So Goes California, So Goes the Nation?
by Frank DeMartiniI have been a California resident for the past 23 years. During that time, I have seen the best of times and worst of times. Prior to this economic disaster, the only serious recession in those 23 years was in 1991-1992. At that time, myself and many others in similar situations faced economic turmoil. However, nothing comes close to what is happening now in what used to be the greatest State in the union.
According to the most recent reports, the unemployment rate in California has reached 12.2%. The rate in Los Angeles County is at 12.7%. Some cities within the county such as Compton and Commerce are over 20%. These are all far worse than the national rate of 9.8%.
What makes these numbers even scarier is that they have not hit rock bottom according to economic estimates at both the state and federal level. In fact, the State Government estimate of a maximum unemployment rate of 12.8% seems like it is going to be topped shortly, probably by early winter. Is it possible that California’s unemployment rate will top the number in 1940 of 14.7% which is the highest recorded on record?
All of these numbers really do not mean anything unless you compare them to other numbers in the country to get a real picture of just how bad things are here right now. The California rate is currently the fourth worst in the country. The only one significantly worse is Michigan at 15.2%. Notice any similarities between the two by the way? Not much except maybe extremely powerful unions in both!
And, on top of all this, the economy is primed to get much worse. When I drive down the streets in Los Angeles, I see nothing but empty storefronts on all major boulevards. Portions of Laurel Canyon Blvd have four to five empty storefronts on each block. Ventura Blvd., Wilshire Blvd., and Sunset Blvd are not fairing much better. And, I am told it is worse in other parts of the state.
According to some reports, the only real estate changing hands here are foreclosures and estate sales. Banks are not even evicting foreclosed owners in some parts of the Inland Empire because they want the house to be saleable when the economy finally does turn around. I mean, who wants to purchase a foreclosed house that has been destroyed by vandals. I know of one particular situation where a family has made no mortgage payments since May, 2007 and is still living in the house free of rent or tax payments.
Are there any solutions to this problem? Is there any quick fix? Or, must we just wait it out in hope that this Great State will make a comeback? I really do not believe any of the Federal Stimulus money will help the California job market. It has done nothing so far except allow some families to survive with the extension of unemployment benefits. It is definitely not helping the ailing real estate or worsening job market. If anything, the excessive federal spending is hurting the economy.
And, what have our representatives in Congress done to help us? Nancy Pelosi does nothing accept cost the US and California jobs with her constant big government, regulatory, liberal agenda. Her support of “Cap and Trade” and HR 3200 will not only effect the US Economy on the whole, but will have a double impact on the state of California. Outsourcing is already a problem here, but it will get much worse if either of these bills become law. In fact, it seems that there is already evidence that California employers are not hiring until the result of both “Cap and Trade” and health care reform are known.
The same goes for Barbara Boxer and Diane Feinstein. Neither of them are doing anything to support the economy in the state. They are just following the same liberal agenda regardless of how it affects the people of California.
One prime example is that there is not one Congressman representing Californians doing anything to overturn the Federal Order which stopped irrigation in the Sacramento area after it was ruled the necessary irrigation had caused the Delta Smelt, a small fish, to become endangered. This has caused the farming industry in the Sacramento and Fresno area to pretty much come to a standstill and bring the unemployment rate in the area to approximately 17%. In fact, the city of Mendota has an unemployment rate of 41%, the highest in the country. (That’s right 41%. It’s not a typo.)
Comedian Paul Rodriguez, a former Democrat and Obama supporter, whose family are farmers in the area, has left his liberal roots as a result of this fiasco. He has now appeared on Sean Hannity’s show stating that the entire area is in extreme danger. Farms are being lost, unemployment is rampant and people are starving: All to protect a little two inch fish.
And what do our Senators and Representatives in California do about this; again, absolutely nothing. It seems it is more important to protect the Delta Smelt than to protect the people of the Central Valley. Let the people starve and the fish thrive. Who cares if 80,000 people in the area are unemployed? If they can not afford bread, let them eat cake.
That is the whole problem with the current Administration and Congress in Washington and the State Legislature in Sacramento, including the aforementioned Ms. Pelosi, Ms. Boxer, and Ms. Feinstein, as well as, Mr. Waxman, Ms. Waters, Ms. Watson and the favorite of this column, Mr. Dan Lungren. They simply do not care about the people, economy or problems of the State. They care only about the special interest groups that finance and support them.
