Proposition 25 support

By Kwame Opoku-Duku
The Guardsman

By changing the vote requirement to pass a budget from two-thirds to a simple majority, Proposition 25 will put California’s legislators in a better position to consistently present the budget on time.

Plus, if legislators fail to pass a budget bill by June 15, all members of California’s legislature would forfeit their salaries for each day until one is passed.

Since 1980, legislators have met the June 15 deadline five times. During that same period, the final budget has been approved and put in place by the July 1 beginning of the fiscal year, only 10 times.

While politicians are busy fumbling over themselves, public schools and other organizations dependent on state funding suffer without money, until legislators decide they are ready to do their jobs.

Currently, California is one of three states that requires two-thirds of its legislature to pass a budget. This might work for the other two states, Rhode Island and Arkansas—with combined populations equalling slightly more than half of the Bay Area’s—but it is simply not the case in California.

Allowing a simple majority to pass the budget will give our legislature a greater opportunity to achieve a pragmatic solution to our budget crisis. This is also an opportunity to hold our representatives accountable if they can’t. It’s a win-win situation.

Critics of Prop 25 say the measure will make it easier for politicians to raise taxes but in actuality, the two-thirds vote requirement for taxes will be retained.

Governor Schwarzenegger told the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce he opposed 25 because, “if you do a budget by simple majority, again, there is one party that will make all the decisions.”

That sounds a lot like obstructing our appointed officials from doing their jobs solely because they are not making decisions based on Schwarzenegger’s political preferences.

Let’s finally get these politicians working. On Nov. 2, vote yes on Prop. 25.