The Crucible of Bad Ideas
Out of work, I’m out of my head.
Out of self respect. I’m out of bread.
I’m underloved I’m under fed.
I wanna go home!
It never rains in California, but girl don’t they warn ya.
It pours! Man it pours.
It Never Rains in California – Albert Hammond
…..
Growing up in California, we had all been told and came to learn that many trends started in California and then spread nationally. This was, for the most part, a good thing in the 60s, 70s and 80s. The tax revolt movement of proposition 13, the liability protection limits for medical malpractice, the clean air policies are all just examples of voter inspired activities that spread from the formerly golden state. From 1968 until 1988, all but 6 of those years a California Republican occupied the White House. And, of course, maybe the best thing to come from California in this period: The Beach Boys.
OK, you get the point. There were many movements and trends culturally, economically and politically that started in California and spread around the country. I’m not going to say they were all good, but they certainly weren’t universally bad.
That has changed.
California has become the crucible of bad ideas. (With all due respect to states like Illinois, New York, Oregon, etc. that are also trying hard) The policies that exacerbated the homeless problem all started in California and it still has roughly 50% of all the nation’s homeless population in a state that represents fewer than 12% of the “housed” population. Tax increases are now the norm there rather than tax revolts. The crime surge in the state’s major cities has been stirred on by laws which make theft of $950 or less the equivalent of a parking ticket as well as light sentences for heinous crimes and a policy of releasing felons and violent criminals early. Income inequality is greater in California than in any other state. As the middle class gets eviscerated by the government-driven high cost of living, the state is looking like it might be a place where only multi-millionaires and the people who clean their houses live. No one in between. And of course the policy of letting anyone, including non-citizens vote and in some jurisdictions, even hold office, had its start in California as did vote harvesting.
I could go on, but there are not enough electrons in my computer.
For those of you who live in one of the other 49 states or in another country, why should you care? California is not leading the nation or the world as it once did.
The problem is that the people who have put these policies in place and who run that state, along with the people who vote for them, think they are doing a fabulous job. Oh sure, there’s a problem or two. But basically, it’s all working and it’s a great place to live. And they think you should be made to live that way too.
Now again you say, who cares? They can’t bring all that crap to where I live.
Maybe not. But they want to. Governor Gavin Newsom is now talking about “the California Way” repeatedly. After he is reelected in November, he will be running for president to bring the “California Way” to the nation, and the world. You may have noticed that the Speaker of the House and the Vice President of the United States are both from San Francisco. They think SF is great! Wherever you are, they think you need to be more like San Francisco.
It is too bad that it has come to this. Just because we don’t like reality doesn’t mean we can ignore it.
California is a hot mess. Wherever you are, do the best you can to oppose any idea that came from there moving to where you live. And if you are in California, you can leave, or you can stand and fight. If you choose to stay, all of us elsewhere are rooting for you.
Not having California bad ideas spread would be a good thing. But a better thing, would be that the residents of that state start to turn the place around and defeat those bad ideas before they have a chance to spread.
I can dream, can’t I?
I remain respectfully,
Congressman John Campbell
Drive fast and Live Free