I’m reminded of “Legally Blonde 2” in which Elle’s boss, the Congresswomen, stabbed Elle in the back because a strong campaign financier was against the proposed animal rights bill. It is true whether it be fact or fiction.
In the end, the free market will bring this State back to its former glory provided that the regulators and liberals currently in control, including the Obama Administration and his cabinet, do not destroy it completely. The people of California must rise up against their current so called Representatives and do whatever is necessary to take our government back so that it is a government of the people and for the people, not for the governors!
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375 Comments
With nearly 50% of the public feeding off the governmental tit, good luck getting those liberals voted out of office. I never thought I'd see the day when a tax cut scares so many people. But I guess if you live off the taxpayers, a tax cut does seem threatening.
Let's see. Fisherman can catch the Delta Smelt and sell it to Hollywood restaurants as the Latest In Haute Cuisine. They'd make a bundle selling to the Hollywood Stars!
…provided that the regulators and liberals currently in control, including the Obama Administration and his cabinet, do not destroy it completely.
When one looks at the policies being pursued by the Democratic party, which fly in the face of any economic sense, it seems that we are dealing with people whose goal is to jump the train off it's track. Considering that we've raised the minimum wage nearly 40% in the last three years in the face of economic decline and job loss; that we are in the process of quadrupling the deficits of George Bush at the same time the Fed embarks on a two trillion dollar loose money policy, and they are determined to spend a trilllion or more on this ill-conceived health care debacle. It's hard to see how anyone who is not a leftist radical could possibly remain hopeful that any good can come out of this.
You guys (California) have some work to do. Get busy and kick your Marxist representatives out of office. It’s a drag on the entire country. What’s going on in the San Wakeen Valley is criminal as well as dumb. The stupidity is a standing monument to liberalism, and radical environmentalist everywhere, …sheesh.
"In the end, the free market will bring this State back to its former glory provided that the regulators and liberals currently in control…
Well, good luck with that!
CA is the Detroit of the west with better scenery and climate. This state is an utter failure, our legislature is nothing short of an insane asylum that has terrorized business out of the state causing a huge loss in revenue and the unknown truth is that we may very well be the most corrupt state in the nation. America, CA is a lost cause, go on without us.
We have judges suffering from dementia ruling that the Delta Smelt is more important than human beings.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Big Hollywood, Michael Chavez. Michael Chavez said: So Goes California, So Goes the Nation? http://bit.ly/26qwW [...]
First of all, when will people be willing to admit that the putrid stench passed off as "Law Enforcement" enables this swill? Without their nightsticks, Tasers, and guns, how long do you think Pelosi, Boxer, Feinstein, Osama, or your favorite, Dan Lundgren, would last?
Secondly, one cannot call Osama what he REALLY is lest one's post be deleted. In fact, one cannot even call Schwarzenegger anything beyond a "donkey-in-an-elephant-suit" or one's post will also be deleted. Even though the correct appellation is far more accurate.
Am I the only one who is looking around, hearing about states having to slash their budgets and lay people off, and mutter "Good! Hope the cuts get deeper!" ?
By the way not only are the farmers out of work, our position as the world's breadbasket is being flushed by a gang of misanthropic thugs, in Sacramento and Washington, with support from academia and the media. I'm sure many of them figure that their lifestyle could be supported by about 1/1000th the earth's present population, and they could rest so much easier without all those other cattle (us) to manage.
Where to begin? California is soooo messed up!! The problem is that the problems of California will soon be all of our problem. The totally sick situation is all the worse because it is entirely their own fault. The people they have elected to represent them at both the state and federal level have failed them, not just now but for the last 40 years. CALPERS, Unions, Environmentalists, Illegal Immigrants, lunatic courts and Democratic leadership is destroying the one state that has the most going for it in oh so many ways. The way out of this is not only available but can be done in short order with benefits reaching beyond California to the whole country. The problem is that California's problem are deep seated and rooted in a seriously flawed idealism, so deep is this idealism that they would prefer to destroy it all rather than do what must be done. What I resent is the fact that their own obsession is and will hurt us all.
No, I wish that, too. The only problem is the states are so beholden to the govt unions that none of those juicy benefits ever gets cut. Our teachers union here just turned down a 4% raise (in a recession!) and the police and fire department pensions are bankrupting the city. This shinola is happening all over the country.
Since Cali is already in bad shape, would you take Kansas City and St. Louis of our hands? If we could get rid of those two, Missouri would give Texas a run for their money. (except in football tonight)
Southern California is now Northern Mexico. It's gone, folks.
