Click on the pic for a terrible example of why the Golden State has become a laughing stock
Posted on 02/06/2011 5:06:35 AM PST by Kaslin
"Hi, I’m California, And I’m Addicted to Spending…"
What a magnificent confession this would be, if only we could hear it collectively from our 31st state.
Imagine -California emerges from its’ state of denial, and admits that it is addicted to government spending. And then, after acknowledging its’ addiction, envision the government of California coming to believe that a power greater than itself (the private sector) could restore its’ sanity, and then turning itself over to the care of that greater power, and, in so doing, checking itself into “rehab.”
Psychobabble and twelve-step metaphors can only go so far. But in all seriousness, our “friend” California has a very severe problem with spending, yet remains in denial. And there’s no indication that California will stop “using” anytime soon.
My native home state –which is also home to the highest mountain on the continent (Mount Whitney), the lowest valley (Death Valley), Facebook, “Surf City, U.S.A.” (Huntington Beach), the most robust farm land (the San Joaquin Valley), Google, Disneyland, Mattel Toys, The World Champion San Francisco Giants, Legoland, Cisco Systems, “Hollywood,” three U.S. Presidents (Richard Nixon by birth, and Herbert Hoover and Ronald Reagan by “adoption”), Mitsubishi Motors of North America, and the most notorious, mystery/non-existent NFL franchise (there are always rumors about L.A. getting a team again) – is in serious trouble.
I wish we could perform an “intervention” – perhaps at the Betty Ford Center (which, conveniently, is in Palm Springs) -and get dear California some help.
The last election provided an opportunity for California and the rest of America to admit that it had a problem, and then to begin working on its “recovery.” And while a good bit of the country took the first couple of “steps” among the twelve, the Golden State chose to remain on its current course.
“I’m just a social spender,” our friend California seemed to be saying last Fall. “I could stop whenever I want, but I don’t want to. I’m happy living this way, and I’m not hurting anybody, so quit hassling me…”
Evidence of this denial was apparent in the days immediately following the election. As if the $6 billion budget shortfall that he presided over didn’t really exist – a deficit that is expected to expand to a whopping $24.5 billion over the next eighteen months - outgoing Governor Arnold Governor Schwarzenegger called the legislature in to a “special session,” and then held a press conference to announce his “really big plan.” For a second and final time before leaving office, he was going to try to - - cut spending? – no, no, he was going to try and legislate a state-wide ban on plastic grocery bags. This, he explained would help save the planet, but would also create “green jobs.”
But that was last December. Now, a guy who was Governor for eight of my elementary, junior high and high school years is Governor yet again. A perennial government employee, Jerry Brown is back in Sacramento, and he appears ready to continue the addictive cycle.
The problem with California’s budget, Governor Brown seems to be reasoning, is not that politicians had spent too much or that government agencies are wasteful. No, Jerry Brown seems to be treating the spending problem as merely a “revenue” matter – if he can confiscate more revenue from private people and put it in to “public” coffers, he can “fix” the problem, and continue on the current course.
With less than 2 months in office, Governor Brown has already hinted that California’s famous “Proposition 13” might need to be undone. In case you’ve forgotten, this was a landmark ballot proposition that drew a record number of voters to the precincts in 1978. It passed in a landslide, and imposed a statewide limit on the rate at which local counties and cities could levy property taxes.
Along with a possible “tweaking” of Proposition 13, Governor Brown is also proposing to retain several tax increases that are supposed to expire later this year. And he says he wants to “let the people decide” – he’s not pushing for these tax increases to happen legislatively, but rather, he wants Californians to vote on them in a “special election” this June. Just as the people of Egypt want their voices to be heard in Egypt’s government, so Governor Brown reasoned, “it would be irresponsible to exclude the people from this process.”
In addition to the tax increases, Governor Brown has proposed some modest sell-offs of state owned vehicle fleets. But he’s ignoring serious systemic problems: California’s state employee retirement pension funds have been severely mismanaged and present the state with huge liabilities; and California goes further in to debt roughly $40 million each day, just paying-out the state’s generous unemployment benefits.
Isn’t this just a classic example of an addiction problem? “I could stop at any time, but I don’t want to. Just give me more of my drug-of-choice, and I’ll be fine.”
Our friend California apparently hasn’t “hit bottom” yet.
California will not recover unless and until the unions and pensions are reformed.
