Kalifornia – Our Accepting, Inclusive, Suckcessful, Socialist State

Blue ocean waves crashing amidst and against palm tree lined jagged rocks. Vast fields of the juiciest grapes woven into vineyards soon to be some of the best Chardonnay, Merlot or Cabernet to be gracing a culinary feast. Mountain lakes, bastians of grand beauty with lush green golf courses, the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the entertainment capital of America.

Everyone’s vacation spot as people flocked to the House of the Mouse, Venice Beach, or to drive the Golden Gate Bridge. All memories many of us grew up with but alas, the dream has faded, virtually disappearing into a cloud of smoot or behind piles of trash filling the streets, concomitant to the tent cities populated by America’s newly discovered poor.

The observation and understanding of the California experiences are somewhat firsthand. While I no longer live there, I have, twice, owned two businesses there and performed a lot of my video production work there.

I first lived in San Diego in the 70’s and thought I had found Nirvana. Great beaches, relaxing weather with cool breezes, nice people – all thrilled to be living there – terrific food and some of the best jazz to be found at the B Street Cafe and other small quaint venues.

Then I lived in Orange County, Hunting Beach, in the 90’s, running a business in Costa Mesa. The exposure to the “newer California” was enlightening. Changed and changing. Understanding the area I lived in, I could go to the local Von’s for some shopping and it would be 20 minutes before hearing anyone speaking English – some Spanish, mostly Vietnamese or other Asian variations.

Kalifornia – Our Accepting, Inclusive, Suckcessful, Socialist State

Advance another 20+ years and now all of California’s shortcomings and liberalized faults are on full display for America – the world – to see. A modern day, full color billboard of failed policies and misdirection at the hands of progressiveness lit up on the divided highway of deficiency.

Maybe it was the liberal, “we love everyone” attitudes of Hollywood elites that seeped into the mainstream of the populous thinking; Or the untimely control of the state by a liberal intrusion that started its slide to societal insolvency and ruin.

Whatever the reasoning behind its demise, it has and continues to expand its tentacles. The devastation bringing results unimagined but those affected and for what end? Better inclusion of an immigrant population? Better acceptance of liberal policies meant to increase power and enrich its perpetrators?

For all the beauty and allure of past years, California is now a different place:

The American Lung Association’s “State of the Air 2017” report, California is a leader in air pollution among other states, with the highest ozone levels: Los Angeles being the worse city in America.

• CATO says CA is #48 on the “least free” state based on a survey of over 200 policies encompassing fiscal policy, regulatory policy, and personal freedom.
• Orange County Councilman, Travis Allen said in March, “Homelessness has skyrocketed across California. We have the nation’s highest homelessness rate and the nation’s highest state homeless population.”

 

• Los Angeles has the nation’s 2nd highest homeless population.
• The Pacific Research Institute (PRI) a non-partisan, non-profit think tank based in San Francisco, ranked California the worst for business regulations.
• CA is 6th on the list of most expensive states under the elite areas of DC, Hawaii, New York.

With the economy growing, and people wanting a better life might flock from the cold regions of Minnesota and New York to the warmth of California for the weather, the beaches, avocado BLT’s and an active outdoor lifestyle. But not so.

This once most selected sanctity of stylistic living has some problems. Its taxes are soaring and only outdone by the home prices which are reaching the stratosphere,  suffocating business regulations are proliferating like the immigrants flooding its borders, and the quality of life continues to diminish. Another most serious problem: People are leaving the state by the thousands.

Census Bureau data shows that California lost just over 138,000 people to domestic migration in the 12 months ended in July 2017. And I’ll add that in ’94 when I had my business in Orange County, I ran into a homebuilder who was packing his company and moving to Tucson, AZ. All because of CA’s intrusive, overbearing business regulations and taxation policies.

California, one of the most sought after living destinations, is a fiscal and economic mess. Rigid regulations make it nearly impossible to build housing. Prices have soared for both apartments and homes. A two-bedroom apartment? In Los Angeles, it will hammer you for $2,249 a month; in San Francisco it’s nearly $3,400 a month. –  The same sized apartment in Las Vegas costs $1,122 a month; in Phoenix, it’s $1,137.

Their 40% hike in the gasoline tax has hit low-income Californians hard. Income tax rates have also been hiked in recent years. Regulations make it harder and harder to start a business in California. So lower-income, struggling families are being forced out of the state.

“When It Comes To Paying Taxes, California Is Bernie Sanders’ Kind Of State,” said a 2016 L.A. Times headline. Well, no kidding. About 155,000 taxpayers out of 15.7 million pay half of all the state’s income taxes. With the steeply progressive tax code hitting even middle-income people, it won’t be long before the exit door will be jammed with well-to-do residents, too.

And California’s white elephant on the beach? The “high-speed rail,” Gov. Jerry Brown’s pet project. Brown’s ego scheme costing more than $100 billion to build; but carrying at best a couple thousand people a day, not the 120,000 he sold this gold plated plan on. He didn’t like the original estimate of $100 billion so sought cheaper estimates in order to sell it. Sounds like an Obama medical plan to me.

