Californicated All to Heck and Gone
January 19th, 2008 at 12:52am Mark Noonan
Its a word we use here in Nevada - the process whereby Californians flee the high taxes, onerous regulations and intrusions into private life of the State of California, and then try to implement those very things here in Nevada. They are trying to “californicate” us. It’d be nice if they’d at least let us have a smoke afterwards, but they are trying to ban smoking here. Anyways, California is pretty messed up right now - they’ve “californicated” themselves pretty well, as Victor Davis Hanson notes:
But lost in the furor is any self-reflection, such as why would UC Davis recently pay John Edwards, multimillionaire trial lawyer, $50,000 plus to give a brief lecture on poverty? Such questions are never answered, much less raised, since the problem is always framed as a matter of a shortage of income, never a surfeit of unnecessary expenditure.
We in California, given the past budget implosions, know the script to follow. We expect that police, fire, prisons, parks, etc. will be threatened with cut-backs and closure, while the state-funded “Center for this” and the “Department of that” will remain untouched, since cutting the essential while protecting the politically-correct superfluous is the only way to scare the voter and achieve higher taxes.
At some point we Californians should ask ourselves how we inherited a state with near perfect weather, the world’s richest agriculture, plentiful timber, minerals, and oil, two great ports at Los Angeles and Oakland, a natural tourist industry from Carmel to Yosemite, industries such as Silicon Valley, Hollywood, and aerospace — and serially managed to turn all of that into the nation’s largest penal system, periodic near bankruptcy, and sky-high taxes.
Hanson has a point - heck, it is the point: whenever there’s a budget crunch in any government, the government simply will not make the necessary cuts to bring expenditure in line with revenues. We had the same thing out here in Nevada a couple years back and, as you might have guessed, we were saddled with the largest tax increase in State history…rammed through because the MSM kept trumpting the government line that if we didn’t increase taxes, kids would die, or some such. I decided to take a look at the California government directory, and here is a sample of places rational people would seek budget cuts:
California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority; Center for Analytical Chemistry; California Constitution Revision Commission; California Council for the Humanities; California Indoor Air Quality Program; Acupuncture Board; Board of Barbering and Cosmetology; Cemetary and Funeral Bureau; Bureau of Electronic and Appliance Repair; Bureau of Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation; Bureau of Naturopathic Medicine; Film Commission; Horse Racing Board; California State Railroad Museum; Commission on Status of Women
And that doesn’t even begin to cover wasteful spending in more vital departments, nor departments which seem important, but also seem to have several redundant agencies looking after the same issues. All of those in my list could probably be shut down tomorrow, and not a single Californian would die as a result…or even be slightly injured. I’ll bet that a complete audit of California government and an elimination of anything which didn’t deliver police, fire, education or health services (even most broadly defined) would result in at least a 25% reduction in State spending. But that won’t happen - because government will never cooperate in eliminating part of itself.
As Hanson points out, as some point Californians will simply have to take charge of this and conduct a political revolution - overturning decades of liberal/left flapdoodle in one fell swoop of constitutional change. And, one day, we the people of the United States of American might just have to do that with our federal government, just to bring it back into line.
Entry Filed under: General Government
19 Comments
1. Authority » Califor&hellip | January 19th, 2008 at 1:59 am
[...] café theology wrote an interesting post today on Californicated All to Heck and GoneHere’s a quick excerptCalifornia Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority; Center for Analytical Chemistry; [...]
2. John Edwards » Blog&hellip | January 19th, 2008 at 2:19 am
[...] The Liberty Lounge Political Forums wrote an interesting post today on Californicated All to Heck and GoneHere’s a quick excerptBut lost in the furor is any self-reflection, such as why would UC Davis recently pay John Edwards, multimillionaire trial lawyer, $50,000… [...]
3. Thrower | January 19th, 2008 at 2:20 am
Jump right in and tell Arnold where he can find all of that fat, Mark. All of those useless and redundant boards probably have his well heeled donors behind them.
I know San Diegans enjoy low local taxes, frozen in place by Prop 13. Our only challenge is avoiding those pesky sinkholes that regularly pop up from deteriorating water and sewer lines.
And oh by the way, prisons are jammed because we embraced “three strikes and you’re broke.”
4. neocon | January 19th, 2008 at 7:31 am
When are we going to wake, smell the coffee and start running this country like a business and not a daycare? Here’s Californias problem:
Analysis of the latest Census data indicates that California’s illegal immigrant population is costing the state’s taxpayers more than $10.5 billion per year for education, medical care and incarceration. Even if the estimated tax contributions of illegal immigrant workers are subtracted, net outlays still amount to nearly $9 billion per year. The annual fiscal burden from those three areas of state expenditures amounts to about $1,183 per household headed by a native-born resident.
5. Mark Noonan | January 19th, 2008 at 9:30 am
Neocon,
That is about it - and what do liberal Californians do? Insist on welcoming them in ever larger number…’cause they live in Compton, and not in Beverly Hills or Malibu. Its easy to be nice to millions of illegals when the only place you see them is as your gardener or nanny.