Click on the pic for a terrible example of why the Golden State has become a laughing stock
We should make them use monopoly money..I am sure the bailout effort is in the works
The solution is “the Big’un” that will destroy either San Francisco or LA and allow sanity to resume
The collapse will be so fast & so bad that maybe even the unions will wise up. They will surely be in serious financial & political trouble should CA go belly up. Their pensions will be worthless, their benefits canceled.
—here’s the problem—
1. California Academic Performance Index (API)
2. California Access for Infants and Mothers
3. California Acupuncture Board
4. California Administrative Office of the Courts
5. California Adoptions Branch
6. California African American Museum
7. California Agricultural Export Program
8. California Agricultural Labor Relations Board
9. California Agricultural Statistics Service
10. California Air Resources Board (CARB)
11. California Allocation Board
12. California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority
13. California Animal Health and Food Safety Services
14. California Anti-Terrorism Information Center
15. California Apprenticeship Council
16. California Arbitration Certification Program
17. California Architects Board
18. California Area VI Developmental Disabilities Board
19. California Arts Council
20. California Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus
21. California Assembly Democratic Caucus
22. California Assembly Republican Caucus
23. California Athletic Commission
24. California Attorney General
25. California Bay Conservation and Development Commission
26. California Bay-Delta Authority
27. California Bay-Delta Office
28. California Biodiversity Council
29. California Board for Geologists and Geophysicists
30. California Board for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors
31. California Board of Accountancy
32. California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology
33. California Board of Behavioral Sciences
34. California Board of Chiropractic Examiners
35. California Board of Equalization (BOE)
36. California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection
37. California Board of Guide Dogs for the Blind
38. California Board of Occupational Therapy
39. California Board of Optometry
40. California Board of Pharmacy
41. California Board of Podiatric Medicine
42. California Board of Prison Terms
43. California Board of Psychology
44. California Board of Registered Nursing
45. California Board of Trustees
46. California Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians
47. California Braille and Talking Book Library
48. California Building Standards Commission
49. California Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education
50. California Bureau of Automotive Repair
51. California Bureau of Electronic and Appliance Repair
52. California Bureau of Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation
53. California Bureau of Naturopathic Medicine
54. California Bureau of Security and Investigative Services
55. California Bureau of State Audits
56. California Business Agency
57. California Business Investment Services (CalBIS)
58. California Business Permit Information (CalGOLD)
59. California Business Portal
60. California Business, Transportation and Housing Agency
61. California Cal Grants
62. California CalJOBS
63. California Cal-Learn Program
64. California CalVet Home Loan Program
65. California Career Resource Network
66. California Cemetery and Funeral Bureau
67. California Center for Analytical Chemistry
68. California Center for Distributed Learning
69. California Center for Teaching Careers (Teach California)
70. California Chancellor’s Office
71. California Charter Schools
72. California Children and Families Commission
73. California Children and Family Services Division
74. California Citizens Compensation Commission
75. California Civil Rights Bureau
76. California Coastal Commission
77. California Coastal Conservancy
78. California Code of Regulations
79. California Collaborative Projects with UC Davis
80. California Commission for Jobs and Economic Growth
81. California Commission on Aging
82. California Commission on Health and Safety and Workers’ Compensation
83. California Commission on Judicial Performance
84. California Commission on State Mandates
85. California Commission on Status of Women
86. California Commission on Teacher Credentialing
87. California Commission on the Status of Women
88. California Committee on Dental Auxiliaries
89. California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, Junior Colleges
90. California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office
91. California Complaint Mediation Program
92. California Conservation Corps
93. California Constitution Revision Commission
94. California Consumer Hotline
95. California Consumer Information Center
96. California Consumer Information
97. California Consumer Services Division
98. California Consumers and Families Agency
99. California Contractors State License Board
100. California Corrections Standards Authority
101. California Council for the Humanities
102. California Council on Criminal Justice
103. California Council on Developmental Disabilities
104. California Court Reporters Board
105. California Courts of Appeal
106. California Crime and Violence Prevention Center
107. California Criminal Justice Statistics Center
108. California Criminalistic Institute Forensic Library
109. California CSGnet Network Management
110. California Cultural and Historical Endowment
111. California Cultural Resources Division
112. California Curriculum and Instructional Leadership Branch
113. California Data Exchange Center
114. California Data Management Division
115. California Debt and Investment Advisory Commission
116. California Delta Protection Commission
117. California Democratic Caucus
118. California Demographic Research Unit
119. California Dental Auxiliaries
120. California Department of Aging
121. California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs
122. California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control Appeals Board
123. California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control
124. California Department of Boating and Waterways (Cal Boating)
125. California Department of Child Support Services (CDCSS)
