Despite what you are hearing in the news these days, taxpayers are not to blame for California’s recurring budget crisis. Trust me on this one.
Overspending is built into our state’s budget system and the Democrats have long insisted that Republicans in the Legislature are simply obstructionists blocking the passage of state budgets filled with spending increases. They argue that if the two-thirds vote requirement was abolished, California would have on-time and fully-funded budgets. Even Governor Schwarzenegger has suggested that he might support eliminating the two-thirds vote requirement for passing a budget bill.
The voters of California reaffirmed their strong support of the two-thirds threshold by rejecting Proposition 56 in March of 2004 by a resounding 66% to 34%.
Well, we have learned that in California politics, if at first you do not succeed, just rig the system to get what you want—that is exactly what the Democrats are trying to do with their budget proposal. They have devised and schemed up a proposals that rob or eliminate voter-supported initiatives—such as Proposition 42 funds for transportation projects—and added fees on the backs of every Californian regardless of income at a time when citizens are already struggling to pay their mortgages, keep their jobs, and fill up their gas tanks.
I see the two-thirds vote requirement as a prudent protection of taxpayers’ pocketbooks. It is not illogical to make it more difficult to increase state spending when it means Californians will be required to pay more in fees or taxes. The two-thirds vote requirement not only places a hurdle in the path of a potentially runaway majority, it ensures that the minority has some input into the budget process.
For years, during the Davis Administration, the liberal majority consistently ignored or undermined the minority’s commonsense recommendations and warnings about state spending. We can not repeat those same mistakes.
Each year, we see the state budget deadlocked in the Legislature, and each time, the majority party blames the minority party for obstructing its passage; their chief argument being the required two-thirds vote requirement.
The real solution lies in meaningful reforms that implement across the board spending reductions whenever revenues decline or expenditures increase. Moreover, we must prevent future lawmakers and the Governor from incurring excessive debt and over-spending. We must enact zero-based budgeting, evaluate the performance of our programs, and justify every single dollar that we take in instead of resorting to tax increases as the only way for our state to stay afloat.
We are facing a historic opportunity to enact lasting reform in California. This opportunity should not be squandered or postponed. We need to take the steps necessary to allow future elected leaders the ability to fund vital government responsibilities while living within the state’s means. 2009 must be the year that Sacramento gets its fiscal house in order. Nothing less is acceptable.