(Cross-posted from
BetterCA.com)
There is no better way to figure out what kind of impacts Prop. 76 would have on the California than to compare it to the crisis Colorado is facing with the Taxpayers Bill of Rights (TABOR) restrictions. Thirteen years ago the right-wing anti-tax organizations led by Grover Norquist scored a major victory with TABOR's passage. Today Coloradans are paying a huge price. Their normally conservative governor, who once harbored presidential aspirations is pushing to pull the teeth out of it.
WashingtonPost.com:
Gov. Bill Owens -- a onetime Tabor champion -- and other supporters of the change say the state will have to cut billions of dollars in spending on colleges, highways, parks and medical care if Tabor is not revised. Opponents of the referendum say cuts like that would be just fine, because individuals and the private sector should provide services such as higher education, transit and recreation.
Does this sound familiar? It sure does to us. TABOR works by limiting the amount that the government can spend, even when tax revenues increase. The amount is based on prior years revenue, just like Prop. 76. That ratchet down effect is crippling the state and forcing unneeded cuts to critical areas.
More from the article:
The argument has national implications, particularly for Washington-based tax-limitation groups that have worked to sell similar tough spending restrictions to other states.
The national organizations are particularly incensed at their erstwhile ally Owens, a self-described "Republican conservative" who once had presidential ambitions. "Owens is finished on the national scene," said Grover G. Norquist of D.C.-based Americans for Tax Reform.
That is the power that Norquist wields. He can end someone's political career. Norquist has made a habit of forcing Republicans to sign no tax increase pledges to get his influential support. In fact, Schwarzenegger even signed one when running for office. What happens when Prop. 76 goes down in defeat? Schwarzenegger has vowed to raise taxes if it does. Will Norquist come over to kick his butt?