126. California Department of Community Services and Development
127. California Department of Conservation
128. California Department of Consumer Affairs
129. California Department of Corporations
130. California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
131. California Department of Developmental Services
132. California Department of Education
133. California Department of Fair Employment and Housing
134. California Department of Finance
135. California Department of Financial Institutions
136. California Department of Fish and Game
137. California Department of Food and Agriculture
138. California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF)
139. California Department of General Services
140. California Department of General Services, Office of State Publishing
141. California Department of Health Care Services
142. California Department of Housing and Community Development
143. California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR)
144. California Department of Insurance
145. California Department of Justice Firearms Division
146. California Department of Justice Opinion Unit
147. California Department of Justice, Consumer Information, Public Inquiry Unit
148. California Department of Justice
149. California Department of Managed Health Care
150. California Department of Mental Health
151. California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)
152. California Department of Personnel Administration
153. California Department of Pesticide Regulation
154. California Department of Public Health
155. California Department of Real Estate
156. California Department of Rehabilitation
157. California Department of Social Services Adoptions Branch
158. California Department of Social Services
159. California Department of Technology Services Training Center (DTSTC)
160. California Department of Technology Services (DTS)
161. California Department of Toxic Substances Control
162. California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)
163. California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVets)
164. California Department of Water Resources
165. California Departmento de Vehiculos Motorizados
166. California Digital Library
167. California Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Certification Program
168. California Division of Apprenticeship Standards
169. California Division of Codes and Standards
170. California Division of Communicable Disease Control
171. California Division of Engineering
172. California Division of Environmental and Occupational Disease Control
173. California Division of Gambling Control
174. California Division of Housing Policy Development
175. California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement
176. California Division of Labor Statistics and Research
177. California Division of Land and Right of Way
178. California Division of Land Resource Protection
179. California Division of Law Enforcement General Library
180. California Division of Measurement Standards
181. California Division of Mines and Geology
182. California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA)
183. California Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources
184. California Division of Planning and Local Assistance
185. California Division of Recycling
186. California Division of Safety of Dams
187. California Division of the State Architect
188. California Division of Tourism
189. California Division of Workers’ Compensation Medical Unit
190. California Division of Workers’ Compensation
191. California Economic Assistance, Business and Community Resources
192. California Economic Strategy Panel
193. California Education and Training Agency
194. California Education Audit Appeals Panel
195. California Educational Facilities Authority
196. California Elections Division
197. California Electricity Oversight Board
198. California Emergency Management Agency
199. California Emergency Medical Services Authority
200. California Employment Development Department (EDD)
201. California Employment Information State Jobs
202. California Employment Training Panel
203. California Energy Commission
204. California Environment and Natural Resources Agency
205. California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA)
206. California Environmental Resources Evaluation System (CERES)
207. California Executive Office
208. California Export Laboratory Services
209. California Exposition and State Fair (Cal Expo)
210. California Fair Political Practices Commission
211. California Fairs and Expositions Division
212. California Film Commission
213. California Fire and Resource Assessment Program
214. California Firearms Division
215. California Fiscal Services
216. California Fish and Game Commission
217. California Fisheries Program Branch
218. California Floodplain Management
219. California Foster Youth Help
220. California Franchise Tax Board (FTB)
221. California Fraud Division
222. California Gambling Control Commission
223. California Geographic Information Systems Council (GIS)
224. California Geological Survey
225. California Government Claims and Victim Compensation Board
226. California Governor’s Committee for Employment of Disabled Persons
227. California Governor’s Mentoring Partnership
228. California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services
229. California Governor’s Office of Homeland Security
230. California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research
231. California Governor’s Office
232. California Grant and Enterprise Zone Programs HCD Loan
233. California Health and Human Services Agency
234. California Health and Safety Agency
235. California Healthy Families Program
236. California Hearing Aid Dispensers Bureau
237. California High-Speed Rail Authority
238. California Highway Patrol (CHP)
239. California History and Culture Agency
240. California Horse Racing Board
241. California Housing Finance Agency
242. California Indoor Air Quality Program
243. California Industrial Development Financing Advisory Commission
244. California Industrial Welfare Commission
245. California InFoPeople
246. California Information Center for the Environment
247. California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank (I-Bank)
248. California Inspection Services
249. California Institute for County Government
