| The Field Poll has been surveying Californians' attitudes on Prop 13, and the broader issues of taxes and spending. What they've found is that Californians don't want spending cuts, prefer spending cuts to new taxes - but also are willing to support new taxes if they're the only way to prevent health care cuts.
Frank Russo offers an excellent in-depth look at the poll, which suggests that the public is willing to cut prisons (even though we have to INCREASE spending by at least $7 billion), and supports higher alcohol, cigarette, income, and sales taxes top protect health care.
Reading these poll numbers against the Field Poll's Prop 13 numbers, which indicated ongoing support for Prop 13 and a belief that the state's problems stem from spending and not tax problems it seems clear that there is a massive disconnect among California voters. They cling desperately to the belief that government waste and overspending is the problem of deficits, otherwise they might have to honestly and openly explain that their support for tax cuts is a desire to get government-sponsored tax shelters at the expense of everyone else in society and our state's economic competitiveness.
Frank Russo argued the Field Poll numbers might provide a "road map" forward for the legislature. I agree, although that map suggests confrontation will be the first stop on the trip. Something has to give - Californians cannot maintain their low-tax environment without crippling spending cuts they say they don't want. Republicans will take that to mean a stubborn refusal to increase taxes is popular with voters; they'll not be inclined at all to seek new revenues.
What is really needed is a strong and persistent argument from Democrats - in Sacramento and in the grassroots - that our state has a structural revenue shortfall - that our problems really do stem from a lack of revenue, that a state ranking 46th in per pupil school spending doesn't have any revenue to cut. We need to not shrink away when Californians insist that our problems are on the spending side - those Californians are wrong.
It's especially important to begin with fellow Democrats. The Field numbers suggest that many Democrats are ardent defenders of Prop 13 and believe spending cuts are preferable to tax increases. These Democrats should be the target of a broad-based and long-term campaign to show them the error of this thinking - that their Democratic values are not compatible with these thoughts on budgeting.
It won't be easy, but it is necessary if we are to fix this state. |
