A Honest to Goodness California Tea Party

Nothing like the voter's will to tell the politicians that they suck at doing their job of cutting waste.

Californians have thrown their own tea party by voting down all the measures that would have maintained the status quo in California.

The results dealt a severe setback to the state’s fragile fiscal structure and to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the state legislators who cobbled together the measures as part of a last-minute budget deal passed in February.

The measures, which would have prolonged tax increases, capped state spending, earmarked money for education and involved the state in a complex borrowing scheme against its lottery, were rejected by roughly 60 percent of those who voted. The failure of the measures, combined with falling revenues since the state passed its budget, leaves California with a $21 billion new hole to fill, while foreclosure rates and unemployment remain vexing problems here.

The only measure to pass was the one that stopped the legislators and governor from getting a pay raise.

That stimulus package that can be vetoed; Governor Palin should not just look to the local election here in Anchorage, but look to what just happened in California to understand how people really feel about taxes and the stimulus package.