My state's budget process is broken

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The California budget process is completely messed up. As far as I can tell, this is because of two things:
  1. Any budget requires 2/3 of the legislature to pass. This makes it easy for a wacky minority to hold the process hostage.
  2. Due to Prop 13, any tax increase also requires a 2/3 majority to pass. Of course, it doesn't take a 2/3 majority to lower taxes or to increase spending. So during good times, the legislature hands out the goodies with abandon, but when revenues dip they can't compensate with revenue increases. So they usually resort to gimmickry to avoid drastic spending cuts (that in a recession would further worsen the economy).
Question: why can't states go into debt the way the federal government can go into debt? Maybe that power would be used unwisely, but it might also be a good tool for avoiding this kind of crisis.

Comments

grishnash said…
Why not pass a budget as a constitutional amendment? Then you'd only need a bare majority in a statewide vote?
9:39 AM, December 19, 2008
ST said…
Funny and sad, grishnash!
7:38 PM, December 19, 2008
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