Thursday, February 2, 2012

R.I.P. California


California rivals the federal government in the number and excesses of its multiple bureaucracies. