To get the ball rolling, here is a link to an article on the state of the current budget battles right now: http://www.flashreport.org/commentary0b.php?postID=2008071510355463
Like you, I'm sure, it ticks me off to think we are paying for this incompetence.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
THE NEED FOR A PART-TIME LEGISLATURE
I had heard about this concept a number of years ago and thought it was an excellent idea. Indeed, our state government and the special interests that feed off of the regular taxpayer need to be controlled and brought under our heal. I know there have been a lot of revolts against Sacramento's excesses--including Prop. 13, term limits, a recall of a sitting governor, and the current drive for redistricting, but--except for Prop. 13--they have turned out to be temporary victories.
What we need is substantive reform of the legislature--something that will go to the heart of the beast and kill it--we need to make our legislature part-time, which should help reduce the radical and fiscally irresponsible elements in the legislature. Moreover, it will force the legislature to focus on truly important matters-like balancing the state budget and saving for future fiscal emergencies--and help keep their focus off of regulating nearly every corner of daily life and taxing everything to death. At the very minimum, we'll pay 1/2 or so for the same government incompetency we are getting now.
Unfortunately, since I first heard of the idea, the major proponent of the concept, the Governor, has completely abandon any conservative fiscal approaches and is no longer threatening the legislature with this possibility. For the most part, now, he's a go-along figure-head that has done nothing to counter the fiscal recklessness of the state legislature. He's turned out to be worse than Davis, in fact. Looking back, what a complete waste of time the recall was and what a total failure the Governor has been. Does the governor believe the stuff he says? How could he have dropped his fiscal conservatism so fast? Does the man have any principles or just political plattitudes about "bringing the two sides together?" (To do what, I must ask, spend more of the taxpayer's money?)
As the weeks unfold, I will chronicle some of the excesses of the government and how this reckless government spending is and will impact us all. From there, I will provide information on how we can begin the long war to make the legislature part-time in California.
What we need is substantive reform of the legislature--something that will go to the heart of the beast and kill it--we need to make our legislature part-time, which should help reduce the radical and fiscally irresponsible elements in the legislature. Moreover, it will force the legislature to focus on truly important matters-like balancing the state budget and saving for future fiscal emergencies--and help keep their focus off of regulating nearly every corner of daily life and taxing everything to death. At the very minimum, we'll pay 1/2 or so for the same government incompetency we are getting now.
Unfortunately, since I first heard of the idea, the major proponent of the concept, the Governor, has completely abandon any conservative fiscal approaches and is no longer threatening the legislature with this possibility. For the most part, now, he's a go-along figure-head that has done nothing to counter the fiscal recklessness of the state legislature. He's turned out to be worse than Davis, in fact. Looking back, what a complete waste of time the recall was and what a total failure the Governor has been. Does the governor believe the stuff he says? How could he have dropped his fiscal conservatism so fast? Does the man have any principles or just political plattitudes about "bringing the two sides together?" (To do what, I must ask, spend more of the taxpayer's money?)
As the weeks unfold, I will chronicle some of the excesses of the government and how this reckless government spending is and will impact us all. From there, I will provide information on how we can begin the long war to make the legislature part-time in California.
