In order to save you, my dear Calitics readers, the trouble of receiving the Senate Republican Caucus Emails, I choose to receive them. Generally, they are just recaps of the day’s news. But from time to time they bring out a “Briefing Report.”  And ooooh, just like Arnold, they are pissed about anything that doesn’t have a 2/3 vote on it.

The Constitution stipulates that all political power is inherent in the people and they have the right to alter or reform government for the good of the public. If trying to force taxes on the people doesn’t warrant reform, what will? Did someone just say “California Tea Party”?

Damn that will of the people who keep electing Democrats who won’t succumb to turning the state into a third world country.

Essentially through the entirety of the email, they use a frame of “California’s framers”. The whole concept of framers in the context of California is more than a bit ridiculous.  The whole constitution has been marked up more than a high school essay. At this point there is no unifying principle to the document, and there aren’t any people you can point to as having a clear understanding of the meaning of the document.

For example, they point to Article 4, section 12d. That was amended by Prop 13, and further amended since that time.  Yet, that doesn’t stop them from arguing that somehow California’s framers are rolling over in their graves:

When our state founding fathers drafted the California Constitution, they envisioned a document that would achieve balance between the people’s freedom and rights, and government’s role in protecting those rights. After the Preamble and Article I’s declaration of the people’s rights, Article II opens by stipulating that:

“All political power is inherent in the people. Government is instituted for their protection, security, and benefit, and they have the right to alter or reform it when the public good may require.”

To that end, the Constitution deliberately limits government’s ability to spend the people’s money and increase the people’s taxes.

Just to be clear, many of the framers of Sec 12d are not only still alive, but they are still active in state politics. This isn’t some grand constitutional principle, this is current day politics.  Current day politics that is broken and nearly devoid of principle.

The Senate Republican Caucus, much like the tea party extremists who displayed images of Hitler/Obama mashups, give a vague odor of rebellion with words like “did anybody say tea party?” They continue to reject the will of a fairly sizeable majority of the state. A majority of the state that desires a functioning state government. And then they have the temerity to decry the building of a working coalition to move something, anything through the state?

The best part of all this? They go after state constitutional proposals sitting in the Senate, that they know for damn sure will never go anywhere. Just to place them on the ballot, the Legislature needs to get 2/3 agreement.  It is  sheer madness to not allow the majority place an amendment on the ballot, when you can just do it for a million bucks outside the local safeway or wal-mart. And what are these crrrraaaazzzzy proposals? Oh, well, a restoration of majority rule (SCA 5, Hancock and SCA 9, Ducheny), a parcel tax system approved in an education district requiring a “mere” 55 approval (SCA 6 – Simitian), and local taxation at 55% supermajority (SCA 12-Kehoe).  Man, those are really crazy, watch out, you just might find that the people can decide for themselves, rather than depending on an isolated minority to agree to something.

The initiative system is broken down, our constitution has no guiding principles because it is like a crowd sourced project gone awry. We need to Repair California.