The state’s one-party ruler class ensures that insane ideas like a $400 billion a year single-payer health care system continue to be seriously discussed, even though as any first-year accounting student would tell you it will bankrupt the state.

California is the money losing movie script of a financial tragedy, showing a projected budget deficit of 19 billion dollars this year.  They sent 22,000 teachers packing in the past year to help the education budget. Small businesses suffer. Sacramento now has one closed business for every six whose doors remain open.

California’s unemployment rate: 12%.  In LA County 20% are now receiving public aid. California has 12% of the nation’s population, but 36% of the country’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families welfare recipients.

California’s State Pension Fund is plummeting with $16.5 billion more in liabilities than assets. And California is expected to receive a $51.8 billion bill for the state’s retirees’ healthcare in the next year.

Illegal immigration costs taxpayers in all 50 states a total of $89 billion, and California’s all-consuming all-inclusive, open door policies, pays the most at $23 billion, according to reports. Makes a $10, $20 or $50 billion wall look like a cheap investment.

HowMuch.net, found that Californians pay more than twice as much for illegal immigrants than the next closest state, Texas; A price tag is $11 billion.

People will continue to leave the state because it’s over-taxed, over-regulated and over-managed by the worst political class in America. And voters will have no one to blame but themselves when it all falls apart.

Why this quick economic/social/financial status on America’s 31st state? It’s been said many times that “As goes California, so goes the country.” Well, I certainly hope not.

Kalifornia is a road map to failure. A huge red arrow pointing to financial ruin due to liberal, leftist, socialistic ideas. Any businessman (including Trump) will tell you that fiscal responsibility is paramount to long term success. You can’t be all things to all people and give away the farm forever because the bill does come due at some point.

The leadership is to blame and while legislators handle a lot of the day to day budgets and policies, it is the governors who direct the ship of state. Currently that’s Jerry Brown. (Who has a governor named “moonbeam Jerry?) Arnold Schwarzenegger was an ineffective populist actor figure and before that Grey Davis added his lack of leadership. Before them were Republicans George Deukmejian and Pete Wilson who did not make a smooth transition from San Diego Mayor and neither could overcome the democratic leadership of Jerry Brown’s first term in the 70’s – early 80’s.

Americans should take a hint. Cities and states run by liberal rule are doomed to eventual decline and failure.  The top list of dangerous cities: (all inclusive per capita as of Nov 2017)

• 10. OAKLAND CA – LIBBY SCHAAF – DEMOCRAT
• 9. LITTLE ROCK AR – MARK STODOLA – DEMOCRAT
• 8. MILWAUKEE WI – TOM BARRETT – DEMOCRAT
• 7. CLEVELAND OH – FRANK JACKSON – DEMOCRAT
• 6. KANSAS CITY MO – SLY JAMES – INDEPENDENT
• 5. ROCKFORD IL – THOMAS MCNAMARA – DEMOCRAT
• 4. BALTIMORE MD – CATHERINE PUGH – DEMOCRAT
• 3. MEMPHIS TN – JIM STRICKLAND – DEMOCRAT
• 2. ST LOUIS MO – LYDA KREWSON – DEMOCRAT
• 1. DETROIT MI – MIKE DUGGAN – DEMOCRAT
• And Democrats run 13 or the next 15 down the list.

And the worst states? And we know legislatures run the state’s policies and money for the most part.  (ranking from Townhall.com)

• #41: Oregon (Dems control the legislature and governor’s office)
• #42: Maine (Dems split control of the legislature with Republicans)
• #43: Hawaii (Dems control the legislature and governor’s office)
• #44: Illinois (Dems control the legislature)
• #45: Minnesota (Dems control the governor’s office)
• #46: Connecticut (Dems control the legislature and governor’s office)
• #47: California (Dems control the legislature and governor’s office)
• #48: New Jersey (Dems control the legislature)
• #49: Vermont (Dems control the legislature)
• #50: New York (Dems control the legislature and governor’s office)

It’s time that true Americans wake up, smell the stale coffee and burnt eggs and get a grip on making their lives better. As long as patriots stay home and stay uninvolved, liberal leaders will continue to get out their “gimme” base and keep control. Why people in these cities and states listed above don’t want to make a change is…. well, it’s unbelievable. Do they like living in filth? Do they enjoy being overtaxed and abused financially? Do they enjoy high costs of living and low levels of freedom?

And the all important question hanging like a hippie painted VW bus from the gilded ceiling? What are these people going to do when the money runs out. And it will.

With the all-important mid term election, democrats will attempt to make it all about Trump and the delicious delicacies of deception they’ve developed, however, in the scope of the universe, Americans care about their families, their futures, their quality of life; and the pre-election proclivities of a rich, successful president aren’t really that important to the hard working guy whose life is now better, safer, more secure.

To save the improvements we’ve seen in the last 19 months, and avoid years of reversing economics, wasted investigations and inefficiencies, VOTE RED in November.

~RB

@VideoRon

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