The Problem with Ballot initiatives

I'm not a fan of ballot initiatives. The billionaires' tax initiative is a perfect example. I attached a screenshot of what the voter reads in the voting booth. Here is a link to the 32-page initiative that they are really voting for.

https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/initiatives/pdfs/25-0024A1%20%28Billionaire%20Tax%20%29.pdf

How many voters will show up at the voting booth and have read the entire initiative? The ballot initiative process is horrible; these types of proposed changes should be handled by legislators.

The worst section of the act is page 26, which grants the legislators the power to change the act. This gives them the power to lower the thresholds. The federal income tax was sold as a small 1% tax on the rich. Look at it now.

When the 16th Amendment was ratified in 1913, the federal income tax began as a modest 1% tax on net personal incomes above $3,000, with a top marginal rate of 7% on incomes exceeding $500,000. Designed as a "soak-the-rich" levy, it initially affected only the top 2% of earners, as the average annual wage was just $800.

I remember laughing at the wording of the Virginia gerrymandering ballot initiative.

https://henrico.gov/assets/Henrico_2026_04_21_SAMPLE_GENERIC_YW.pdf