[ OUR OPINION ]
Reforms that allow recall
will restrict SchwarzeneggerCALIFORNIANS have fired their gray governor and hired in his place a narcissistic body-builder/actor and serial -- he prefers "playful" -- groper of women. This is a result of that state's peculiar brand of direct democracy avoided by the Founding Fathers but embraced on the continent's edge in the spirit of populist reform. Whether Arnold Schwarzenegger's muscular talk will solve the Golden State's financial woes within that restrictive framework remains to be seen.
THE ISSUE
Arnold Schwarzenegger has been elected governor of California following the recall of Gov. Gray Davis.Governor Lingle correctly interprets the voters' recall of Gov. Gray Davis and election of Schwarzenegger as "a clear message that they will not put up with fiscal mismanagement." Following last year's election of Davis over conservative Republican Bill Simon, and coupled with the defeat of a conservative ballot initiative, it also sends a message that Californians are moderate to liberal when it comes to social policies, but fiscally conservative.
That means low taxes and a high level of public services. Schwarzenegger appealed to that desire by promising to undo the recent tripling of the state's vehicle license fee and to improve public schools. The rollback of the car tax, which must be approved first by the legislature, would add $4 billion to the state's $8 billion budget deficit. The governor-elect has not indicated how he would cope with that reality while balancing the budget and improving education.
"Details, details, details," he said during the campaign. "Sacramento is filled with warehouses of details. But the thing they are lacking is leadership. The thing that Sacramento is lacking is backbone." He can tell that to his followers after increasing taxes or reducing services.
California's problems began not with Gray Davis but with Hiram Johnson, California's governor from 1911 to 1917. Johnson championed initiative, referendum and recall as ways to counter the railroad barons' control of government.
In 1978, Californians used those reforms after inflation had caused property taxes to skyrocket. Proposition 13 put a low cap on property taxes except for new homeowners. As a result, many Californians living in small houses pay more taxes than mansion millionaires. Government had to find other ways to tax people in order to pay for services they continued to demand. Instead, schools, highways and public health clinics have deteriorated.
Although lacking any experience in government, Schwarzenegger has surrounded himself with seasoned politicians who will try to run the state government under his moderate social policies and fiscal conservatism. Structural problems will limit their ability to achieve voters' desired ends. At some point, don't be surprised if California voters, unhappy with tax increases or reduction of services, launch another recall, continuing to live dangerously on the cutting edge that is their pride.