250. California Institute for Education Reform
251. California Integrated Waste Management Board
252. California Interagency Ecological Program
253. California Job Service
254. California Junta Estatal de Personal
255. California Labor and Employment Agency
256. California Labor and Workforce Development Agency
257. California Labor Market Information Division
258. California Land Use Planning Information Network (LUPIN)
259. California Lands Commission
260. California Landscape Architects Technical Committee
261. California Latino Legislative Caucus
262. California Law Enforcement Branch
263. California Law Enforcement General Library
264. California Law Revision Commission
265. California Legislative Analyst’s Office
266. California Legislative Black Caucus
267. California Legislative Counsel
268. California Legislative Division
269. California Legislative Information
270. California Legislative Lesbian, Gay , Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Caucus
271. California Legislature Internet Caucus
272. California Library Development Services
273. California License and Revenue Branch
274. California Major Risk Medical Insurance Program
275. California Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board
276. California Maritime Academy
277. California Marketing Services
278. California Measurement Standards
279. California Medical Assistance Commission
280. California Medical Care Services
281. California Military Department
282. California Mining and Geology Board
283. California Museum for History, Women, and the Arts
284. California Museum Resource Center
285. California National Guard
286. California Native American Heritage Commission
287. California Natural Community Conservation Planning Program
288. California New Motor Vehicle Board
289. California Nursing Home Administrator Program
290. California Occupational Safety and Health Appeals Board
291. California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board
292. California Ocean Resources Management Program
293. California Office of Administrative Hearings
294. California Office of Administrative Law
295. California Office of AIDS
296. California Office of Binational Border Health
297. California Office of Child Abuse Prevention
298. California Office of Deaf Access
299. California Office of Emergency Services (OES)
300. California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment
301. California Office of Fiscal Services
302. California Office of Fleet Administration
303. California Office of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Implementation (CalOHI)
304. California Office of Historic Preservation
305. California Office of Homeland Security
306. California Office of Human Resources
307. California Office of Legal Services
308. California Office of Legislation
309. California Office of Lieutenant Governor
310. California Office of Military and Aerospace Support
311. California Office of Mine Reclamation
312. California Office of Natural Resource Education
313. California Office of Privacy Protection
314. California Office of Public School Construction
315. California Office of Real Estate Appraisers
316. California Office of Risk and Insurance Management
317. California Office of Services to the Blind
318. California Office of Spill Prevention and Response
319. California Office of State Publishing (OSP)
320. California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development
321. California Office of Systems Integration
322. California Office of the Inspector General
323. California Office of the Ombudsman
324. California Office of the Patient Advocate
325. California Office of the President
326. California Office of the Secretary for Education
327. California Office of the State Fire Marshal
328. California Office of the State Public Defender
329. California Office of Traffic Safety
330. California Office of Vital Records
331. California Online Directory
332. California Operations Control Office
333. California Opinion Unit
334. California Outreach and Technical Assistance Network (OTAN)
335. California Park and Recreation Commission
336. California Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST)
337. California Performance Review (CPR)
338. California Permit Information for Business (CalGOLD)
339. California Physical Therapy Board
340. California Physician Assistant Committee
341. California Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services
342. California Policy and Evaluation Division
343. California Political Reform Division
344. California Pollution Control Financing Authority
345. California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
346. California Postsecondary Education Commission
347. California Prevention Services
348. California Primary Care and Family Health
349. California Prison Industry Authority
350. California Procurement Division
351. California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS)
352. California Public Employment Relations Board (PERB)
353. California Public Utilities Commission (PUC)
354. California Real Estate Services Division
355. California Refugee Programs Branch
356. California Regional Water Quality Control Boards
357. California Registered Veterinary Technician Committee
358. California Registrar of Charitable Trusts
359. California Republican Caucus
360. California Research and Development Division
361. California Research Bureau
362. California Resources Agency
363. California Respiratory Care Board
364. California Rivers Assessment
365. California Rural Health Policy Council
366. California Safe Schools
367. California San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission
368. California San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy
369. California San Joaquin River Conservancy
370. California School to Career
371. California Science Center
372. California Scripps Institution of Oceanography
373. California Secretary of State Business Portal
374. California Secretary of State
375. California Seismic Safety Commission
376. California Self Insurance Plans (SIP)
377. California Senate Office of Research
378. California Small Business and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Certification Program
379. California Small Business Development Center Program
380. California Smart Growth Caucus
381. California Smog Check Information Center
