Veto Vote

Despite a lot of money spent to convince us otherwise, by a large margin California voters rejected a bunch of higher tax propositions. California is (and has been for a while) in serious financial trouble, but that doesn't mean increased taxes are the way to go.

It's interesting how some news sources report the story. Whenever a politician proposes any new program, they claim he's trying to solve a problem, implying those who oppose him don't: "[Some Scwharzenegger critics] supported him when he swept to power but turned against him when he tried to address the state’s dire finances." No, they just didn't like how he tried to address the dire circumstances. A few years ago, he tried to deal with our problems by cutting spending, but the full, monied wrath of the public sector came down on him, ruining his reputation and turning him into an effective Democrat.

It wasn't that long ago, believe it or not, that California was a growing state with a budget surplus. Our leaders figured high taxes and massive state spending (a huge public sector, better-paid than any other) worked so well, let's raise taxes even higher and spend even more. Now they wonder why we're in trouble as businesses and people are fleeing.

There's no easy solution. (Not even a bailout.) But the one politicians always think is easiest--higher tax rates--isn't the way to go. It's a tough job, Ahnold, but I've seen you handle tougher.