly encourage qualified candidates to go through the expense and hassle of getting elected. I wish I could dictate how my taxes would be spent, rather like a contribution to a 401(k). 20% to the arts, 20% for rail/light rail projects; 20% for debt reduction; 20% to fight AIDS and 20% for health care for all. Not one penny towards defense expenditures. Alas..... Posted by: Jim at March 4, 2004 11:12 AM | PERMALINKI know I'm a little late on this, but a few days before the election I got a call from my beloved Senator Diane, asking me to vote yes on the Tas Terminator amendments. Well, it wasn't really DiFi, but an amazingly lifelike electronic simulation of her. My question is, why did the Dems cave to this moron's policies instead of opposing them, while pointing out that all he's done since being elected is to make the deficit EVEN LARGER?!?! What the fuck? Posted by: commie atheist at March 4, 2004 12:31 PM | PERMALINKJim, I understand your desire to dictate how your taxes will be spent -- I feel it too. But the attempt to exert detailed control by the voters over how taxes are allocated is part of what got us into this mess. There are now so many restrictions placed on the California state budget (many of them well-intended, like the 40% earmarked for education), that our legislators have almost no ability to respond to changing conditions in allocating funds. The result is that the state is far more vulnerable to recessions, and the government is actually prevented from practicing fiscal discipline during boom times. In other words: be careful what you wish for. Posted by: Janet Lafler at March 4, 2004 12:45 PM | PERMALINKKevin: I too live in California as I was dismayed we rejected Prop 56, which IMHO was more critical to the CAL budget mess than either 57 or 58. So I do share your cynical view? Absolutely. But as far as MY vote, Kerry's fiscal responsibility has assured I'll vote Democratic. Wait, I wasn't going to vote for Bush anyway and the chances that CAL will go Bush is as slim as the chances Bush will present a balanced budget. Posted by: Harold McClure at March 4, 2004 04:13 PM | PERMALINKI'm glad that nearly 2/3 of California voters gave Prop 56 the smackdown it deserved. In my circle of union-represented co-workers, I believe the anti-56 vote was greater than 75%, despite a blizzard of mail from labor federations urging us to back 56. For years, California's one-party Democrat- dominated state government has spent every dollar it could tax, plus billions more, in an inefficient way that gives us little value for the money. Can anyone argue that adding 43,000 state workers during the Davis Administration made any improvement in California's quality of life? But by adding those unnecessary workers, Davis and his Democrat enablers added two to four billion dollars or more of recurring annual payroll costs to an already bloated state budget. For what, besides more payola from state employee unions? A 2/3 majority for tax increases means only that Democrats have to offer a good reason for tax increases and convince some Republicans to get on board...which happened during the Pete Wilson administration. Also, the passage of school bonds for Los Angeles and the entire state shows voters will approve higher taxes when they believe the money will be well spent. So, it's not like voters expect to get something for nothing from government. It seems the majority Democrats would prefer to just run roughshod over the taxpayers. Well, Democrats need to learn that a large majority of voters are unhappy with the way they waste money and until they get some spending discipline, we won't be making it easier to tax us more. Posted by: Mike W at March 5, 2004 08:15 AM | PERMALINKMan is the missing link between apes and human beings. 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