I wish we could
"Notice any similarities between the two by the way? Not much except maybe extremely powerful unions in both!"
How 'bout the number of lawyers?
If you DON"T start a business, your risk of losing all that you've worked for is relatively low. If you DO start a business, you are at instant risk of losing everything due to "slip and falls", discrimination blackmail, actually almost anything a lazy unproductive "worker" and slick lawyer can team up to create.
I wonder if anyone has done a study comparing the number of lawyers per capita to the unemployment rate.
Bill Wattenburg of KGO fame has been talking about this for some time now. I'd suggest that anyone that Works and Cares about California listen to his show live on KGO Sat+Sun 10-1 or his podcast.
http://www.kgoam810.com/sectionalRSS.aspx?id=3175...
Remember all the richest people lives in CA and yet CA is going bankrupt.
What I don't get is that both Feinstein and Pelosi are married to very successful businessmen. Their husbands MUST know the policies of the Obamamessiah are anti-growth. Don't they explain this to their wives? Their net worths are in the 10s of millions of dollars. I guess they're happy pursuing liberal anti-growth policies because they are rich enough they can afford it. Like the author said, the attitude is let the peasants eat cake.
California is in dire need of a seriously cathartic event. The only way out is to Bankrupt the entire state. Throw out every contract the unions have. What CALPERS has done should be against the law. What the environmentalists have done should be against the law. Every elected representative at the stae federal and municipal levels NEEDS to go. The EPA needs to be reined in. Unless there is a 180 degree turn in the behavior and attitude, they are destined to fail. The solution to this is so obvious and plain to see but they will not even consider it, so arrogant and twisted in their sick sense of morality they are. STOP THE MADNESS
KILL THE FRIGGIN FISH SAVE THE FARMERS!!
They are the biggest pigs at the trough and don't give a sh-t about anyone but themselves. Their corruption runs deep. The onus for this falls entirely on the heads of all your liberal democrats who like all democrat run urban areas (Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, New Orleans, the whole state of NJ,,,) well the lsit is long and should be obvious to everyone by now that there is a pattern of failure here and it is also obvious who is to blame. Their policies and misplaced compassion are destroying the rest of us and even ruining those that they purport to support.
Kill the sick environmental policies and save the state.
I think the song "California Uber Alles" by the Dead Kennedy's sums up the situation with great forsight. Even if the references are some what dated. Just substitute Obama for Jerry Brown and it works. Great song either way.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quLqEu4mUOU
[...] Read it. One prime example is that there is not one Congressman representing Californians doing anything to overturn the Federal Order which stopped irrigation in the Sacramento area after it was ruled the necessary irrigation had caused the Delta Smelt, a small fish, to become endangered. This has caused the farming industry in the Sacramento and Fresno area to pretty much come to a standstill and bring the unemployment rate in the area to approximately 17%. In fact, the city of Mendota has an unemployment rate of 41%, the highest in the country. (That’s right 41%. It’s not a typo.) [...]
Pelosi and Feinstein have diverted taxpayer money into their own pockets by the 10's of millions
[...] Random Feed wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptI have been a California resident for the past 23 years. During that time, I have seen the best of times and worst of times. Prior to this economic disaster, the only serious recession in those 23 years was in 1991-1992. At that time, myself and many others in similar situations faced economic turmoil. However, nothing comes close to what is happening now in what used to be the greatest State in the union. According to the most recent reports, the unemployment rate in California has r [...]
Are you talking the entire Metro or just specifically KC? KCMO is in pretty bad shape; KCK not as bad. Some of the suburbs are doing very well (Overland Park for one). I do agree aout St. Louis though; the place looks like a demilitarized zone.
They way I hear it…saving the Delta Smelt is the excuse they are using to stop the irrigation from the valley.
The owners of that land will eventually have to sell their property as the liberals hope. The reason?
They need to take over as much of that land so Solar Farms can be put there. And as for our fruit and veggie's, if you haven't noticed by now…they are and will continue even more to be imported.
It is not too difficult to figure out that the B. Hussein O. Jr. game plan is to destroy the economy of the USA. He is a commie rat from way back.
The State Legislature has been so gerrymandered that is is nearly impossible to throw the Democrats out.
Police unions are among the biggest contributors to the Democrats.
The left makes sooo much money off those they are "protecting " from evil capitalists. Boxer and Pelosi can afford to be so generous with others hard earned money. Just let them go without their Botox injections and watch them squeal! I am stating the obvious. Everyone knows these two women are archtypal DIVAS. How much longer must we endure this insanity!
