“Nothing in the California Forward plan makes it easier to raise taxes or fees. The plan keeps the two-thirds vote requirement to raise taxes, and prevents lawmakers from replacing a tax with a fee to dramatically increase revenue. There’s no doubt in my mind that if the California Forward plan had been in effect years ago, our state would be in far better financial shape,” said Tom McKernan, California Forward’s Republican co-chair.
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What’s the benefit of being allowed to slice the pie if you can’t bake it?
The California Forward plan, as well as the On-Time Budget Act of 2010, solve one problem while creating a far greater one. The Californian voters at some point in time would be willing to get rid of the 2/3rds rule on budget and revenue together but will never vote to get rid of it on revenue alone. If we remove the rule for budget and not for revenue we are cementing in the 2/3rds rule for revenue into California law forever. That means no money to fund education, no money to fund CalPERS, no money for state parks, no money for healthcare. What is the benefit of being allowed to chose how a lack of money is spent? We need new revenue.
Additionally in a partisan sense, the majority party will now be held completely responsible for the budget because it only takes a simple majority to pass regardless of the fact that they can’t fund anything because 1/3rd+1 have refused to get any new revenue into the state.
These are disastrous alternatives and the only scenario in which passing either would be a step forward is if we are standing on the edge of a cliff.