Worst Politicians of the Year

The Los Angeles Times' recaps the list of names readers supplied when he asked for their opinion about who were the best and worst politicians of 2009.

After recapping the typical stereotypical blather from those who wrongly think all politicians are awful, Lopez highlights Brandon Ruiz's observation:

"We pass ballot initiatives with no method of funding," wrote Brandon Ruiz. "We put our legislature in a straitjacket with a 2/3 vote requirement on budgets and then ask them to fix our state's problems. We make it easy to cut taxes, but impossible to raise them, meaning that a small majority can deprive the state of needed revenue. . . .

"We killed the dominant school funding mechanism by passing Prop. 13 and then demanded that the state fix it and fund our schools. . . . We want to protect OUR programs and cut THEIRS. . . . We are our own worst politician and our own worst enemy. We, the short-sighted, instant-gratification seeking, detail averse, California public. We refuse to see the difficult choices, nuance, and complicated details of public policy, yet we give ourselves the power to make laws that can virtually never be repealed."

Lopez remarks that Ruiz "nailed it." I agree.

We have created a system that cannot work with our 2/3 vote hypermajority requirements, a dysfunctional initiative system, and insanely strict term limits among the provisions exacerbating our state's problems and making it virtually impossible to resolve them.

We have created a system that cannot work and pathetically act surprised when it does not. We see reform efforts that are trying not to touch some of the elements I list above. We see tax reform commissions with Governor-appointed leaders who have reached conclusions outside of the promised transparent process.

California's system does not work. It cannot under the present rules. And anyone who says that California can be reformed without touching the hypermajority rules, initiative process, and term limits is selling the same tonic which lead to our current failed system.