Can anyone truly believe that it is mere misplaced idealism? In the end guess who is going to be rich and who is going to be poor?
[...] News Sources wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptI have been a California resident for the past 23 years. During that time, I have seen the best of times and worst of times. Prior to this economic disaster, the only serious recession in those 23 years was in 1991-1992. At that time, myself and many others in similar situations faced economic turmoil. However, nothing comes close to what is happening now in what used to be the greatest State in the union. According to the most recent reports, the unemployment rate in California has r [...]
Ain't Marxism grand…
I live in the Sacramento area (my blog name was originally SactoQt) and I'm not even sure people who don't live in the state have any idea how bad it is really. The Delta Smelt fiasco is shameful but our state legislature is so far gone off of the deep end of liberal insanity that I don't even think they care about the people who are suffering. Fox has more news coverage of the issue than our local news. I see businesses close down regularly. It seems like every time we drive by a local strip mall there's another empty building. I drive down my street counting foreclosures and console neighbors who have lost their jobs and pray that no one else I know loses their job or goes into foreclosure. Too many of those already.
I'm not that old but I have never seen a more out of control American government. It's flat out scary. California is kind of a lost cause because we're stuck with the San Francisco moonbats and Los Angeles "idealists." But the rest of the country doesn't have to go that way. I hope, no I pray, that the people of this country vote en masse to get rid the majority of our current congress. I seriously hope the 2010 elections are a blood bath. Otherwise we're all doomed.
What is also needed is some indepth investigation of the finances and lives of those liberals in CA such as Pelosi. Does she use union labor in her vineyards? How much taxes do they pay, where do their kids go to school, public or private, what type of businesses are they in and are the laws they help pass through help their own businesses and so forth. The press turned over every rock they could find going after Palin, well maybe it is time to do the same to these people who are destroying CA. And keep the pressure up on how they turned off the water to save those two inch fish – it needs constant attention on how it has hurt those farmers. I just wish every taxpayer in CA could move out and let's see what those rich liberals do then.
[...] to the most recent reports, the unemployment rate in California has reached 12.2%. The rate in Los Angeles County is at 12.7%. [...]
I looked into the delta smelt story, albeit a cursory glance, because it seemed too ludicrous and I figured there had to be more to the story.
I found this site, obviously defending the actions taken.
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AI...
Can someone from CA explain the whole story? There are contentions in the article regarding water rights, the types of crops planted, etc., and if true, I would find it hard to support the farmers.
Sound and reasonable conservation is necessary. Also, if people are going to do dumb things like planting crops that are a poor partner for the land or know their water rights are limited yet do not plan for it, well, I'm not going to be too supportive.
Conservatives should stand for common-sense and sound policies. Again, this site is obviously coming from a particular perspective but I am interested in the whole truth. There are victims and there are people who are victims of their own stupidity.
[...] California as of October 24, 2009 October 24, 2009 California Crash and Burn No Comments So Goes California, So Goes the Nation? – bighollywood.breitbart.com 10/25/2009 I have been a California resident for the past 23 years. [...]
N.O.I.S.E. NOW-Not One Incumbent Stays Elected-a Facebook Group and Cause devoted to uniting voters all across America to remove the professional politicians and leeches like Pelosi, Boxer, Feinstein and Dan Lungren. Come check out our group, see our information regarding the most corrupt members of congress and you will find some of the above mentioned people. You will also see the direct correlation between time in office and level of corruption, particularly in the area of campaign contributions. This is significant in that by violating campaign finance laws, they build tremendous war chests to run their campaigns, and steamroll their potential opponents. We, the voters, hold the ultimate power however, it is our vote and our vote alone that elects them and fuels their crimes. We MUST unite nationwide, ignore all campaigns on TV, in the print and anywhere else, and just vote the incumbent out of office. Unless and until we unite and do this, we will be under their thumb and beneath their contempt as displayed by their actions in Washington.
You want to know how insane California politics are? The San Francisco Board of Supervisors has declared this city a 'Sanctuary' for illegal aliens. And how has that worked out? Two years ago, the City shielded an illegal alien despite him having been arrested THREE times (once for beating up a pregnant woman to get her purse). Result? The illegal took out his semi-automatic rifle and killed a father and two sons. Why? The father's car had blocked the illegal's driveway. But it gets worse. Despite this atrocity, the Board of Supervisors just this last week voted to still continue sanctuary for illegals – even if the illegals are arrested for crimes. The only concession the Supervisors made was that they agreed to report the illegals to Immigration AFTER – and only after – the illegal is finally convicted. Which means that this city will shelter and feed an illegal for up to 3 years before the city finally obeys the law and notifies Immigration. And the gall of this decision is that Board of Supervisors literally expects us to applaud them for it. I am so sick I can barely stand it. They're insane here. They're literally insane.
