The Prop. 82 Swoon Has Begun

Prop. 82 is the latest abomination to hit the California initiative process, and it looks like this poorly crafted and incredibly unfair proposal is headed for defeat (from Bill Bradley's New West Notes):

** A RESPECTED DEMOCRATIC POLLSTER TELLS ME PROP 82 HAS DIPPED BELOW 50% in a private Democratic poll. Proposition 82, the tax-the-rich for universal preschool initiative on California's June 6th ballot presented by controversial movie director Rob Reiner, has clung to a narrow majority in the recent public polls by the Los Angeles Times and the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC). But in the Times poll, that was based on people being read the ballot summary. Prop 82 has garnered negative editorials from most every newspaper in California. Prior to that, Reiner was forced to resign as chairman of the California Commission on Children and Families. Reports, many first published here, had revealed highly questionable actions during his stewardship of the heavily funded agency.

According to the experts, this initiative would take $2 billion dollars out of the economy in the form of additional income taxes on high earners, and in exchange for all this largess, the preschool rate in California would increase from 66% to maybe 70%. Of course, this money would also fund a huge new stupid beaurocracy.

Needless to say, I'm voting NO!