As the state budget continues to unfold I am struck at how the only ways that we have to deal with the problem is to take power away from our elected leaders.
Speaker Nunez previously argued (Prop 93) that we don’t allow Legislators enough time in Sacramento to be able to figure things out. Many of us often talk about how elected leaders need more discretion. Despite this, when they are given discretion it is abused.
In an ideal world I would oppose spending limits because I want to allow elected leaders to make good choices. Yet time and time again that has not happened.
Revenues to the state have rocketed up over the past eight years or so. If we were looking for a cushion to be able to set the ship straight that opportunity has passed.
The spending limits being advocated in this budget solution move us to "State Budgeting for Dummies". In this case it will not even be taken by the voters through the initiative process. It will be offered up as a sacrifice or punishment for past mistakes. This budgeting process and the string of initiatives on the ballot are rendering the Legislature completely without consequence.
I never want to hear the statement again about how initiatives are unnecessary…..that an end run is being made around "proper forms" of government. The Legislature as a whole is not able to deal with the responsibility of managing the resources it is trusted to govern.
Let’s just set formulas up in advance to run our state government. We plug in the amount of revenue each year and let a computer program run the state finances. We could eliminate the Department of Finance, Assembly Budget Committee, and Senate Budget Committee. We are not going to be too far off from that soon. Most of this stuff is just minor tinkering on the edges.