Get Your Lab Coats: Illinois And California's Supermajority Legislatures Experiment

While much of the talk has been about the results of the presidential election, something more interesting happened on that same night in two of the most liberal states in the union.  Both, California and Illinois voted to give their state legislatures a Democratic, supermajority.  In essence, the Republicans were simply turned into stone; with nothing to say about anything.  Of course, both of these states are high on the list of the 11 most indebted in the nation; mostly because of liberal, Democratic agendas.  So it's a real head-scratcher as to why the electorate would have even considered ushering in such a large number of the very same politicians who got their states in so much trouble.

With the supermajority, neither of these legislatures have to worry about a single obstacle in preventing them from doing whatever they want to do.  In fact, both have like-minded, Democratic Governors in charge to facilitate the final passage of any of their proposed liberal legislation.  No more having to go to the public with some election day propositions to raise taxes or increase spending on education etc.  No more debates with  Republicans.   It appears a progressive Santa came early this year.

Now, it will be interesting to see what happens.  In both states, Democrats have resisted any Republican suggestions that spending cuts are needed to lower the debt.  So, with the Republicans completely sidelined, it is my guess that these two bastions of liberalism will simply see new taxes as a means to a end.  Don't be surprised that at least one of these states institutes its own, first ever, carbon tax on almost every thing that uses energy.  And, I wouldn't be equally surprised that the debt will continue to rise along with unemployment because the business environment will deteriorate rapidly.  I'll even bet that both states will come to Washington and an obliging Obama to bail them out of their massive debt problems.

Basically, I'm guessing that these two grand experiments in progressive/liberalism will result in two major fiscal disasters.