Until you kick out the loser illegal aliens, this state will continue down the toilet. Hospitals are closing because Mexican's don't pay their bills. Look at the 10 most wanted criminals in each state and in most, it's more than half Mexican's. meanwhile they parade down the street with Mex flags demanding their rights. if we went to Mex and demanded they make changes to accommodate us, we'd be thrown in jail and tortured. Cali run my Dem's. Detroit run by Dem's. New Orleans run by Dem's. Crime and unemployment rampant with the common denominator being minorities. They are the decay of society.
Rousseau:
"At length I recollected the thoughtless saying of a great princess, who, on being informed that the country people had no bread, replied, 'Then let them eat pastry!'"
Maybe California needs a guillotine factory…
Delta Smelt and politicians both smell after 3 days.
I think that destroying the farmland of CA is being done on purpose to provide for reparations. The American Indians and descendants of slaves will be the beneficiaries of the profits from the solar and wind farms. I heard Van Jones speak about this before he was kicked out of his Green Jobs czar position. The United States isn't supposed to be so profitable. We are supposed to fit into the ranks of the other countries of the world. Obama and his cronies (including the senators and representatives who are selling out CA) have their eyes on being leaders of a much bigger realm. Obama's apology tours are setting him up nicely to be Secretary General of the UN.
Plausible? Maybe I'm crazy, but this scenario is what seems to make sense of all the crazy moves going on right now.
I am a native Californian and remember the heyday though the 1960s. It seemed to start its downward trend with the election of Jerry Brown, who replaced Ronald Reagan in 1974. Surprise, he's running again. There is no once cause but I will list some in no particular order of priority:
1. Public Unions – Jerry Brown allowed them into state govt and now a prison guard makes on average $140,000 a year. When Schwarzenegger tried to ship some prisoners out of state to relieve the overcrowding guess who fought him.
2. Public Initiatives: This was enacted by Gob Hiram Johnson around 1910 to break the choke hold of the SP railroad on the legislature. A lot of good has been done with this – note: Prop 13 from 1976, but allowing the public to vote for bonds outside the legislature is nuts. They just approved a billion dollar high speed rail line. You probably won't see butkus built because the lawyers will eat it all up in "environmental studies".
3. Schools – until the grip of the teacher's union is broken we'll see no improvement. They are for teacher's benefits and security – firing bad teachers is almost impossible. Who is against vouchers? (hint: see point 1)
4. Business regulations: California, for decades the state with all the innovation, is having companies leaving en masse because of oppressive business regulations. Lockheed, Buck Knives, and 1000s of others have left. Try to get a factory built here – good luck. The state that produced a Ronald Reagan probably couldn't do it today because so many business people (read conservatives) have left.
Fellow Californians – more ideas?
Henry Waxman -U.S. House of Representatives since 1975 – (34 years)
Howard Berman – U.S. House of Representatives since 1983 – (26 years)
Nancy Pelosi – U.S. House of Representatives since 1987 – (22 years)
Maxine Waters – U.S. House of Representatives since 1991 – (18 years)
Babara Boxer – U.S. Senate since 1992 – (18 years)
Dianne Feinstein – U.S. Senate since 1992 – (18 years)
Xavier Becerra – U.S. House of Representatives since 1993 (17 years)
So California, these are the people you keep electing, and probably WILL continue to elect, while at the same time complaining about the sorry state of your state. I frankly have a hard time feeling sorry for a state that has enabled someone like Henry Waxman to remain in D.C. for 34 years. The sad thing is that the choices of Californians* are contributing to the ruin of the whole country.
*except for conservative Californians, who are probably more endangered than that little delta smelt.
I am pretty sure I cannot engage in this conversation – or add anything meaningful without having a stroke. I'll just say that Washington State and Florida compete mightily with California for being the most idiotic, ruled by the catch-22-loons at ecology. See Salmon/ river reclaimation (actually anything river) in WA state and the mindboggling Tamiami Trail (US 41) bridge/ fill road fiasco.
Yep. Blood pressure rising. Godda go.
Good luck CA. I left in 1991 and never looked back.
