In Calif., Power by Plebiscite (washingtonpost.com)

California's problems are much more complicated than Arnoldmakes them out to be. The constitution is a shambles and that only thru the power of celebrity can anything actually be done. In reality the fact that all those propositions have made government in California a joke. There is almost no discretionary spending on the part of the elected officials due to propositions. Additionally, again due to a proposition, the people that represent the citizenry can't learn and be knowledgable about the process b/c they have term limits.

So who wins in this situation? Lobbyists, ex-electeds, large special interests. They win b/c they understand the system and manipulate it to their ends. The losers are the citizens of California. Their hired experts (their representatives) don't have time to learn anything and have to quit when they do. They end up paying taxes for things they don't need and have no money when their is a crisis. There is a warped incentive system for the state (and any other state that has similar rules, Hello Washington) and basically the good weather is the only thing making it palatable.