Pacific Research Institute Statement on the Defeat of Proposition 82
Press Release
6.7.2006
For Immediate Release:
June 7, 2006 Contact: Susan Martin, Press Office
415-955-6120 or smartin@pacificresearch.org
SACRAMENTO – In response to the defeat of Proposition 82, actor/director Rob Reiner's government-run universal preschool initiative, Lance Izumi, director of education studies at the Pacific Research Institute and co-author of the much cited research pamphlet “No Magic Bullet: Top Ten Myths about the Benefits of Government-Run Universal Preschool,” said, "Voters understood that raising taxes for a program unsupported by research evidence meant they were going to get little bang for their buck." "The supporters of Prop. 82 made lots of grandiose claims," observed Izumi, "but voters rightly rejected these claims as too good to be true." "Voters realized that putting an untried risky program, plus the tax increase to pay for it, in the state constitution meant continuous spending on a program that wouldn't deliver," said Mr. Izumi. "Despite significant outspending by its proponents," he said, "the defeat of Prop. 82 demonstrates that facts and good information can trump huge campaign war chests." ###
About PRI
For 27 years, the Pacific Research Institute (PRI) has championed freedom, opportunity, and individual responsibility through free-market policy solutions. PRI is a non-profit, non-partisan organization. For more information please visit our web site at http://www.pacificresearch.org/
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