My mom notes that something had to be done with property taxes, given how rapidly rising property values were forcing people out of their homes due to property tax increases, and I'm sure there's a lot of value in that assessment (so to speak).
But Prop 13's draconian limits on property taxes, taxation in general, and the various "unintended consequences" that resulted from it (like corporations steadily lowering their share of the tax burden) make it more than clear that it was an overreach of the highest degree, and a key contributor to California's (and the cities and counties therein) financial problems ever since.
Here's hoping that one day Howard Jarvis is only known for his brief, but amusing, role in Airplane.
Happy 35th Birthday, Tax Revolt! Thanks For Destroying California.
As California goes so goes the nation…are you listening tea party?
Letting voters write tax and budget laws ranks among the worst ideas American democracy has ever had.
The citizen's initiative is, I think, a worthwhile expression of power for the voters. A Progressive Era reform, sometimes the voters need to be able to do something that the elected representatives cannot or will not.
That said, some really bad law-writing (not just in taxing and budgetation) has occurred. Worse, fears (not unjustified) that it will be immediately changed by the lege has led to too much of it being thrown in as state constitution measures.
What I wish we could do is figure out how to get people to vote intransigent representatives from office. That and reform the districting process. That would render most of the need for citizen initiatives moot.