“Democracy is on the ballot.” That mantra of President Joe Biden and other Democrats has suggested that “this may be our last election” if the Republicans win in 2024. A few of us have noted that the Democrats seem more keen on claiming the mantle of the defenders of democracy than actually practicing it. Democrats have sought to disqualify Donald Trump and dozens of Republicans from ballots; block third party candidates, censor and blacklist of those with opposing views; and weaponize the legal system against their opponents. Most recently, in California, democracy is truly on the ballot and the Democrats are on the wrong side.
California has always prided itself on the ability of citizens to vote on changes in the law directly through referenda and ballot measures. That is precisely what citizens are attempting to do with a measure that would require voter approval of any tax increase, including a two-thirds vote for some local taxes. It is called the Taxpayer Protection Act and it is a duly qualified statewide ballot measure slated for the November 2024 ballot.
The state Democrats are apoplectic over the prospect of citizen control over revenue and taxes. What was a quaint element of democratic empowerment is now challenging a core vehicle of Democratic power. So Gov. Gavin Newsom and other Democratic leaders have taken the issue to the state Supreme Court to demand that citizens be denied the right to decide the issue.
In oral arguments, the attorney supporting the challenge explained to the justices that citizens are simply not equipped to deal with the complexities of taxation and should not be allowed to render such a decision.
In a prior decision, Associate Justice Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar wrote that “Whether the context involves taxation or not, all of these cases underscore how courts preserve and liberally construe the public’s statewide and local initiative power. Indeed, we resolve doubts about the scope of the initiative power in its favor whenever possible and we narrowly construe provisions that would burden or limit the exercise of that power.”
Half of the Court seemed to be inclined to deny the public the right to decide the question.
At first I thought that this was a trick column to test our rationality. But then someone mentioned California and it all became clear. I would suggest that a large majority of the people could balance the state budget, especially if the state was required to publish its full budget each year as line items. Not everyone could do it but the assembly people seem to be no more knowledgeable than most normal people. It seems that strange things happen in the chambers of the state house in California. I’m not sure if it’s an echo chamber, a mini-black hole, an insane asylum, the Land of Oz or simply that the oxygen levels are so low that people lose the ability to be rational.
Maybe it’s time for a Reichstag Fire and have the assembly people turned out in the street and have to find there own way home.
“I’m not sure if it’s an echo chamber, a mini-black hole, an insane asylum, the Land of Oz or simply that the oxygen levels are so low that people lose the ability to be rational.”
Naw. They are just Democrats, and “democracy” is just a word they throw about to get votes. It means nothing to them. The only thing that matter to Democrats is POWER. They will walk, they will talk, and they will crawl upon their bellies like reptiles to get it.
Once again JT obfuscates. Idaho, for those that don’t know, a far red state, has been taking away local ability to govern for years. Where has JT been? No comments about “Democracy” in Idaho, NADA, Nothing.
When Idaho made it illegal to report animal abuse at dairies, Nothing from JT
When Idaho took the ability of Boise to manage their streets and parking, The Legislature took that ability away.
Idaho has been interfering with local government for a long time. This is a Republican led effort. How dare local elected officials do what is best for the local community, Your not following the correct right wing way to do it.
Stop obfuscating JT, it is beneath you.
You can report animal abuse in Idaho, at dairies or anywhere else. Why should Boise manage the streets there when ACHD handles most other jurisdictions? Delaware, FJB’s home democrat-machine state manages all the roads in the state, no local management whatsoever. Before, Boise used non-Boise $$$ for its roads, why should they have the sole purview over how others’ money is spent?
Boise has been amassing a bunch of COWS that seek to replicate that from which they ran from, and frankly Boise needs to be saved from itself.
No more COWS!
IdahoThe Federal govt has been interfering withlocal governmentStates for a long timeAbsent spin – what you are REALLY talking about is Idaho protecting the rights of individuals.
Constraining the power of govenrment – federal state or local increases the power of individuals.
In your “scenarious” – the rights of individuals – are increased, and the power of govenrment decreased.
If you do not like how a dairy farmer treats their cows – do not buy their milk.
PETA – not a group that reflects the views of the majority very successfully through threatened boycotts persuaded McDonlad’s to radically improve the conditions of the farmers who produce its chickens. After McDonald’s the rest of the industry followed quickly.
Not a single govenrment law or regulation within 10000 miles.
So long as government bars the ACTUAL use of force, free markets are in all other ways self regulating.
Even a minority of consumers can nearly always get their way – so long as what they want does not overly burden the majority.
Your thought processes are to narrow – you seem to see FORCE as the only way to get what you want.
Progressive leftists are progressive leftists until the tax burden of being a progressive leftist becomes too burdensome.
