ALPERN AT LARGE - It’s not hard to figure out why the percentage of independents is rising in number in this state while Democrats and Republicans are decreasing as a percentage of the electorate: the Republican leadership comes across as having no hearts, and the Democratic leadership comes across as having no brains.
So who would want to cozy up to either side?
It’s easy to just presume that Governor Brown is running into the same Republicans-won’t-raise-taxes-and-Democrats-won’t-make-cuts problem that previous governors had, which is a presumption that is part of the same “groupthink” we’ve suffered at the hands of the press for years.
But we’ve suffered also from the Republican “groupthink” from its leadership that DOES say no to all new taxes, even when a simple math analysis shows it’s needed to avoid critical cuts to education, safety/security, roads, etc. That’s the part of the GOP message that suggests that the party is heartless, and to be conservative is heartless, and to be fiscally prudent is heartless. Just a bunch of heartless old coots, right, and won’t we be better off when they’re finally all gone?
Not to be outdone, there’s the Democratic “groupthink” from its leadership that DOES say no to all cuts, no matter how obviously necessary they are and how unsustainable things will be without them. That’s the part of the Democratic message that suggests that the party is brainless, and to be liberal is brainless, and to be bold and innovative is brainless. Just a bunch of petulant teenagers, right, and how will we survive if we’re stuck with them as our future leaders?
Enter the rising number of politically-independent voters, many of whom are “decline to state” and many of whom still officially and/or traditionally call themselves Democrats or Republicans but are displeased and distressed with the leadership of either party.
And these politically-independent voters are the folks who are constantly accused of wanting no taxes but wanting all the services, the ones who vote liberal Democrats into political offices but vote no on propositions that increase taxes and regulations, and the ones who are accused of being childish and unrealistic about our fiscal crisis when they’re anything but.
These are the folks who WANT quality education for California’s K-12 and college systems, but who know darn well that the funds currently being dedicated to education are being hideously misspent, and who are pro-child and pro-teacher but who are opposed to the current education union leadership that’s destroying our children’s future.
And they’re sick of the GOP message of “teachers are overpaid” and the Democratic message of “give us more money or your kids will get hurt”. Their own message is that “kids are great, but our current education union leadership is just plain self-serving and rotten to the core”. And they might just vote NO on new taxes until that problem is fixed.
These are the folks who WANT quality transportation/infrastructure for California, and have been willing to pay for it (state initiatives, sales and other tax increases in both liberal L.A. County and conservative Orange County, etc.), but who know darn well that some transportation measures are beginning to look increasingly untenable, such as the California High Speed Rail Initiative.
And they’re sick of the GOP message of “we shouldn’t waste money on transportation/infrastructure” and the Democratic message of “we’ve got to spend money, no matter how irrationally it’s spent or how few will actually benefit, or our state and planet will die in the immediate future”. Their own message is that “let’s spend our hard-earned dollars only on roads, rail, and energy projects that are cost-effective”. And they might just vote NO on new taxes until that problem is fixed.
These are the folks who WANT services to be maintained without devastating cuts, and know that efficiencies and pension/benefit reform CAN be done without those cuts because they’ve SEEN IT HAPPEN in their own lives in the private sector. They know that some government workers deserve raises, and others need to be bum-rushed out of government with a pink slip.
And they’re sick of the GOP message of “starve the beast” and the Democratic message of “you hate teachers, firefighters, police officers, etc. if you don’t shut up and give us more of your money”.
Their own message is that “let’s do the doggone pay cuts, let’s motivate public sector workers towards pay raises in a meritocracy, let’s cap the pension abuses, let’s demand workers work until their sixties and contribute to their own pension like the rest of us, and let’s not either destroy our lives either by unnecessary cuts or by feeding the fire that is destroying the credibility of the public sector”. And they might just vote NO on new taxes until those problems are fixed.
These are the folks who WANT a more job-friendly state but who also demand employers pay their workers a fair wage, who WANT to help those who are physically or financially down on their luck but who also demand that everyone who can work to pull their own weight or leave the state, who WANT to help immigrants who play by the rules but who also demand that people who arrive here illegally (and any Americans who illegally employ them) be treated like the tax evaders and identity thieves that they really are.
And they’re sick of GOP legislators and leaders who don’t articulate a plan to support those who are playing by the rules, and who don’t articulate the misery and unfairness endured by those who are playing by the rules, and who just say no to any new public works initiatives.
And they’re sick of Democratic legislators and leaders who don’t articulate a plan to punish those who are not playing by the rules, and who don’t acknowledge the misery and unfairness endured by those who are playing by the rules, and who come up with public works and “green” initiatives that are too often ill-advised, fiscally-imprudent, scientifically-unproven, and which will benefit too few individuals.
And so while the Governor and/or the Legislature “decline to state” reasonable, responsible and fair ideas to truly fix this state’s ills (particularly the Structural Deficit, which has been dragging on without a solution for years), California’s politically-independent voters might just “decline to state” not only their participation with either of the two major parties, but “decline to vote” in favor of a tax hike until one is proposed that is guaranteed to balance the budget because the state’s spending problems have been truly, honestly fixed.
(Ken Alpern is a former Boardmember of the Mar Vista Community Council (MVCC), previously co-chaired its Planning and Outreach Committees, and currently is Vice Chair of its MVCC Transportation/Infrastructure Committee. He is co-chair of the CD11 Transportation Advisory Committee and chairs the nonprofit Transit Coalition, and can be reached at [email protected]. He also co-chairs the grassroots Friends of the Green Line at www.fogl.us. The views expressed in this article are solely those of Mr. Alpern.) –cw
Tags: Ken Alpern, politics, California, Decline to State, independents
CityWatch
Vol 10 Issue 40
Pub: May 18, 2012
