The Ambivalence of Direct Democracy Essay - 1002 Words

The California Constitution states, â€Å"All political power is inherent in the people. Government is instituted for their protection, security, and benefit, and they have the right to alter or reform it when the public good may require.† (CA Const. art. 2, sect. 1) Indeed, the age-old maxim that the government is for the people is evident in California’s Constitution, and the inception of direct democracy by the early 20th century Progressive movement follows this ideology. The 2nd article of California’s constitution includes three forms of direct democracy: the initiative, referendum, and recall. Respectively, these forms of direct democracy grant electors the power to propose statutes and amendments, adopt or reject statutes and†¦show more content†¦Direct democracy’s initiative sounds appealing in theory, but realistically, history has shown that the average voter is incapable of truly assessing the effects and repercussions of these ballot proposals. This is clearly exemplified by Proposition 13, an initiative that, as author Isaac Martin states, became a â€Å"nationwide symbol of tax revolt† (Martin). Proposition 13 essentially set the property tax rate to 1% and stated that the assessed value of homes could not exceed the 1975-76 assessed value. This reduced taxes by about 57% (californiataxdata.com), a truly drastic decrease, which translates to a loss of $7 billion in property taxes during the 1978-79 fiscal year (McCaffery Bowman, 530). Consequently, Proposition 13 led to intense repercussions; the huge decreases in finances forced local agencies to look for funding elsewhere, and severe cuts were made. The Los Angeles Times conducted a survey of 70 southern school districts and found that two-thirds of them had eliminated or sharply curtailed summer school. Also, Long Beach school sent layoff notices to nearly half of its staff of teachers, and by June 28th there was a total of 3,252 estimated layoffs with 165,000 imminent layoffs. The repercussions continued, with prices escalating to cover the decline of financing. And ironically,Show MoreRelatedUncouth Nation: Why Europe Dislikes America by Andrei Markovits1098 Words   |  5 Pagesis very disturbing because who will now control America and America cannot control all the states. There is anti-Americanism not only in Europe but also in the Middle East and even Asia. Nonetheless, many people still admire America’s culture and democracy however much they do not like what it does. Everyone around the world will always have something to like and talk about positively about America and so the issue of anti-Americanism should be stopped and this is why Markovits in his book UncouthRead MoreReview : Outer Experience 1227 Words   |  5 Pagesclimate becomes (Pfeffer 34). 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