CA TFPer's: Prop 56 thoughts? - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

evilbeefchan · 02-25-2004, 10:20 PM

Hey all! Had an interesting discussion in class about the current state of the, well, state, and it seems that many of us are highly mis/uninformed. What exactly is the argument for people in favor of prop 56? I understand that it would lower the two-thirds majority vote down to 55%, which would pass laws and budget proposals faster. But wouldn't the state benefit from laws that have been passed through a longer screening process? I know I'm missing something, so please help!

Zeld2.0 · 02-26-2004, 12:42 AM

I haven't read too much into it yet but my first impression is still that I don't think giving more power to the state government is going to help us out right now - and personally I'm against them getting more power.

smooth · 02-26-2004, 04:53 AM

It doesn't allow for a longer screening process. The two-thirds majority requirement allows a fraction of the assembly to prevent new taxes being levied.

Your stance on this matter probably hinges upon your stance toward taxes. Had the assembly been able to vote in more taxes, we wouldn't be in as severe of a mess as we've been told we are in. Some people, however, claim that higher taxes would only hurt the economy more. The response seems to be that the dems were only trying to raise them back to the level they were at under Wilson and Reagan (Angelide's plan right now, BTW--and a solid one, at that).

Anyway, the short of it is that it brings the requirement down to slightly over half instead of 2/3rds and imposes stiff penalties, such as no wages, to the assembly when they don't pass a budget. But yeah, it's meant to make it easier to pass taxes--so you have to decide whether you think we should be able to pass taxes easier or endure gridlock based on the demands of a few members.

02-25-2004, 10:20 PM	#1 (permalink)
evilbeefchan Addict Location: Alhambra, CA	CA TFPer's: Prop 56 thoughts? Hey all! Had an interesting discussion in class about the current state of the, well, state, and it seems that many of us are highly mis/uninformed. What exactly is the argument for people in favor of prop 56? I understand that it would lower the two-thirds majority vote down to 55%, which would pass laws and budget proposals faster. But wouldn't the state benefit from laws that have been passed through a longer screening process? I know I'm missing something, so please help!

02-26-2004, 12:42 AM	#2 (permalink)
Zeld2.0 Cherry-pickin' devil's advocate Location: Los Angeles	I haven't read too much into it yet but my first impression is still that I don't think giving more power to the state government is going to help us out right now - and personally I'm against them getting more power.

02-26-2004, 04:53 AM	#3 (permalink)
smooth Junkie Location: Right here	It doesn't allow for a longer screening process. The two-thirds majority requirement allows a fraction of the assembly to prevent new taxes being levied. Your stance on this matter probably hinges upon your stance toward taxes. Had the assembly been able to vote in more taxes, we wouldn't be in as severe of a mess as we've been told we are in. Some people, however, claim that higher taxes would only hurt the economy more. The response seems to be that the dems were only trying to raise them back to the level they were at under Wilson and Reagan (Angelide's plan right now, BTW--and a solid one, at that). Anyway, the short of it is that it brings the requirement down to slightly over half instead of 2/3rds and imposes stiff penalties, such as no wages, to the assembly when they don't pass a budget. But yeah, it's meant to make it easier to pass taxes--so you have to decide whether you think we should be able to pass taxes easier or endure gridlock based on the demands of a few members.