382. California Spatial Information Library
383. California Special Education Division
384. California Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Board
385. California Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR)
386. California Standards and Assessment Division
387. California State Administrative Manual (SAM)
388. California State Allocation Board
389. California State and Consumer Services Agency
390. California State Architect
391. California State Archives
392. California State Assembly
393. California State Association of Counties (CSAC)
394. California State Board of Education
395. California State Board of Food and Agriculture
396. California Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO)
397. California State Children’s Trust Fund
398. California State Compensation Insurance Fund
399. California State Contracts Register Program
400. California State Contracts Register
401. California State Controller
402. California State Council on Developmental Disabilities (SCDD)
403. California State Disability Insurance (SDI)
404. California State Fair (Cal Expo)
405. California State Jobs Employment Information
406. California State Lands Commission
407. California State Legislative Portal
408. California State Legislature
409. California State Library Catalog
410. California State Library Services Bureau
411. California State Library
412. California State Lottery
413. California State Mediation and Conciliation Service
414. California State Mining and Geology Board
415. California State Park and Recreation Commission
416. California State Parks
417. California State Personnel Board
418. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
419. California State Railroad Museum
420. California State Science Fair
421. California State Senate
422. California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science (COSMOS)
423. California State Summer School for the Arts
424. California State Superintendent of Public Instruction
425. California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS)
426. California State Treasurer
427. California State University Center for Distributed Learning
428. California State University, Bakersfield
429. California State University, Channel Islands
430. California State University, Chico
431. California State University, Dominguez Hills
432. California State University, East Bay
433. California State University, Fresno
434. California State University, Fullerton
435. California State University, Long Beach
436. California State University, Los Angeles
437. California State University, Monterey Bay
438. California State University, Northridge
439. California State University, Sacramento
440. California State University, San Bernardino
441. California State University, San Marcos
442. California State University, Stanislaus
443. California State University (CSU)
444. California State Water Project Analysis Office
445. California State Water Project
446. California State Water Resources Control Board
447. California Structural Pest Control Board
448. California Student Aid Commission
449. California Superintendent of Public Instruction
450. California Superior Courts
451. California Tahoe Conservancy
452. California Task Force on Culturally and Linguistically Competent Physicians and Dentists
453. California Tax Information Center
454. California Technology and Administration Branch Finance
455. California Telecommunications Division
456. California Telephone Medical Advice Services (TMAS)
457. California Transportation Commission
458. California Travel and Transportation Agency
459. California Unclaimed Property Program
460. California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board
461. California Unemployment Insurance Program
462. California Uniform Construction Cost Accounting Commission
463. California Veterans Board
464. California Veterans Memorial
465. California Veterinary Medical Board and Registered Veterinary Technician Examining Committee
466. California Veterinary Medical Board
467. California Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board
468. CaliforniaVolunteers
469. California Voter Registration
470. California Water Commission
471. California Water Environment Association (CWEA)
472. California Water Resources Control Board
473. California Welfare to Work Division
474. California Wetlands Information System
475. California Wildlife and Habitat Data Analysis Branch
476. California Wildlife Conservation Board
477. California Wildlife Programs Branch
478. California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs)
479. California Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board
480. California Workforce and Labor Development Agency
481. California Workforce Investment Board
482. California Youth Authority (CYA)
483. Central Valley Flood Protection Board
484. Center for California Studies
485. Colorado River Board of California
486. Counting California
487. Dental Board of California
488. Health Insurance Plan of California (PacAdvantage)
489. Humboldt State University
490. Jobs with the State of California
491. Judicial Council of California
492. Learn California
493. Library of California
494. Lieutenant Governor’s Commission for One California
495. Little Hoover Commission (on California State Government Organization and Economy)
496. Medical Board of California
497. Medi-Cal
498. Osteopathic Medical Board of California
499. Physical Therapy Board of California
500. Regents of the University of California
501. San Diego State University
502. San Francisco State University
503. San José State University
504. Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy
505. State Bar of California
506. Supreme Court of California
507. Teach California
508. University of California
509. University of California, Berkeley
510. University of California, Davis
511. University of California, Hastings College of the Law
512. University of California, Irvine
513. University of California, Los Angeles
514. University of California, Merced
515. University of California, Riverside
516. University of California, San Diego
517. University of California, San Francisco
518. University of California, Santa Barbara
519. University of California, Santa Cruz
520. Veterans Home of California
With that much overhead no wonder why California can’t be governed.