6. Mark Noonan | January 19th, 2008 at 9:33 am
Thrower,
Arnold’s well heeled supporters? Probably not…that dog’s breakfast of BS government agencies almost entirely pre-dates Schwarzenegger’s Administration…of course, he could have done far more to get rid of them…instead of spending his time promoting ballot initiatives to sell bonds, he could have spent the same time promoting a ballot initiative to eliminate all non-fire, -police, -education, -health spending (or, at least, make very large reductions in the amount spent)…someone with his media savvy could have told the California people what they were spending money on, and I think he would have won a “spending Prop 13″.
7. neocon | January 19th, 2008 at 9:40 am
Mark,
I agree. I still find it hard to believe that after years of failure, the liberals still stick to the same big government, socialist playbook. It’s far past time that we measure policies based on results and not sentiment. Both parties are guilty of pandering to illegals and that will ultimately hurt everyone financially.
Romney is the only candidate that has bottom line, accountability experience and that is what is needed. I am tired of politicians, I WANT A BUSINESSMAN who understands decision making, and bottom line accountability. None of the other candidates, including Democrats, have ever been held accountable for their decisions.
8. GOP4ME | January 19th, 2008 at 10:13 am
I live in Orange County, CA (moved here in 1994) and the place has changed dramatically.
I agree with Victor’s assessment, this state is a complete mess. Not to mentioned completely jammed packed.
Colorado anyone?
PS any takers on an over/under on how soon one of our resident pukes will scream racism?
9. liberalT | January 19th, 2008 at 10:32 am
maybe they would do better to stop electing actors as their governor. I mean - just a thought - perhaps the best person to run a state is not someone whose resume includes “bed time for bonzo” or “twins”. I particularly love the fact that no matter what the evidence is to the contrary you guys ALWAYS find a way to blame it on a democrat. I mean - sure - democrats have done a lot of things to screw up government but the idea that this is some how unique to the democrats is just obtuse. But keep spinning away. Tell me again why when during the last 8 years the economy didn’t do very well it wasn’t Bush’s fault - when it did do well it was all to his credit - and then again when it is not doing so well again not Bush’s fault. I love to see you guys jump through elaborate hoops to vilify your political enemies and prove how great the republicans are. oh - it is quite the amusement…
10. Tractatus | January 19th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
And, one day, we the people of the United States of American might just have to do that with our federal government, just to bring it back into line.
Wow. That’s a pretty nutball thing to say. Any other states needing some federal intervention to “bring them back into line” to your satisfaction?
11. AAR | January 19th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
Typical Liberal Cancer!
After Liberals (Democrats) destroy one area, they move on to the next — consuming and destroying it as well — until they eventually consume and destroy our nation. Unfortunately, it’s not just in California!
And, one day, we the people of the United States of American might just have to do that with our federal government, just to bring it back into line.
Correctly stated and increasingly probable…
Any other states needing some federal intervention to “bring them back into line”…
Yep… Several!!!
Perhaps Mother Nature and Father Time will take care of the problem… creating ocean front property in Nevada and Arizona!!!
AAR
12. Kahn | January 19th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
LibT, they kicked out a non-actor because he was bankrupting the state. Liberalism is a disease.
13. liberalT | January 19th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
ha! how exactly was he doing that? I love it. It always has to be a democrats fault. Go ahead give me a detailed account of how Gray Davis bankrupted california…
14. ShanghaiRay | January 19th, 2008 at 11:06 pm
LibT…damn straight. That’s why Gray Davis was never recalled and remained in office his full term. Oh wait….he WAS recalled and during his tenure in office and through his incompetence and obtuseness a major Cali energy company was bankrupted….anyway you know all of that but refuse to even admit that your pal Gray sucked. Schwarzenegger is not much better and would be best described as a closet Liberal and just another plant by the liberal cabal headed by his kinfolk Teddy Kennedy.
15. Kahn | January 20th, 2008 at 12:34 am
Thanks for the set up LibT - He didn’t do it alone. The Democrat controlled legislature was as much to blame. But powerful liberal areas will not allow THAT to change.
http://www.atr.org/content/html/2002/sep/092302pr.html
“Voters cited disapproval of the state’s record $34.6 billion budget shortfall, growing unemployment, and dubious campaign contributor connections.”
http://articles.gourt.com/en/Gray%20Davis
16. Kahn | January 20th, 2008 at 12:36 am
LibT, nice comeback awaiting moderation because of the included links. I actually did a search on “how Gray Davis bankrupted california” from your post and got 195,000 hits.
17. liberalT | January 20th, 2008 at 10:23 am
right - I understand that Gray Davis got recalled. The number of hits that you got from searching is irrelevant.( A google for
“reagan was gay” gives over half a million hits - hardly proof that he was gay..
Now - what I mean is not that he was recalled (which is an obvious fact). Nor that it had to do with the energy crisis in California (another obvious fact). But a detailed account of how this was all Gray Davis or other Democrats fault.
Or is your assertion that it is his fault because he was governor at the time? Just trying to understand your logic…
18. Kahn | January 20th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
Well, see above. $34 billion deficit. And, well read the links.
Is that so hard?
19. liberalT | January 20th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
ok - fair enough. So applying your logic then the current Administration must be responsible for the state of the economy now. In particular - applying the same logic you have blaming Gray Davis directly for the deficit and the energy crisis in California we find that George Bush must be responsible for the current subprime morgage crisis, the downturn in the DOW, the pending ressision, and the fact that unemployment is higher now than it was under Clinton. Well at least we know who to blame..