Commentary
Not so long ago, the Newsom administration assured us that there would likely be another budget surplus this fiscal year, but it soon morphed into a
deficit of over $70 billion. Reckless Sacramento spending and wishful budget forecasts are to blame for this debacle. A heavy regulatory burden and high taxes can also shrink incoming government revenues.
Far too many of our tax dollars have disappeared down black holes such as the
high-speed rail project that now costs more than three times the original estimate. The train to nowhere remains largely unbuilt and likely won’t be practical as Californians love their vehicles. Why not strengthen California’s existing well-used infrastructure with these funds?
Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta claim that they’ve
taken action on crime and homelessness. Yet these problems have largely become worse. Over the past five years, the state threw
$24 billion at homelessness, yet it hasn’t made a dent. Unsurprisingly, if you keep delivering nontransparent handouts, homeless figures will grow, because the homeless aren’t required to take responsibility for altering their lifestyle. Crime statistics move upward as homelessness is enabled. This isn’t rocket science.
An often repeated mantra
emanating from Sacramento is that the state economy is just dandy. However, unemployment figures are the
highest in the country and many of the created jobs are part-time. Excessive business regulations and rising minimum wages ratchet up the costs of doing business. Employers are then forced to raise consumer prices and slash their workforces in order to stay afloat.
Moreover, both President Joe Biden and Mr. Newson have repeatedly celebrated the results of the Inflation Reduction Act. Have they visited a fueling station or grocery store lately? Total inflation has been around
18 percent over the last three plus years. That number is even higher for some items. The cost of housing has also gone through the roof (no pun intended).
If business owners believe that the state can’t get its fiscal house in order and manage regulatory costs, how confident will they be in expanding their businesses by hiring more employees? This is a major reason why so many businesses are departing the state for greener pastures. Many lawmakers in Sacramento appear to be oblivious to the repercussions of their economic policies.
For all of the money spent on each public school student (one of the highest in the nation), the results aren’t encouraging. The Newsom administration touts our public schools, yet many government officials send their children to private or religious schools. That tells us a lot in a nutshell. Far too many education dollars are tied up in redundant watered-down standards and the administrative bureaucracy instead of heading to the classrooms.
Instead of moving toward greater
energy autonomy as California could, the state depends heavily on other nations and states for its energy demands. There is a method to this madness. Climate alarmists in Sacramento want the state to transition to electric, solar, and wind power as quickly as possible even if it flies in the face of reality, severely strains the grid, and highly inflates energy prices.
The climate activists want to coerce Californians into buying electric vehicles (EVs) despite the numerous downsides of owning an EV and the fact that they are manufactured using fossil fuel derivatives. Do the new green dealers realize that EVs are quite expensive, and the resale value is nothing to call home about?
Car rental companies are
selling off their EVs, while automakers such as Rivian and Tesla are once again cutting their workforces due to decreasing demand for EVs. Americans want the freedom to carefully select their own products. Even if certain EVs and hybrids are partially government subsidized, those subsidies come out of your hard-earned tax dollars.
California progressives may think that conservatives are a threat to democracy, but they aren’t the folks who signed off on unconstitutional edicts during the pandemic or praised sanctuary cities that harbor illegal migrants. Critics of pandemic edicts were either censored or marginalized. In addition, unlawful immigrants are often treated better than citizens and legal immigrants although they are lawbreakers who often utilize fraudulent documents to gain “legal” residency and social services.
Moreover, Sacramento politicians continue to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) gibberish in public education and government agencies. America is amazingly diverse and has become very inclusive. It was founded on the principle of equal opportunity—an idea that was implemented more effectively over time—not the equity of prearranged outcomes. Identity politics is an insult to minorities who want to earn academic and career slots based on merit rather than color, gender, and sexual orientation quotas. Indeed, DEI punishes discipline, experience and merit while rewarding the unqualified.
Unfortunately, Sacramento fails to take a stand against one of the worst lies foisted on humanity. That lie is the anti-science transgender “
social contagion” that targets vulnerable minors and encourages trans men to destroy female sports. Tragically, “health care” providers who recommend intersex drugs and physical mutilation for the gender-confused instead of counseling turn the Hippocratic Oath on its head. Their Marxist practices have been given an Orwellian phrase called “gender-affirming care.”
Trans influencers are condemning youngsters to a life of suffering. If they have nothing to hide, why
withhold critical information from parents about their own children? It’s way past time to halt this insanity.
Due to the state’s
Democratic Party monopoly, Sacramento has an urgent need for greater honesty and humility in order to enhance innovation, liberty, opportunity, prosperity, and security for all Californians.
Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
