Just may be the spark for a Constitution Convention
Editorial:
According to the State consti-tution, California lawmakers are supposed to have a state budget in place by June 15. And like clockwork the lawmakers let the deadline pass without much notice. So once again the gamesmanship between Republicans, Democrats and the Governor gets under way. While this game is played out, the middle class, the dependent, and the poor will, bear the brunt of suffering through this budget debacle.
As usual Governor Schwarzenegger has fired the first salvo by threatening to cut the salary of the 200,000 state workers down to minimum wage. He has also proposed wiping out California’s welfare program and slashing in-home health care for elderly and disabled residents, among other things, to maintain state government without a tax hike or extensive borrowing – hurting the middle class, the dependent, and the poor.
California lawmakers use the middle class, the dependent, and the poor as their pawns in the never ending ideological battle. Democrats propose new taxes, borrowing and shifting some state services to the counties to maintain health and welfare programs. Republicans hold their position of cutting State spending, no new taxes or fees.
Stop us if you have heard this before. No wait we have heard this before, just about every year. The only time we have had a budget on time was last year but it was so badly written that it fell apart within days after its passage and the State was back at square one.
After July 1, we should expect the customary State IOUs.
This is part and parcel why only 25% of the voters cared enough to come out and vote in this last election. Voters are disgusted with the whole political process, the partisan politics, and the general dysfunction of the State government.
The bright side of all this is that this year’s budget mess could very well be the catalyst for the State’s voters to move on a California Constitutional Convention that could reform the way they do business in Sacramento. But short of 2/3rds of the State legislators calling for a convention, it would require a 2010 initiative to empower the citizens to call a convention, a reform convention in 2011, with a set of proposals on the 2012 ballot.
The looming budget crisis just may be spark needed to get the ball rolling on the reform convention. Let’s hope so! Sacramento needs fixing.