They've started fleeing into Arizona and now we're going bankrupt.
The reason California has gotten so bad is because it is no longer California. It is now a no-man's land of third-world foreigners…and I don't just mean "Latinos" from south of the border. Since the late 90s, I've seen the Valley alone transformed into India, Iran, Armenia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and yes, Mexico, Guatamala, Nicaragua, etc.. None of these people are integrating into American society, so please don't anybody call them "immigrants."
Of course, this is all fine and dandy for the socialist pigs in government.
This is why Obama is calling for a national state of emergency. The california swine flu is growing rapidly
http://myfreepress.net/2009/233-deaths-in-califor...
I plan on following your example as soon as I can.
The problem here in CA like everywhere is Democratic voters. I can't believe people accept the demonizing hate speech of the left. Then our public employees retire at 52 on full pensions. How the hell is the state going to pay full pensions from 52 to 82. If Newsom is elected gov it's over in this state.
very well put. i day dream my company would move to Texas.
It's about time California and the country realize how dangerous Nancy Pelosi is. All she and her crew are interested in doing is getting reelected. When she became speaker, I was very happy mainly becasue she is a woman. How stupid was that! It didn't take long to realize she had her own agenda and could care less what the people want. California has a lot of talent and I'm sure you can come up with some new and acceptable people to replace the idiots that have been in Congress much too long. Same goes for Charlie Rangel, Barney Frank, Chris Dodd, etc.
Tenure for teachers is so ridiculous. I worked as a teacher for a few years before I had my kids and tenure definitely has many downsides. I remember working with the most obnoxious woman who terrorized the new teachers. But there was no point in complaining. She was tenured and damn near impossible to fire. The administration knew all about her and shrugged it off. Happens more often than you could imagine.
[...] the original post: So Goes California, So Goes the Nation? This entry is filed under America – Blogs, Big Hollywood. You can follow any responses to this [...]
NON-NATIVE FISH….
Common sense is for the farmland that supply food for the rest of the nation to keep producing than to helped the "endangered" fish in it's NON-NATIVE habitat. The environmentalist tried the similar tactic with the Salton Sea receiving too much fertilizer run-offs from Southern California and Mexico farmlands, killing fish and birds. Some species did die out, but more species are still thriving today. Is that just like nature? Aren't we apart of nature?
I agree that he wants to destroy the economy but I no longer think that he is a commie. I think he is more correctly called a nihilist. It's like that guy who thought he would be famous for destroying "La Pieta". There is nothing left at the end but you made the nothing. MGHMOHS
Reminds me of the old joke. NJ has the most toxic waste sites; CA has the most lawyers. Why is that? NJ got first pick.
My thoughts exactly – bankruptcy, cancellation of ALL public union contracts and SANE restructuring.
That 50% number doesn't mean just welfare-type outlays. You've got all kinds of workers in there including Libraries, Construction, Legal,/Judicial, Mail, Refuse, Education, etc…
My point, not everyone who is recieving Gov't funds views their paychecks as a gov't handout. Offering privatization or another means for these guys to keep doing what they are doing and they can be persuaded to vote against the Big Gov't grain.
We have to remain optimistic.
It pains me to say this but perhaps the best thing to really help this country go back to our conservative roots is for California to file for bankruptcy. Perhaps this will wash away all of the disgusting filth in Sacramento and some genuine folks who care about liberty and freedom will step up and abolish all of the entitlements and union thuggery and reinvigorate free enterprise. A good campaign slogan would be, 'We've tried it your way Barbara, Henry and Diane so now we're going to do it our way whether you like it or not'…..
Frank claims California is the greatest state in the nation! California? Greatest state in the nation? Yikes! California is full of radicals, off-the-wall celberities, serial killers, liberal nutbags and about every other kind of wacko imaginable. Californians, like Frank, are delusional. Maybe Californians will wake up now that the state is broke and in total disarray. Hey Californians … you keep electing these nutbags …maybe you need to take some responsibility and vote them out of office.
We lived in Ca. fro 15 years. Had to leave in 1998 due to the financial burden placed on us to just make it day to day. Love it there. Lived in Paso Robles great town. But the state is geared for the bums and the rich. Either can live comfortably there. The bums live off the government and the rich it does not matter what it costs. Middle class working people are just raped for taxes and fees. Your economy is going down and will not come back. To many leaches to many taxes and to many Marxists running the government. One thing I can't understand is why the Governator does not send in the Ca national guard and turn the water back on for the valley farmers? Screw Washington people are hurting. The man would win reelection in a landslide. Oh yeah his balls are in the Kennedy's lock box. What a wimp.
