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Interesting that they cite California's long constitution as a problem, since Texas is in the exact opposite position as California (budget balanced), and yet h

• jackowayed 17y ago
  "California’s current constitution rivals India’s and Alabama’s for being the longest and most convoluted in the world" It's the fact that it is both long AND convoluted that causes the problem. Convolution is the major problem. Length makes convolution much easier to pull off (How complex can you really make a 1-page constitution?), but it doesn't guarantee it. That said, Texas's may be just as crazy, just in a crazy way that somehow works. That's unlikely though. It's pretty hard to make an extremely complex governing document that will stand the test of time and still function properly as Texas's apparently does.
  • natmaster 17y ago
    The reason it works is because it requires a balanced budget. However, Texas' constitution is still rather confusing and can be frustrating for law-makers - it just doesn't suffer the budget problems.
    • krakensden 17y ago
      I thought I remembered Texas have a budget disaster eight years ago...
• jacobolus 17y ago
  The main problem in CA is that the voters can make policy through ballot initiative, and get it into the constitution, where the normal legislative process can’t touch it. That leaves all kinds of inflexibility that ties the legislature down and prevents the give-and-take and adaptation-to-changing-circumstance of good policymaking.
  • codeodor 17y ago
    "he voters can make policy through ballot initiative, and get it into the constitution" This is the same case in Texas.