Friday, June 09, 2006

Lessons for Liberals in California

Here is another liberal journalist, whining about the lack of support for tax increases in California. The liberal journalist is shocked that Californians would not vote for more and more and more tax increases.

While the political world was obsessed with the Republican victory in a special election for a California congressional seat, the truly sobering news for liberals was in the statewide voting. Proposition 82, the ballot measure that would have guaranteed access to preschool for all of California's 4-year-olds, went down to a resounding defeat, 61-39 percent.

Not only that -- voters also rejected a $600 million bond measure for the state's libraries. A vote against libraries? Yes, the bonds went down 53-47 percent.

Progressives have a lot to think about. For one thing, there remains a deep skepticism about government spending, even for the best purposes. On the same day that the two propositions went down, voters in five California counties rejected sales tax increases, mostly to fund transportation projects. Attacks on tax and spend sound old and tired, but they still have force.

I gotta say, I am surprised that the liberals have decided that running on a "increase taxes" platform will indeed help them take back Washington in November.

If the liberals want to try and shove tax increases down the throats of everyday Americans and use this as their winning message in November, I say, let the liberals try. California just proved that the liberal "tax increase" message does not work, even in liberal California.

1 comment:

Kate said...

Is Racine more liberal than California? :) I see it as people becoming more and more aware as to just how wasteful the government really is, not just in California. The argument "it's for the children" is getting really old, and most intelligent people aren't biting.