Perfect example is Prop. 13, which was passed in the 70’s to put a limit on property tax- both commercial and residential. What this means is that those who bought houses here 30 years ago still pay the same tax rate on a house that has gone from being worth maybe $50,000 to now close to a million. The same is true with residential property. This has created a number of serious problems. It severely limits the amount of taxes the state can collect. It also had a social consequence. Since unlike other states where taxes go up progressively with value, which means older people will eventually downsize or move out of their homes, in California they have no reason to move. Thus it creates a supply problem and prices skyrocket, which in effect prices out the young professional families whom are now moving to places like Texas, North Carolina, and Oregon. The state is bleeding itself to death. Due to the proposition system and the fact that Cali’s avg age is rising means that the law will never stand a chance of being repealed. Thus the state will starve.

I think it makes it much harder on the legislators when they hear all sides from each group that is so passionate about their cause. Education, healthcare, prison system, etc. How do we make these choices? And, as you said in your post, we as individuals and families end up having to regularly be faced these same types of decisions. We all make sacrifices daily, so more severe than others, to get through.

The only security that we have is knowing that whatever choice we make we will still have a place in our family. The legislators spend so much time thinking about the next election and their constituents and the possible outcry from their decisions that their thinking gets cloudy and decisions come slower and slower.

Luckily we will not be up for re-election in our families!

Most of the spending is on two things: inappropriately named “entitlement” programs, and the interest on the debt which was created by those “entitlement” programs.

Abolish these ineffective, unConstitutional programs and we could cut our individual taxes enormously, all the while dramatically boosting the economy. This double benefit would necessarily result in a higher standard of living for almost everyone, but most especially for those who are the least well off.

For the federal government, that would work out to a 3 trillion-6 trillion dollar range, with the states being even more on top of that.

No one wants to cut back and be told “no”. It’s just not the way it is.