Lobo- In every location that has been proposed to place Solor Panels have been denied behind some enviromentalist concern, including the middle of the dessert. In my area, one was denied because some lizzard runs through the area to migrate-it doesn't even live in the area but could pass through it. Thier is no logic, no reason, one cannot make sense of this at all.
One thing that can lend a hand is it has gotton so bad in California more illigal imigrants are moving back to Mexico because they cannot find work here anymore. With them hopefully less will vote for the democratic way.
I was born in California and except when I traveled to Utah for college I have always resided here. I know I shouldn't take it personally when people say "you stupid Californians," but I do. Except for one brief lapse (I voted for Tom Bradley for governor–what was I thinking?) I have always voted for the more conservative candidate. I feel like a "voice in the wilderness." But I do love my State–or what my State could be. And unless my husband leaves I will stay in California, and continue to try to fix it from the inside.
Chidog,
Red herring alert!
If the problem is illegal or questionable actions on the part of the farmes (hiring too many illegals or etc…) the PROPER way to attak that problem is to act against their behaviors.
Declaring a non-native fish more valuable than farms, jobs, and peole is he WRONG way to address it.
I'm sorry but the fih should lose this battle. And if he farmers are doing something wrong then address it directly, not with an enviro-ruse.
David
Agreed! I believe the Left in the country see this economic mess as the opportunity they've been working and waiting for since the New Deal — the first attempt to turn America into a Socialist democracy. I think Obama believes the country so fundamentally flawed because of its past treatment of African-Americans, that the only solution in his mind is to tear it down and rebuild it in his own image – or rather the way he thinks it should be.
CA is larger than some countries. Why not the City State of San Francisco, No CA joining Oregon, Eastern CA joining Nevada and So CA becoming part of Mexico? Just kidding. Or am I?
You are correct in the fact that way back in the day, when California was productive -California buildt water systems in order to put use of the land that would otherwise be useless. The contenetions of water rights etc… is the plug our Gov't is trying too use to plug the leaks in the dam, the rest of the country notices the stupidity and now we got to make it look resonable by trying to complicate the issue with crap that did not exsist before. This area was built up and feeds all the USA with thier Fruit Tree Groves as well as vegatables. The collespe of these farms, will affect your gocerey bill. This is simply a war of Gov't Officials not looking as ignorant and stupid as they are. If they allowed the water to be turned on they would be admitting they were wrong too shut it off in the first place. Ego's are deadly in Gov't.
Arnold may be a donkey in the elephant suit as you suggest — I don't know — but I wonder how much worse CA MIGHT have been without him.
Why not? If a State can’t manage its finances why not be assimilated in part or whole by neighboring state who can? Why can’t States go out of business just like stores? Get too many liberals in one state and economic ruin ensues.
Unions do not belong in the Gov't at all. Infact, with the laws established today they have outdated their own pupose. What is needed is a Part-Time Gov't, these people just have too much time on thier hands comming up with more and more rules-regulations etc… in order to maintane an importance of BIG GOV'T. America WAKE THE H*!! UP!! California Politices is a shinning example of the Chicago Way.
Just wondering if you know of someone personally who has had the Swine Flu? I live in a area which is deemed highly infected but I have yet to know anyone who has had this flu. The Hopitals etc… are not infected with patients of this illness either. My fear is not of the flu-but the fact it has deemed a "State of Emergency" esp. at this early date gives Obama and the Fed's more power for a great lengh of time. Medical Emergency–need of Public Option for a Federal Run Health Care to take care of all the poor sick people?
I couldn't agree more Stan and the sad fact is that it's all one major farce. They have shoved their agenda on the world and it's up to the rest of us to fix it after these extremists are out. They're a bunch of sick weirdos IMO not puppies but WEIRDOS. Bush 1 was being to easy on them.
Come on now, buck up little buck a roo. I just read where LA got itself an over 400 million dollar police station.
Could one of the reasons for the protection of the delta smelt be to help cause a food shortage perhaps?
The reason these states want to keep illegals is because all of these liberals see them as their next voter and labor base once they eliminate the middle class. IMO those two agendas are FACT not fiction.
It makes sense when enviromentalists don't like humans and revere animals. They have a self-hatred.
Good God, we NEED to have term limits on these arseholes. They just become an institution once they get elected and never go away do they.