My favorite? No. 333, the “California Opinion Unit”.
Spending is a symptom, a result, of the real cause.
The cause, and the real problem, is the socialism involved.
There isn’t a single social program that the liberals/socialist don’t want to fund. It’s the feeling that government should provide for every need of the people, that government should have control over everyday life. Liberals and socialists and communists will do whatever it takes to make sure that government is in control of everything, and to get that, social programs is the road.
It’s the desire by liberals/democrats/socialist/communists for big government, that has them wanting to fund everything and anything that brings them closer to the big government that defines who they are. Thus, to get big government requires the funding of as many social programs as the democrats can envision or think of, and with those programs, big spending is necessary.
Mark Steyn, h/t to the author of a letter to the editor of the Wall Street Journal, had an interesting idea on this subject:
Allow states to declare bankruptcy, but one of the conditions is that the states then revert to territory (essentially receivership) status. Since the state would have demonstrated clearly that it is not capable of grown-up government, i.e. statehood, it has to let the grown-ups take charge and fix things.
Bankruptcy is supposed to have serious consequences, isn’t it? And chief among those is a restricted opportunity to get into more financial trouble.
No longer having state status, the bankrupt states also would at lesat temporarily lose their statehood rights to full representation in Congress. This would be part of the appropriate price for having squandered their chance at self-government and then, essentially, moving back in with the parents to sleep on the couch like losers until the grown-ups got their, the wayward child’s, affairs in order.
Steyn said he could think of one example in history where just such a process had occurred. IIRC, it was Newfoundland. NFL had at one time been a sovereign nation (again, IIRC), but had to essentially declare bankruptcy—i.e., it did not effectively exercise self-government. So it then reverted to the British crown as a coloney and, today, is a province of Canada.
coloney = colony
Also, the idea of a state losing its full representation rights goes along with Ben Franklin’s idea that it would be very destructive to allow people to continually vote themselves bennies from the public trough.
I like Steyn’s idea.
If the rest of us have to essentially run your state because you’ve proven incapable of self-government, then it’s not appropriate for you to continue to wield so much power, say, in the Electoral College.
Demographics are a hughe part of this as well. As long as mass immigration from Mexico continues, and the shrinking white population doesn’t turn in mass to the GOP (like they do in Texas), then California doesn’t have much chance.
-——Don’t forget Sacramento!-——
Being an Southerner I’m not aware of the whole array of California problems.
I know so many good California FReepers and it is a shame that their efforts and voices are drowned by the detritus piled up in the two big cities I noted
The socialism is indeed a huge problem.
Equally huge is the raiding of the public treasury by politicians to buy votes and enrich themselves at public expense. Almost every program favors a constituency and they reward their benefactors with votes. It is a thoroughly corrupt process that was started in a big way by FDR. We now have politicians leaving office much richer than when they entered.
Until we elect politicians with integrity and strong principles, this problem will always be with us. I’m not hopeful.
To all non-Californians: stop running your mouths and threatening us. Just do it, already. DECLARE CALIFORNIA BANKRUPT. I’m all for it. We get to abrogate all the crazy public employee union agreements and stop paying for the livelihoods of one out of nine residents... many of whom are transplants from YOUR state.
But you better be ready to deal with the fallout. When the checks stop, there will be riots here and massive immigration to your states. That includes our completely separate nation of Mexican nationals — a conservative estimate is fifteen million — utterly dependent on government support. Enjoy the invasion that you allowed by not securing the border — you know, the invasion that destroyed my state. .
I’ll be watching to see how you geniuses deal with the problems we’ve dealt with for three decades now.
One other small example of the failing educational system in California, Mt Whitney is the 24th tallest mountain in North America, not the tallest. Mount McKinley is the tallest mountain. Mt Whitney is the tallest mountain in the US excluding Alaska.
I think it’s time for at least 1/2 of Californian Freepers to mitigate out of California permanently. There’s supply no reason to continue to support the state.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.