Referendums: Rising Impatience

Citizens sound off on taxes, pols and nukes

Not since the 1930s, when the Depression brought a spate of voter initiatives to the ballot, have citizens themselves proposed so many new laws--and limits--for government. David Schmidt, editor of Initiative News Report, describes it accurately as "a new national trend to lawmaking at the ballot box." In 18 states and the District of Columbia, voters put on the ballot a total of 42 referendums. Their actions ranged from a nonbinding vote by five southern New Jersey counties to secede from the state to a decision by residents of Washington, D.C., to take a first step toward statehood by calling for a Constitutional Convention; from the lifting of an eight-year ban on hunting mourning doves in South Dakota to the approval of bingo playing in Texas. Many of the initiatives reflected an impatience with politicians and an eagerness by the electorate to take matters into their own hands. Some of the most significant:

Taxes: Sons of Proposition 13. Ever since Californians voted to slash property taxes by 57% two years ago, Proposition 13 fever has been spreading across the country. This week tax-cutting measures appeared on ten state ballots. The tax revolt hit hardest in Massachusetts, a state that has long been dubbed Taxachusetts because of its high levies, including a property tax 70% higher than the national average. Bay Staters voted drastic relief in the form of Proposition 2 1/2, which will limit a homeowner's property tax to 2.5% of the full market value, reduce the motor vehicle excise tax by 62% and allow renters to deduct 50% of then-annual rent from state income tax. State employees, teachers and labor leaders maintained that "2 1/2" would force the average municipality to cut its budget by 40%, thus crippling public education as well as police and fire protection. The majority of homeowners evidently were swayed by arguments that the cuts could come from bureaucratic fat. Unlike California in its Proposition 13 days, however, Massachusetts lacks a budget surplus to cushion the blow, estimated at a $600 million loss in state revenues for the first year.

In Michigan, voters turned down a similar proposal that would have rolled back property assessments to 1978 levels, then cut taxes in half. The Tisch amendment, named after the Shiawassee County drain commissioner who drew up the proposal, at first had broad support led by homeowners and real estate developers, who believed that a revitalized economy would make up for the lost tax revenues. But Governor William Milliken, who had already cut more than $100 million from the budget this year, estimated that the amendment would cost the state an annual $2 billion. Michigan, Milliken said, would have to fire 24,000 state workers, close 84 state parks and 180 campgrounds, eliminate 7,000 beds for state mental patients, end financial aid to twelve of its 15 state colleges and universities and dismiss 75% of the state police force. His statistics were persuasive.

Other tax-cutting proposals patterned after Proposition 13 were defeated in Nevada, Arizona, Oregon, Utah and South Dakota. Ohio voters, however, endorsed new methods of computing property taxes on homes and farms that allow for inflation, and Missouri voters approved an amendment to tie all state tax increases to the federal Consumer Price Index.

Government: A House Diminished. Voters in Illinois decided to get some government off their backs by reducing the size of the state legislature by one-third. Illinois has a unique system in which three representatives are elected from each of 59 house districts. This procedure boosts minority party candidates but also gives Illinois one of the largest state legislatures: 177 members, compared with 80 in California. Supporters of the cut argued that the house is unnecessarily cumbersome and costly; opponents, who predictably included legislators, labor leaders and lobbyists, said that cutting back representation would eliminate some of the best lawmakers and minority party representatives. Noted one opponent: "This is surgery with a butcher knife."

Bilingualism: No to Spanish. In 1973, in recognition of its large Hispanic population, Bade County, Fla., officially became bilingual, with Spanish as the second language. Voters this week passed a law that would make it illegal to spend county funds for the use of any language other than English, effectively nullifying the 1973 resolution. Emmy Schaffer, a survivor of a World War II German concentration camp, spearheaded the initiative by organizing a band of housewives with the slogan: "In America, English first." The movement gained momentum among whites after the summer's Miami riots and huge influx of Cuban refugees. Stung by the backlash, one Hispanic spokesman called the law "the most destructive thing that has ever happened to this community." Its impact, however, will mainly be on county road signs, tourist brochures and public notices. Bilingual education programs will not be affected.

Nukes: Benefit of the Doubt. The fallout from Three Mile Island was felt in five states, where voters pondered whether to limit nuclear power. In Missouri, citizens decided to give nukes the benefit of the doubt, turning down an initiative that would have prohibited the operation of any nuclear power stations until federally approved permanent storage sites for nuclear wastes were also available. The strongest opponent of the measure was Union Electric Co. of St. Louis, whose $1.3 billion plant, scheduled for completion in early 1983, would have been jeopardized. Said Sandy Rothschild, a house builder and opponent of the proposal: "I think people are not willing, with the information available, to close the option on nuclear power."

Smoking: Yes in California. A last-minute advertising blitz snuffed out a proposal to limit smoking in restaurants, stores and other public places. Smokers who violated no-smoking sanctuaries would have had to cough up a $15 fine. The measure was supported by Chemist Linus Pauling, Photographer Ansel Adams and other notable nonsmokers. The tobacco industry led a $2.3 million counterattack with ads suggesting that the measure heralded the arrival of Big Brother, would work hardships on small businessmen who could not afford to construct no-smoking areas, and would waste the time of law enforcement officials.

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