The Downfall of California
The Downfall of California
By Todd Strandberg
The State of California is the most populous and richest state in the union. It is a leader in the entertainment industry, defense, internet technology, and agriculture. California is such an ideal paradise, it has inspired songs like “California Dreaming” and “California Girls.” California has some of the best weather on the planet, which is largely the reason why 40 million people decided to live there.
The Dream that was California has slowly turned into a nightmare. Despite all its riches, the state is now ranked dead last in the quality of life. At 20 percent, California has the worst poverty rate of any state. Its schools are listed near the bottom of most cooperative lists.
California has some of the highest taxes in the nation and yet many cities are facing bankruptcy. The city of Santa Cruz is being swamped by skyrocketing increases in health and retirement costs. These costs have gone from 28 percent of general fund salary in 2004 to 43 percent of salary in 2015, to an anticipated 58 percent of salary in 2020.
The liberals have run the California State Legislature for 22 years. They’ve used this monopoly to hand out goodies to their political cronies. California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) is the largest pension fund in the nation. Poor planning and poor investments have left the fund with only about 60 percent of the money it says is needed to cover pension obligations. CalPERS lost about $100 billion during the Great Recession a decade ago and has not fully recovered. Another downturn in the stock market would spell disaster for the CalPERS.
Another thing that spoiled California is all the rules. The California Legislature is one of only a few state bodies that works a full year. They are so busy passing new laws, they need the extra time. I was listening to a resident talk about his effort to build a new home on some property he owned. First, he had to pay $10,000 to tear down the existing house; he had to put fencing around all trees that were in the construction zone; he then had to apply for a permit to cut down one of 700 trees; and once he finished the house, his tax rate went up by a huge amount.
The left has done the most damage to California by allowing criminals to take over. In 2017, San Francisco experienced 31,322 thefts from vehicles alone — that is 85 thefts from vehicles per day — while an arrest was made in only 2 percent of reported break-ins. Most of the break-ins are attributed to organized gangs and are often committed by those with prior felony convictions. There is so much human waste and spent drug needles in the city, tourists are provided maps to avoid these areas.
The homeless population of San Francisco has become a huge problem. In a 47-square-mile city, we have around 7,500 homeless people, meaning there are approximately 160 homeless people per square mile. Large enclaves of tents have been set up by homeless people with little to no push-back from local authorities. All throughout San Francisco there are tent cities right next to $4,000-per-month apartments.
One would think that things have gotten so bad in California that reform would follow. So far, the reaction has been to move further to the left. Governor Jerry Brown is being forced to step down by term limits. The Lt. Governor, Gavin Newsom, tops the polls in replacing Brown. Newsom comes from the Bay Area, which guarantees that he’ll be focused on a culturally liberal agenda. He has already cursed the head of the Immigration and Custom Enforcement over the agency’s efforts to control the inflow of illegal immigrants.
Dianne Feinstein found out she wasn’t radical enough for the new political mindset when she failed to earn the endorsement of the California Democratic Party at its convention. When someone like Dianne Feinstein is being viewed as too moderate, the fundaments of our liberty are at great risk.
With all one-party-rule systems, the need for more power becomes the primary fixation. The Democrats don’t mind if California turns into Venezuela, just as long as they get to stay in power.
I’m sure most Californian’s still love their cities. There can be no denial that the luster of the Golden State has greatly faded. Tony Bennett sang whimsically about leaving his heart in San Francisco. If Mr. Bennett recorded that song today, he might choose some other city. Since the whole world is rapidly following California into chaos, my heart is in a place where liberal ideology cannot reach.
“For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come. Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name” (Hebrews 13:14-15).
–Todd