You know how we are going to need to cut into our core expenditures next year unless we get some additional revenue?  This seems to be Gov. Brown’s intentions, but to do that, he needs a 2/3 vote in each house.  Of course, that means that he needs some Republican votes.

Well, “Americans for Tax Reform” aka Grover Norquist’s group that intends to drown the government in the proverbial bath tub, has no intention of not creating a feces laden storm if any of the Republican legislators break their pledge to him.

The national anti-tax group Americans for Tax Reform will e-mail and fax letters tomorrow to California legislators who signed its no-tax pledge, warning them the group will consider any vote to put tax extension measures on the ballot a violation of that pledge, said the group’s state affairs director Patrick Gleason. … “This is to make clear that putting before a vote a measure to extend the taxes that Brown has proposed would violate the pledge,” Gleason said. “We count that as an assist. It’s not a direct score, but it’s an assist.” (Capitol Alert)

Instead, Mr. Gleason would like to see not only the government, but the entire middle class drowned in the process.  A cuts only budget would bring the wrecking ball to our K-12 system, and shut down many social services.  In a very real sense, the fate of California’s middle class is on the line.

At a juncture like this, in a state like California where the plebiscite has become King, a vote of the people seems to make the most sense.  If the people really loathe taxes, and Grover and the gang are representing the wishes of California, shouldn’t a vote be the best thing for everybody.  After all, if the taxes were defeated, it would really signal to all the world that Californians favor short-term self interest over what was once called the “California Dream.”

Of course, the other side of the coin would be that California would approve taxing ourselves, as our neighbors to the north did last year.  

If we are going to have a system dominated by a slew of ballot initiatives, we need to give the people the vote on the very future of the Middle Class.  To do any less would be to thwart democracy for only the grand purpose of political expediency.