A Funny Thing Happened At The G20 | 192 comments (192 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: A Funny Thing Happened At The G20 (4.00 / 3)

Moonbeam won't be able to do much until the Super Majority Rule for raising taxes is revoked.

Despite some factors being out of the state government's control, ultimately California is badly managed. The combination of interests vested in the Post World War II status quo frustrates and defeats those interests who wish to adequately respond to the situation.

That can be changed but it will require political will, requiring the supine electorate, those who want change, to get off their lazy asses and vote.

She believed in nothing; only her skepticism kept her from being an atheist. -- Jean-Paul Sartre

by ATinNM on Sun Jun 6th, 2010 at 12:47:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: A Funny Thing Happened At The G20 (4.00 / 5)

Indeed. I wrote about that recently at Calitics - California's institutional sclerosis. The lack of majority rule was implemented in 1978 due to a desire to maintain the mid-20th century status quo. It remains in place because it helps maintain the late 20th century status quo. As you rightly say, those vested interests succeed in blocking any changes.

It's proved rather difficult to rally the public to fight against this - and I've been trying to do it for 2 years. That experience has led me to conclude we need an animating vision to pull such a movement together.

Of course, we also need money. Lots of it. And it's just not there, at least not right now. Perhaps a clear agenda and vision can produce that too.

And the world will live as one

by Montereyan (robert at calitics dot com) on Sun Jun 6th, 2010 at 02:26:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: A Funny Thing Happened At The G20 (4.00 / 5)

Two years? I tried for fifteen.

And got nowhere.

A combination of the agricultural, banking, real estate, and automotive industries have been in control of California since ... well ... forever. Allied with the GOP they have stymied taxation of the income producers: agriculture, banking, real estate, & etc. by foisting the ever increasing tax burden on individuals. They then 'flipped' the debate by forbidding any increase in taxation on anybody which starved necessary infrastructure and other Public Works.

Almost simultaneously the damn fools passed Term Limits which shifted political power from elected officials to political insiders, of various sorts, which has resulted in political power being concentrated in people that do not, are not, and cannot be held publicly accountable.

Thus real political power in California is essential private. Thus elections are essentially meaningless.

She believed in nothing; only her skepticism kept her from being an atheist. -- Jean-Paul Sartre

by ATinNM on Mon Jun 7th, 2010 at 12:42:48 PM EST
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Re: A Funny Thing Happened At The G20 (4.00 / 3)

I salute your perseverance. I often tell people that working in CA politics is like standing right outside the control chamber at Chernobyl, pounding on the glass screaming "you fools, you're doing it all wrong, you're going to kill us all" and realizing they can't or won't hear you.

Your assessment of the political landscape in CA is quite accurate. And as you note, they've rigged the system so that it is virtually impossible to change it. They've effectively destroyed democracy in California.

And the world will live as one

by Montereyan (robert at calitics dot com) on Tue Jun 8th, 2010 at 01:09:13 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: A Funny Thing Happened At The G20 (4.00 / 3)

I may be stupid. But I'm stubborn. :-)

California politics makes me think of 10,000,000 people standing around throwing hammers in air and then observing, "Gosh. It's raining hammers."

She believed in nothing; only her skepticism kept her from being an atheist. -- Jean-Paul Sartre

by ATinNM on Tue Jun 8th, 2010 at 09:12:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: A Funny Thing Happened At The G20 (none / 0)

And I salute your perseverance!

by sgr2 on Wed Jun 9th, 2010 at 05:45:35 AM EST
[ Parent ]

A Funny Thing Happened At The G20 | 192 comments (192 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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