With tomorrow being the recommended deadline for submitting initiatives for the November 2010 ballot, we’re starting to see people file their proposals. One of those is George Lakoff’s initiative to restore majority rule on both the budget and revenues. His initiative is quite simple, reading in essence:
All legislative actions on revenue and budget must be determined by a majority vote.
Of course, this initiative doesn’t address the requirement for voters to approve taxes by a 2/3rds rule, nor does it seem to deal with the Prop 218 requirements for local governments to submit tax increases to those voters. But this would almost totally eliminate the conservative veto in Sacramento.
It’s unclear whether there will be the resources to get this on the ballot. But you can learn more about this in LA tonight at 7PM at a meeting Lakoff and grassroots activists are holding at the SEIU 721 offices at 500 S. Virgil just west of downtown LA.
We still expect to see other initiatives dealing with the 2/3rds rule to be filed in the coming days.
Lakoff’s simplicity is the ticket.
It’s almost impossible to argue with “majority rule.” Doing the 55% thing doesn’t resonate. It’s like cherry-picking counties in Florida in 2000. It may have some kind of legal-structural appeal, but it’s too complicated.
These are ballot initiatives we’re talking about.
Go Lakoff.
Could someone point to the list of successful single-sentence initiatives, or indeed to a very strong relationship between length and passage?
Also, unless a veto over-ride vote on a revenue or budget matter is somehow not a legislative action, this language would appear to effectively eliminate vetoes. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, but how many other states lack a super-majority veto over-ride?
Finally, of course this measure will be framed (by a campaign with much more money) as resulting in major increases in taxes and spending, which per the recent PPIC poll results is a shaky proposition. Conventional wisdom (based on past results) is that an initiative that has to fight a higher-spending “no” campaign needs to be polling close to 70% to win, and I find it hard to believe that could be true given what PPIC just reported.
Yes the veto is part of the executive branch, but the legislative over-ride vote isn’t. I’m pretty convinced the present language (it really is just the one sentence; see newer thread) does abolish the super-majority requirement for veto over-rides. I would actually favor this, especially given the governor’s blue-pencil authority (IIRC not subject to an over-ride vote), but it takes away the ability to argue that the initiative just brings California into conformance with what most other states do. That’s an awfully powerful argument to concede.
David, Lakoff is a very smart guy, but as they might say in Zen practice he lacks initiative mind. 🙂 I’ll have more on this momentarily in the newer thread.
With your help fiscally dysfunctional California can pass a ballot measure authored by Dr. George Lakoff that says, “All legislative actions on revenue and budget must be determined by a majority vote.” It has been submitted to the Attorney General. Our target start date for starting to collect one million petition signatures is November 17th. See http://www.huffingtonpost.com/… Help California Majority Rule make this happen.
Please consider these equations:
Majority rule = democracy = 50%+1
In grade school we elect the class president by majority rule; it is the basis of democracy. Majority rule is more democratic than minority rule.
Minority rule = tyranny = protection of loopholes & freeloaders = 33.3%+1 veto
The current 2/3 requirement allows a 1/3 plus 1 minority of extreme legislators to sabotage the state budget and hold the state hostage in order to extort concessions from the majority, resulting in budget cuts passed down to local governments throughout the state. Extortions include off shore oil drilling concessions.
Government that fails to empower and protect citizens = dysfunctional state
The California State Legislature and government at all levels have responsibilities, to empower and protect its citizens. Empowerment means education, infrastructure, buildings, and highways. Protection means health, safety, police, fire and consumer protection. The legislature determines how and whether these responsibilities are met through providing revenues and a budget. Revenue is needed for government to do its job. Revenue is economic air and California is being slowly suffocated and is prevented from protecting and empowering Californians by a minority of legislators protecting loopholes for freeloaders.
Fair revenue in a wealthy state – revenue lost to loopholes & freeloaders = extreme budget cuts & lost pay for state workers
California is the only dysfunctional state that faces fiscal crisis on a regular basis. California is also wealthy, so why don’t we have the money to run the state? The answer is loopholes used by freeloaders to circumvent paying a fair
Minority rule loophole = all the loopholes minority rule prevents from closing
The biggest loophole is the minority veto that 1/3 plus one of the legislature uses to protect those taking advantage of the loopholes from being required to pay a fair share. Loopholes include not paying to extract California oil as in all the other oil producing states.
Minority ruled California = only fiscally dysfunctional state in the US
Two other states have a minority rule situations but they don’t experience California’s dysfunctions. Freeloaders find that supporting legislation and electing legislators to protect freeloader loopholes is much less costly than what would happen if the loopholes closed.
Budget control alone = disaster
Marketing guru Tom Peters says “under promise and over deliver” it keeps customers satisfied. If a “majority for budget only proposition” passes the voters (customers) will expect an end to the fiscal gridlock from the Democrats since this is what the Democrats asked for. However without “majority rule for revenue” the Democrats can’t deliver California from gridlock. “Over promise and under deliver” is the formula for disaster for Democrats.
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We took back our country last year; it’s time to return democracy to California.