It warms my heart that so many politicians in California
want to give me a choice.
Gov. Jerry Brown wants to give me a choice of extending some
particular temporary tax increases for five years. He chose the temporary
taxes, but it’s so cool that it’s my choice.
And if I vote down those tax extensions, well, then, he’s
not going to give me different taxes but $25 billion in cuts. Of course, he
will choose those cuts for me. Which is awfully nice of him, since I hate cuts.
The Republicans don’t want to go along with this yet,
because – isn’t this great? – they don’t think one choice is enough. They will
only put Gov. Brown’s choice on a special election ballot if there’s another
measure on the same ballot – one that gives me the choice to cut taxes by the
same amount the tax extensions would keep them raised. How did they decide that
would be the tax cut?
They chose that themselves. No one asked me. But it’s great
that they’re giving me the choice, I think.
Now, I might want other choices. Perhaps I don’t like the
cuts in Brown’s budget and don’t want to slice another $1 billion out of higher
education, for example. Now the governor says that if I don’t like a cut, he
wants to hear from me, with a specific alternative. Well, here’s my alternative
– raise some revenues (I’ll choose later – maybe some fees, or an oil severance
tax) and don’t cut UC and CSU.
That’s a reasonable position, so I’m sure he’ll give me a
ballot measure that offers me that choice.
I’m also kind of inclined to balance the budget at all. I
realize I may be alone in this, but I want that choice. Gov. Brown’s plan
doesn’t balance the budget – the additional tax revenues go away after five
years and there’s an expensive, new and open-ended commitment to local
government. But I’m sure he’s busy getting me a truly balanced budget plan.
Since he’s so committed to my right to choose.
The Republicans also say they want to give me a balanced budget as an option, presumably with all the tens of billions in cuts spelled out in detail so I know what I’m choosing. There will be some big exciting cuts – particularly if I choose to cut taxes as they suggest – and I’m sure the reason why they haven’t committed to specific spending cuts is that they are taking their time and want to be very careful how the language is drafted.
I’m sure by the time there’s a special election, there will
be five budget options on the ballot. The governor and the Republicans will
surely let me rank all five – instead of just asking me five "yes" or "no"
questions on ballot measures – so I can really convey what my exact priorities
and choices are.
It feels good to know that my views and feelings are what
the governor and the legislative Republicans care most about. Sometimes you
hear that these politicians are just trying to get a political upper hand or
frame a question in a self-serving way, and that they just give lip-service to
choice.
But who would believe that?