The Observation Deck

Five ballot initiatives designed to plug California's budget deficit failed to pass yesterday, most by nearly a 2-1 margin.

1A – Raise Taxes
1B – Modify Prop 98 to Free Up Money
1C – Sell Future Lottery Proceeds
1D – Modify Prop 10 to Free Up Money
1E – Modify Prop 63 to Free Up Money

Here are my recommendations for modified initiatives on the November ballot. If passed they will close the budget gap quicker. I borrowed s couple from another blog I read....

1A – Raise the Retirement Age of Public Employees, Eliminate Defined Benefit Plans for All New Public Employees
1B – Legalize (and Tax) Marijuana and Prostitution
1C – Privatize Services
1D – Release Minor Drug Offenders from Prison
1E – Phase in a $3 Per Gallon Gasoline Tax

At least one of these would never pass. I listed them in order of the likelihood of their passage.

California got completely out of control in the go-go days and now they are paying the price. Ohio never got so expansionary so we are in much better shape fiscally, except perhaps for our public employee pension plans which I believe are nearly as underfunded, especially Ohio STRS. There is a move afoot to require new teachers to enroll in a 401k plan and some talk about jiggering retirement ages (a la 1A above) but of course that is being fought by the STRS because it would cause that plan to collapse in just a few years (Ponzi Scheme + No New Members = Collapse). The other initiatives have not been considered (though apparently casino gambling is back in play).

If you (whomever, that is) want to mess with STRS...

Be prepared to hike teacher salaries up about 40% to compensate for messin' with success.

Can't have it both ways, people.

Either pay teachers relative peanuts, but allow 'em a decent retirement check later.

Or pay 'em up front.

Our teachers retirement plans were protected for a very good reason.

most bad trends in america come from California and Texas. and soon...Alaska.

Ohio should stop requiring teachers to get masters degrees. it is difficult to measure how effective a teacher is. standardized tests are meaningless.

laws should make it easier for voters to vote down parts of the union contracts of firemen, police, teachers, etc. at least at a local level. the legal-ese of modern contracts is too thick to fit on the ballot.

marijuana is too easy to grow. if it is too easy to grow it is too expensive to monitor. it will never be legalized. it would sink alcohol sales. alcohol is more capital intensive to grow, and more difficult to transport. liquids are more difficult to transport than dried leaves and buds. John McCain is married into a beer distributing dynasty. How many kids get pregnant after the prom or the friday night game thanks to John mcCain's beer?

prostitution is already legalized. it is called "lobbying". any politician who took money from Jack Abramoff should be considered a prostitute.