Great points! This is not about background checks, but rather a national registry, which we should resist at all costs. A disarmed nation is no longer free.
Because the Republican ran to his left. At least Brown promised not to raise taxes without a vote of the people. The Republican never signed the no-new-taxes pledge and never even matched Brown’s promise.
What you are missing is that all those spending initiatives may be suspended by the same 2/3 vote in the Legislature that is needed to pass a budget. This is an inconvenient fact that the Legislature likes to ignore so that they have a scapegoat. The fault lies solely with the rate they have grown spending beyond all reason. Under Arnold, spending grew faster than under Davis.