Miami Dade County in Florida is big — even by California standards — home to over 2.5 million 
people. Yesterday the voters in this populous county in the most southeastern corner of the United States recalled their Mayor (in Florida, they elect a countywide Mayor who is the top County executive). Just two years after winning in a landslide election, Republican Carlos Alvarez was given an unceremonious "heave ho" by the voters. And what was his offense? Alvarez supported tax increases while presiding over increase benefits for public employee union members. The unemployment rate in Miami Dade County is 12% — much like many California counties.
This episode should be instructive to politicians around the entire country. We are in a terrible recession. It means that everyone has to make do with less. It means that government incomes are going to be down, and yet politicians are going to have to figure out what core services of government it will be able to provide with current revenues.
Ask Carlos Alvarez about voter opinion of raising taxes to bail out government. He’s got plenty of time on his hands to give you a long answer.