It's The People, Stupid!

I've been getting a little tired of all the finger pointing at our state legislators for the budget situation. Sure, they did their fair share of the damage but, as I've written before, the electorate not only voted these legislators in to office (multiple times), they also voted for many of the bond measures and spending dictates that created problems the legislature can't seem to work around.

The Oakland Tribune pretty much lets me rest my case that the people of this state are just as much of the problem as those in government. According to a recent poll taken, 7 out of 10 California voters approve of the idea of increasing cigarette taxes as a way of closing the budget deficit. Of course, this poll was commissioned by the American Cancer Society so it might have been a push- poll, but I still think the point has been made.

7 out of 10 people in this state think it makes sense to rely on a tax that, by its very nature, will be a declining source of revenue. We are doomed. At least the Republicans in the state legislature see the foolishness in that.