Propositions are not the solution
Re “Necessary evils,” editorial, April 26
I’m a permanent absentee voter, but I have mailed my ballot. I voted against every proposition on the May 19 special election ballot.
I consider this entire mess no less than extortion by the Republicans in the Legislature. Lest we forget, this costly special election was the price exacted for Republican support for budget reform. It’s time we allowed the budget to pass by a simple majority of each legislative house.
Sue Kamm
Los Angeles
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Like the voter pamphlet that buries mention of the two-year tax extension that accompanies Proposition 1A, The Times buried mention of the tax extension in its editorial.
You must think we can’t see right through you.
Like your previous support of Gray Davis, Phil Angelides and amnesty for illegal aliens, your devious, misleading and sneaky support of Proposition 1A will fail miserably -- further solidifying your position as the least influential big-city newspaper in the country.
Robert Ostrove
Oxnard
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In the Official Voter Information Guide, the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office all but recommends we vote no on Propositions 1A through 1E: “Assuming that all of the propositions on this ballot pass, it is expected that the state would face multibillion-dollar budget shortfalls in the coming years.”
It also suggests that after the next fiscal year, 1A will have an “unknown net effect,” that 1B will lead to “potentially higher costs of billions of dollars annually” and 1C will increase net costs by “hundreds of millions of dollars annually.” These propositions are no solution to the budget mess. They are going to make it worse.
Kevin Hayes
Murrieta
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The solution to California’s budget problems isn’t passing these very poorly designed propositions. The solution is to change the budget process to reflect some sanity -- why isn’t this very costly special election giving Californians the choice of changing the budget process to a majority or a 55% agreement number? The governor and the Legislature are not focusing on the real problem. It is time they did.
Kathy Wright
Costa Mesa