Ditto Shakti, I know of no one who has had it and yet I keep hearing off all these people in the news and see interviews of people who say they or a loved one has had it. I'm starting to wonder if maybe this isn't something else that we shoud question the MSM on. I mean we do seem to be propagandized more and more these days so who really knows what's true and what isn't anymore. Time to become independent journalists I guess and do everything ourselves.
Let us not forget CA gave us Reagan. Get your stuff together CA America could use another Reagan, not another Carter.
If we could only tax the Delta Smelt…hmmmmmm.
Being from the midwest , I first visited California in 1998. I had always thought it was overhyped, but the physical beauty and contrast of the state is stunning. It was better than hyped! When I was growing up, CA was the promised land. I know several people who moved there, two in Silicon Valley. I also went to a religious university and met alot of people from all over the bay area, SOCAL, and the san joaquin valley. The valley people I me were almost midwestern in their disposition. Oddly enough, most of those people do not even live in CA anymore. They loved their state, so that tells me everything, I find it tragic what is happening the the central farming area. California has been hijacked by the extremists and elitists.
Pelosi and the rest of the gang may have entrepreneur mates, but if you look at alot of corporate U.S., they actually favor socialism because it kills their competition. No one can build a business with all of the regulations and taxes now in place. I also must confess I was not aware of the unions in CA. If you look at the states hurting the worst, almost all of them are big union states. Coincidence? Like a previous post says, investigate all of the CA politician with the same intensity and scrutiny that Palin got. You just know there is dirt galore in there.
Between gerrymandering and voter fraud the Dems have a lock on elections in far too many places. How can you throw bums out in districts designed numerically to keep them there by a big margin?
After dismantling ACORN the next order of business in restoring honest elections is exposing and dismantling the gerrymandered safe zones. People aren't paying attention to this .
The base problem in CA is the fact that Government Service Unions have ratcheted up the spending over time in-turn causing a meltdown similar to the mortgage collapse fiasco. The secondary problem is the 50% of the voters that are employed by the same government. This model is being exported to the nation as we speak.
The answer for California and by extension the rest of the country is very simple but frought with insane contradictions. Environmentalists have been at work there for decades doing what they consider to be the highest of callings. Who could debate them? Afterall we all want to have a cleaner and safer environment for us and the world. The painful contradiction, the fools argument, is to stop the production and use of petro chemicals to 'save the world'. While this is an admirable goal and certainly worth pursuing, the idiocy is that here in America we have the ability to lead the world in this effort yet rather than find workable solutions, environmentalists are taking a unilateral approach and stopping all the production in our own domain while doing nothing to stop this production anywhere else. If as they say, we are all living in one world, why then is it OK for other countries to prosper with oil whilst we strangle ourselves and our economy. We have the chance to lead by example, to develop those next generation of green technologies, but if we cavalierly destroy our own economy in the process,,,,the whole world loses. DRILL HERE, DRILL RESPONSIBLY, DRILL NOW
Opening our domestic capacity for oil and other energy sources will not only put americans back to work but give us needed capital to save the economy and not make us slave to the Chinese and others to support our bloated debt. As distasteful as it is to the environmentalists, drilling our own oil is the only viable solution and one that would have immediate benefits. We can use the revenue to accelerate development of other technology, while at the same time saving our economy and giving us back the strength to combat the forces in the world who stand in the way of improving human rights. We can lead by example instead of turning a blind eye to the corrupting human degradation of the Chinese government just because we need their economic support. All I ask is that we use the rarest of commodities today, common sense, and find a balance between the demands of environmentalists and the need to keep our economy strong. If we cannot do this then we lose and the whole world loses.
My two worthless Senators, Kohl and Feingold, have been in office since 1988 and 1992. We have had some decent conservatives running against them, yet the brain-dead, union loving people of WI keep electing them.
It's SO dang frustrating!
Never let a crisis go to waste, and failing that never let the opportunity to manufacture a crisis go unused.
The best way to weaken a country is to control its food supply. It has been done elsewhere. This is intentional. The water must restored and it might take some strong arms to do it.
that is exactly what is going on. Trash the property before buying it. Makes me sick. As for our fruit and veggies yes we have to import them from communist countries so the pigs there get their cut for supporting this crazy mess.
Term limits is not the answer. Term limits were imposed on California Politicians. What has been the result? More Government. Short timers disease.
The answer is to get your people elected. How? By joining the party at it's lowest levels and changing who is being selected for office and by getting people to vote for your guy. It doesn't matter which party you join.
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