Then they become like everyone else.
Cannot allow the possibility of the people and their right to self determination, self determine. That is why they need the government to tell them what to do, how to live, what to eat, what to drive, what to watch (and what the government censors so the people cannot see, hear or read) and of course where their tax money goes, and how the government can raise their taxes at anytime to pay for another government boondoggle. And if the people want to leave due to the high cost of living and taxes, the government will pass a law allowing them to continue taxing the people even if they live in a different state.
Hey! Isnt that the kind of tyranny De Niro was ranting about yesterday?
“Democrats seem more keen on claiming the mantle of the defenders of democracy than actually practicing.”
Don’t you just love how the Left wallows in a mire of contradictions?
The Public is God.
Except when it’s not.
This is not a Democrat problem. Both parties do it in equal measure. JT is just not telling you the whole story like he typically does.
The United States first try was the articles of Confederation. It failed, simply because it had zero taxing power. It could do tariffs and other revenue methods, but not directly tax citizens, so it lacked the ability to do things like amass an army or navy. So it was replaced by the Constitution.
California has been at war with itself by their direct referendum.
The people of California passed a Constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. The courts stepped in and declared the Constitution, Unconstitutional.
In Iowa, school building proposals need 60% voter approval, to raise their own taxes. I fail to see the problem, but if it is a problem . . . for the people, the people will correct.
Iowan,
I lived in CA during the 90’s and I remember well prop 187 that we overwhelmingly passed (59%) to stop illegal alien’s from our citizen tax funded public services like public schools. A single a-hole judge took away the voting power of 59% of the citizens and showed that an illegal alien has more power and rights than the countries people. It caused me to stop voting while I lived in CA since what was the point?
You are totally wrong! The Articles of Confederation did not fail, and they were not replaced by the Constitution of the United States, and the united States, in congress assembled had an agreement to tax to pay the debts of the nation, and I know you don’t, and won’t believe that, so here is Article VIII from the Articles of Confederation which established taxation to pay for the debts of the Union.
[Article VIII. All charges of war, and all other expenses that shall be incurred for the common defence or general welfare, and allowed by the united states in congress assembled, shall be defrayed out of a common treasury, which shall be supplied by the several states, in proportion to the value of all land within each state, granted to or surveyed for any Person, as such land and the buildings and improvements thereon shall be estimated, according to such mode as the united states, in congress assembled, shall, from time to time, direct and appoint. The taxes for paying that proportion shall be laid and levied by the authority and direction of the legislatures of the several states within the time agreed upon by the united states in congress assembled.]
What they did with the Constitution of the United States was to make that assessment of taxes more equitable by assessing taxes on each State per capita based upon the proportion of the aggregate population which resided within each State, which is established by Article 1 Section 2 Clause 3 of the Constitution of the United States.
There was never anything wrong with the Articles of Confederation, that agreement between the States formed a democracy of the States as equals with equal suffrage to reach a majority consensus of all the States as the Union and Established Government Authority, which was unique throughout history, because never before had unequal parts been assembled to make collective decisions as equals, and you can’t get any more democratic than that.
However, they needed to address the disparity which existed between the States in their population and wealth to balance that legislative process and protect minority interest, that’s why they added a Republican Form of Government, a Confederation of Republics, which is assembled in a bicameral legislature to provide checks and balances on the legislative process where the large, more populace and wealthy, States determine the scope and cost of all matters of interest to the States, and the small more numerous States determine concurrence on those choices, this along with determining direct taxes by the same proportional apportionment, formed a More Perfect Union which was more equitable.
In fact Article 8 is actually the only article of the Articles of Confederation that was amended, there are other superficial changes but they didn’t change the basic democratic relationship, and Article 1 of the Constitution of the United States, which established the Republican Form of Government, was an amendment by addition, because they retained the original Confederate assembly of the States through Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution of the United States, and the Senate, the discrete democracy of the States, has the power of Concurrence over both systems to make laws and treaties.
Do yourself a favor and read Federalist #’s 62-66, “The Senate”, Madison, Jay, and Hamilton respectively, which explains the dynamics of both systems.
The Articles of Confederation did not fail and they were not replaced, they were amended, and you have to actually read them to understand why they must remain in place!
“[C]itizens are simply not equipped to deal with the complexities of taxation and should not be allowed to render such a decision.”
There, yet again, is the Left’s totalitarian premise:
The individual’s mind is defective. He is incapable of judging what’s good or bad for his own life. We, who somehow avoided that defect, will decide for you. Shut up. And obey.
