The far left coast has for years pandered to every special interest group, every organization, and every perceived need, except that of the smallest minority- the individual. On Tuesday, the individual fought back, and won… at least for a day.

California’s budget woes have been stated and restated, all the while ignored by the elected officials- which include “republican” Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and a democrat controlled legislature. Following the tax increases by the state last February, the legislature refused to deal with the projected $21 plus billion deficit, passing the responsibility to the people with 6 propositions considered on Tuesday.

The results were almost comical. Consider the propositions (and their titles):

Prop 1A: “Rainy Day” Budget Stabilization Fund

If passed, would increase the size of the state’s “rainy day” fund to 12.5% of the general fund, and help balance the budget- by increasing taxes approximately $16 billion over the next 2 years. The proposition was passed overwhelmingly by the legislature. The people defeated it by a 2-1 margin. Not a single county passed it.

Prop 1B: Education Funding Payment Plan

If passed, would require the state to increase payments to schools by $9.3 billion. Again, this proposition was overwhelmingly approved by the legislature, but defeated by 62% of the voters (3 counties actually passed this one, including Pelosi’s San Francisco).

Prop 1C: Lottery Modernization Act (don’t you just love the name?)

Requested voters to approve $5 billion in new state debt secured by projected increases in future lottery receipts. 64.6% of the people rejected it, no county passed it.

Prop 1D: Children’s Services Funding

This one redirected tobacco tax money earmarked for healthcare and school readiness programs to debt service and state operations for the next four years. Only 3 members of the legislature voted against it, along with 65.8% of the people (and every county).

Prop 1E: Mental Health Funding

If passed, $450 million of the income tax surcharge passed in 2004 for mental health programs would be redirected to fill current budget holes. 6 members of the legislature voted against this one, along with 66.4% of the people and every county.

Do you get the feeling that elected officials are out of touch with the people? Do you get the feeling that the people are fed up with the nonsense? If every one of these propositions were to have passed, it would solve less than 25% of the current budget shortfall- $6 billion of the more than $21 billion deficit.

Then, there was Proposition 1F, Elected Officials Salaries. This one encouraged balanced budgets by preventing statewide elected officials and members of the legislature from getting raises in the years the state runs at a deficit. It passed with nearly 74% of the vote.

Now the governator and democrat majority leaders in the California Assembly and Senate will have to attempt to do their jobs- presumably without a raise any time soon.

Schwarzenegger went to Washington looking for answers. While I don’t expect he will find much intelligence there,  at least he didn’t check with the county council in Sonoma County. A member there said, “There are billions of dollars in savings if we employ single payer universal health care, decriminalize pot, and convert to green technologies.”

‘recon the elected officials will ever figure this out?