Canaries, Coal Mines, California, & Colin Powell

While the general may be a smart and patriotic American, the new Powell doctrine strikes me as more ivory tower than Army HQ. Here is Powell:

"The Republican Party is in deep trouble," Powell told corporate security executives at a conference in Washington sponsored by Fortify Software Inc. The party must realize that the country has changed, he said. "Americans do want to pay taxes for services," he said. "Americans are looking for more government in their life, not less."[E.A]

Maybe. I would say that it is more likely people want to pay as few taxes as possible, while securing the maximum possible benefits for themselves. That is to say, their first preference is for someone else to pick up the check, but if they are stuck with the bill they had better get a great value for their money.

Good news for us and Powell, we may have a way to test this in a real world laboratory.

California's Proposition 1A is set for a vote next week. This proposition amounts to the combination of tax increases with spending caps. In other words, are Californians ready foot the bill for the government that they currently have.

Many, including Smitty at The Winning McCain, and WI's own DAD29, see the CA vote as a test case for whether or not Powell is correct in his judgment of voters' attitudes toward taxation and government size.

If the revenue increase are rejected by CA voters, what does that say about the supposed tidal wave of progressive sentiment that supposedly swept the country resulting in an Obama victory?

Unfortunately for progressives, you can't change human nature. If you ask people, they will tell you sure, everyone deserves food, shelter, and access to medical care. If you asked them to vote or sign a petition based on that same notion many would do so. If you asked them to actually pay for it though, I think that apparent tidal wave of progressive sentiment would look more like low tide at a California beach.