California Primary Elections

The California ballot today has two propositions on it. Proposition 82 establishes the right of all four year olds to preschool and provides support and establishes standards through a 1.7% tax increase for individuals making more than $400,000 or couples making more than $800,000 a year.

One of the problems with ballot initiatives is that voters cannot see the context in which their choices are being made. Of course everyone is in favor of preschools for children, research shows the benefits. However, this choice of spending taxpayer resources like any policy decision is not made without externalities, nor is it made with unlimited resources. Is preschool education more valuable than libraries? Is preschool education more important than highway improvements? What about universal medical care? What about improvements in K-12 education? What about benefits to illegal aliens? What about the environment? By choosing preschool education what am I turning down?

Another problem with ballot initiatives is that they are an all-or-none options. There is no negotiation that would occur during legislation. The San Jose Mercury and the San Francisco Chronicle both oppose the universal preschool initiative, not because they do not believe in the need for preschool education but because of the flaws in this proposal. A preschool education proposal presented to state legislators could be vetted and concerns including funding and flexibility could be resolved. This might result in a decent policy as opposed to this doomed-to-fail one.