My friend and former LA Times colleague Matt Welch, writing on his blog at Reason, the libertarian magazine he edits, makes a very good point about media commentary, particularly from our former paper, that voters are responsible for the state's fiscal fix because they vote for so many ballot measures that boost spending.

I think the line of commentary is right. But it's also new, and it's more than a little disingenuous for the LA Times to be making this argument. Welch looked back and discovered that the LA Times endorsed 20 of the last 22 bond measures on the statewide ballot. Patient, heal thyself. 

Welch also reveals that one of the two non-endorsements happened only becasue of his own work inside the editorial board.

Reason magazine, now edited by the brilliant Matt Welch (friend of the blog and fan of God's favorite baseball team, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim), has become a must-read, even for us non-libertarians. Here's a thought-provoking piece that uses the South Dakota abortion initiative to think about the limits of ballot initiatives and majorities when it comes to rights.