June 7, 2006 12:16PM 

# Common Sense in California 

By [Chris Edwards](https://www.cato.org/people/chris-edwards) 

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In a referendum, California voters have a rejected a scheme (Proposition 82) supported by the state teachers’ union to impose a special 1.7 percent tax on high-income individuals to fund a government preschool program. A dangerous precedent could have been set here—that a government-dependent special interest could rabble-rouse a majority into the economic persecution of a minority for narrow gain. California voters [soundly rejected the plan](http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyid=2006-06-07T092140Z_01_N06690_RTRUKOC_0_US-ECONOMY-CALIFORNIA-BALLOTMEASURES.xml&src=rss&rpc=22) 59–41 in early returns.

##### Related Tags 

[Education](https://www.cato.org/education), [Center for Educational Freedom](https://www.cato.org/center-educational-freedom) 

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