| Woops, my cynical prediction may have actually | | | | improvements in provision serving special interest. |
| come true. The inmates are running the asylum in | | | | In addition to this election, here are some |
| California. The recent California special election was | | | | additional examples. When the 2000 energy crisis |
| completely controlled and the outcome dictated | | | | showed the real incompetence of the legislature, |
| by government employees. They may work for | | | | nobody was fired. The blame was shifted to the |
| all of us, but they also get to approve what goes | | | | Fed. When the budget crisis rose in 2003, |
| into law. | | | | Californians fired their governor. They were |
| About ten years ago, I had an epiphany. I noticed | | | | especially incensed as he continued to honor his |
| that real jobs kept disappearing and government | | | | reelection commitments to special interests while |
| jobs just kept on growing. What I realized was... | | | | the state was in crisis. But, he was not the only |
| groups of motivated voters win elections and | | | | offender, and the electorate did not fire a single |
| money is the best motivator of all. So I thought, | | | | incumbent member in the State Legislature; not |
| "When government gets big enough, won't | | | | one, go figure? |
| government workers turn out in droves to | | | | Californians also rejected a proposition to change |
| protect their turf, and start voting, unchecked, for | | | | the way political boundaries are drawn. The |
| bigger, better government?" | | | | legislature raised several million to crush this move. |
| I think that day may have arrived. The most | | | | They like it the way it is now - nice and |
| motivated voters in California are definitely those | | | | predictable. The legislature has drawn district lines |
| who stand to make or protect a buck. As the | | | | in a way that completely eliminates contestable |
| size of government grew, government workers, | | | | elections. If you get nominated by the controlling |
| contractors, and their family members turn out | | | | party, you always get elected. If you are an |
| and regularly vote in favor of themselves, and | | | | incumbent, you always get re-elected. |
| why not? | | | | We have a constitution that demands a balanced |
| The recent California election was decided by a | | | | budget, yet there hasn't been one in years and |
| strong turn-out by unions who were mad at the | | | | none are on the horizon. We put no energy into |
| governor for trying to institute a few toothless | | | | fixing a broken budgeting process, yet we spend |
| reforms. The reforms seemed so mild that the | | | | billions on legitimizing bookkeeping tricks to keep |
| average voter couldn't see how they would help. | | | | the state afloat for another year. |
| Since most voters were not excited, they didn't | | | | Californian's replaced their governor with |
| show up at the polls. | | | | Schwarzenegger, when they got angry,. But in |
| The cheerleader for the defeat of the reform | | | | this recent election, the unions were easily able to |
| initiatives was California Teachers Assn. President | | | | defeat his mild reforms. Why? Because there is |
| Barbara Kerr who joined with other unions to | | | | more of them than we realized, and perhaps he |
| pump $100-million into defeating Schwarzenegger's | | | | didn't tackle the states problem's in any |
| initiatives. She easily out-wasted the governor | | | | meaningful way. It seems like he got advice from |
| who she says "wasted $50 million" in calling the | | | | his own special interests, and he got bad advice. |
| election. | | | | He asked voters to change rules for the political |
| She also said "he does not have the courage to | | | | use of public employee union dues, and teacher |
| apologize". Apologize for what? He was elected as | | | | tenure - as if any of these really would solve the |
| a reformer, we just didn't realize how hard it | | | | state's problems. |
| would be, or should I say, how bad he would be | | | | I am a member of a very small minority. I don't |
| at doing it. As a parent, I wish she would | | | | belong to any of the powerful special interest |
| apologize for taking $50 million dollars out of the | | | | groups currently buying favorable state laws. Will I |
| teacher's pockets and spending it on thousands of | | | | ever again see a piece of legislation that serves |
| marathon ads that nobody watched. | | | | the general good of the state? |
| The direct spending on the election and election | | | | Aw come on, teachers, police, firefighters, |
| advertising was well in excess of $300 million | | | | gun-owner, casinos, etc.; how about throwing us a |
| dollars. The cost disturbs me but what I really | | | | bone before you tip the cow over. How about |
| can't get over is the evidence it gives me that | | | | doing a little something to fix our schools. Or |
| the citizens of Californian have lost the ability to | | | | perhaps we could improve a few roads, patch up |
| govern. We never talk about or vote on big | | | | the health care system, or make a dent in our |
| changes, but we spend enormous amounts of | | | | border issues. |
| energy fighting over small, incremental | | | | |