How Lucky Are We?

[northtempe]

I’m not the first to admit that Arizona is not the stronghold of progressive ideals, but I’m beginning to think I may be the first pointing out that Arizona is not the bastion of libertarianism. Last election cycle, Arizonan citizens went to the polls to vote on a number of ballot initiatives. Prop 105 was often shadowed by camera ready propositions, i.e. the GOP Legislature’s saving grace; Prop 102, and Prop 200, Payday loan reform, but Prop 105 would have had a far greater impact on Arizona than the aforementioned two, why? Just look to our neighbor to the west.

California is stuck in what some believe will be the most tragic story of the recession, a whole state government, a whole economy, greater than most nations on the earth is about to fall apart, and it’s going to fall hard. In 1978, Proposition 13 was on the California ballot, it passed, bringing the state to it’s knees in four decades. Prop 13 capped property tax, in turn, forcing the state to focus on raising taxes on income, sales and tons of other ridiculous taxes and fees, mainly impacting the poor and less fortunate. People were buying new homes, even before this free credit business, they were paying thousands more than their neighbors because of the property tax caps. The other small item that the new proposition changed was to force the vote requirement of 2/3 for the state house to pass new taxes.

Flash forward to 2008 in Arizona and Prop 105;

Arizona Proposition 105, known by its supporters as the Majority Rules Initiative, requires that a majority of registered voters—not just a majority of voters casting ballots—approve all citizen-initiated ballot measures that raise state taxes or fees or otherwise obligate government spending before such a proposal can become law. The requirement is sometimes known as a double majority.

In Arizona, how lucky are we that we have a somewhat sane voting block (when taxes and money are concerned) in this state, as compared to others, just look at Florida and California. I hate told you so politics, but it’ll be somewhat of an interesting and painful point to watch the events unfold in California, Libertarianism is about to fall on it’s face. I guess the one good thing out of this whole mess is the people of California are saying the ‘CC’ word, constitutional convention.

From my blog; northtempe.org

[alstephenson]

1. From a fellow Arizonan....

welcome to DU! :hi:

[drmeow]

2. And didn't it fail by a pretty solid margin, too?

I was really worried about 105 passing. I lived in CA when 13 passed - too young to vote but learned enough from my parents to know it was a bad thing even at the time.

[northtempe]

3. 33% to 66% nt

[marybourg]

4. That's why our founding generation

in its astonishing wisdom, gave us representative democracy in our federal government, rather than pure democracy, eg., initiative and referendum. California seems to be just waking up to the tragic flaws of pure democracy. Maybe AZ will catch on sooner. We ourselves, by constantly devaluing their role, and writing laws ourselves, are to blame for the low quality of our lawmakers, IMO.