This reminds of this classic line: Some party hack decreed that the people had lost the government’s confidence and could only regain it with redoubled effort. If that is the case, would it not be be simpler, If the government simply dissolved the people and elected another? – Bertolt Brecht
Democracy can be messy. Perhaps one can just look at the Dems as cleaning up the messes left by those children the voters!
I am sure they just have our best interests at heart. Lol.
“citizens are simply not equipped to deal with the complexities of taxation and should not be allowed to render such a decision.“
I think that remark says it all of what these people think of the average citizen. If this became a national process it would most likely put a damper on earmarks and spending would have to be justified.
Can’t have that.
Check out what Idaho Republicans are doing. Far worse than what JT describes here.
What is Idaho doing this time?
That place, run by conservatives for, well, forever, is clearly an example of how a government can’t dissuade people from moving there and businesses from starting and growing there, like its citizens want.
No more COWs!!!
Neil,
That is an interesting observation.
It has been noted, based off IRS tax filings, the movement of people from overbearing, intrusive, Blue states to freedom loving Red states.
The number one place outside of CA where CA pension checks are “mailed” is Meridian, Idaho. Meridian is just west of Boise by a few miles.
I think ballot referendums do more harm than good. Nevertheless, California voters have repeatedly said they want them, and they are the law of the land. Don’t like the law? Then change it through the political process. You can’t get the courts to do your dirty work for you.
In oral arguments, the attorney supporting the challenge explained to the justices that citizens are simply not equipped to deal with the complexities of taxation and should not be allowed to render such a decision.
This is the logical fallacy of ‘Appeal to Authority’.
You may recognize from past uses, by the left, busy pushing their narrative.
“follow the science”, was the Chorus, of the music during covid. Now you recognize it, don’t you? Follow the science only goes so far. Male and female? Not that science, you duffus
“A consensus of scientist”, is all the “science” you need to know about the Anthropological, Catastrophic, Global Climate Change. ACGCC. Just ignore that, science wants no part of Consensus. Science will be content with the threadbare standard of falsifiable.
The left has a whole carpet bag of logical fallacies. Look them up, and you will see them littered about the leftists talking points.
In other news, “AOC claims to be expert on ‘Tacks Law’ after winning Pin the Tail on the Donkey contest at Democratic Convention.”
After winning the contest, AOC claims that she could write “Tacks Law” better than the IRS or anyone else because she can “do it blindfolded”.
When informed by a bystander that she might be confusing Tacks (pins) with Tax (revenue collection) she quipped “Only little people pay tax.” then skipped down to the cake walk.
Darren,
Awesome!
The irony here is that if citizens managed their household budgets like the state and federal governments manage the public budgets, we’d all be bankrupt within a week, or printing money in our basements. If anyone is “simply not equipped to deal with the complexities” of our tax money, it’s the government.
Next Democrats will only want Illegals to be able to vote!
Every Person involved in helping Illegals should be JAILED!
according to the Babylon Bee, you’ve nothing to worry about
Article
in fascism….the State and their large corporation decide all
Democrats ARE Fascists!
In paragraph three, line 2, it should read “now challenging,” not “no challenging.”
The arguments are always the same: the average citizen is too stupid or under informed to make these decisions; leave it exclusively to the legislature (the citizen is not equipped to deal with the complexity etc). Fact is, the same could be argued regarding most members of the assembly itself.
Most voters have enough common sense (which is less certain for assembly members). That voter approval works well in the area of taxation is demonstrated by a century old practice in Switzerland. It is not only a sound practice from the perspective of the ideal of a government by the people, it serves to exact a measure of control over the legislature (which essentially acts as agents of the citizens). It is quite common to restrict a power of attorney given to an agent. They work for us and there is no rationale to give them carte blanche.
Five minutes before the newbie assembly members took office, they were average citizens as well. But apparently after being elected they automagically became pillars of wisdom and knowledge, or so they tell us.
“…citizens are simply not equipped to deal with the complexities of taxation and should not be allowed to render such a decision.
~+~
Those damned unwashed masses are revolting!
— King Newsom XVI
Democracy is rule by the mob which is exactly what democrats want. We have a democratic republic with a constitution and laws that civilized people agree to abide by. Don’t let the left control the dialogue.
Democracy can’t be on the ballot because democracy is how that ballot is formed and how choices are determined by a majority consensus of all that are assembled as the democracy!
“A Democracy” is a legislative assembly, “Democracy” is how that legislative assembly is formed and how it functions, and “Consensus Choice” is the legislative process which governs how that legislative assembly determines choices by a majority consensus of all that are assembled as the legislative assembly.
The requirements for a legislative assembly are that a quorum must assemble to “put” questions, identify and rank choices to form a ballot, and a majority consensus is determined by a specified majority of all those assembled, not just all that are present!