Count effective care for the mentally ill among the collection of broken promises from California lawmakers. Nearly 40 years ago, the state emptied its mental hospitals and said it would develop community care programs that would more compassionately care for these tormented folks.

Then bureaucrats and politicians bungled the job. Bad programs get endless funding, good programs get short shrift, and thousands of needy are turned away. The mentally ill often are left untreated and sometimes homeless. Many come to the attention of authorities only when the criminal law is invoked. Jails are increasingly warehousing our mentally ill.

But Proposition 63 is no way to fix this mess. The ballot initiative would levy a 1 percent surcharge on income that surpasses $1 million a year and direct the cash to expanding county mental health programs. An oversight panel would judge the effectiveness of programs and allocate funding, blocking the Legislature from making significant changes.

California is staring into a fiscal abyss, and it almost certainly will need to boost taxes on rich people -- and everyone else. Carving a restricted piece of the tax pie for a special purpose is simply bad policy. It strips the public, through its Legislature, of its ability to weigh priorities and make prudent decisions.

In addition, income taxes are notoriously volatile. Mental health services could become even harder to manage.

Vote 'no' on Prop. 63. Pressure lawmakers into serious action, but don't create a new, mini-government, complete with the same overdependency on income taxes that help creates the state's budget crisis.