California joins tax revolt

It's still not sinking in to the far-left spendaholics in Washington, D.C., but the tax revolt begun with the April 15 Tea Parties is growing.

"Californians' rejection of five tax-and-spend ballot measures on Tuesday's ballot was the first outcome of a national tea party movement that elitists can no longer dismiss," says Investor's Business Daily in a new editorial.

From the editorial:

Long considered a deep-blue state grown tolerant of high taxes, California surprised the political class and media by easily defeating all but one of the six propositions intended to close a $21 billion deficit.

Voters saw right through the weasel words of Proposition 1A, which described a set-aside for a "rainy day fund" to balance the budget. They also brushed aside politicians' threats to lay off police officers, teachers and firefighters (but not abundant bureaucrats), in effect making them human shields in an attempt to scare voters into going along.

It was nothing but a slyly disguised mandate for slush funds to finance new pork-barrel projects such as those that have made a mess of the state's finances. Four other initiatives failed for the same reason.

All this shows why the tea party movement has more muscle than the pundits thought. Tea-party protestors became voters on Tuesday, sending a message that amounts to quite a bit more than a "radio stunt."

Read the full editorial at the newspaper's Web site.

For more on the Tea Party movement, check out www.teapartyday.com