Speaker Karen Bass has been on the job for a little over a year now, and she probably has less than a year left in the job.  She’s termed out in 2010, so whatever she wants done will have to be done in the context of the budget fight. As Bass became leader she focused on fixing our budget system. Back on day one, she had three agenda items:

1. Balance the state budget.
2. Pass a ballot initiative for foster care.
3. Restructure the tax code

Bing, Bang, Bam. Should be about four days for that, huh?  But seriously, it looks like job #1 will end up taking up most of her time on the job.  As for #2? Well, that might have to wait for the time being, and really, kind of seems like the something that could be a good task for an ex-Speaker who wants to keep up a profile in the state.  

As for #3, well, that task fell to Bush acolyte and Schwarzenegger crony, Gerald Parsky. Back in December, I questioned the pick, predicting that we might end up with some unwanted Bush-esque reform.  I held out hope that it be some sort of Nixon going to China kind of thing, where Parsky could help bring a few votes over to make the system functional.

However, Prop 13 was never on the table, and property taxes were taboo. Thus, the only reality based method of stabilizing our tax system, the way that nearly every other state stabilizes their tax system, was instantly dismissed.  Given those constraints, it really didn’t matter all that much whether it was Parsky or Lenny Goldberg or Karl Marx who lead that commission.  Nothing really workable was going to come up, and nothing workable is exactly what we got. Frankly, the proposed alternatives from the commission (PPT) should basically be summarily rejected by progressives as they increase taxes on the middle class in the name of reducing volatility.

Yet, Bass keeps on fighting. We haven’t yet seen any comment on her opinion of the Parsky commission’s proposals, but she’s been out there since May 19.  She continues to fight against the 2/3 proposals as she does in this clip.  And really, there should be no limit on how many times these words are spoken.  Every elected official needs to use every channel, every opportunity to decry the tyranny of the minority should be used to promote the eventual repeal of the 2/3 supermajority.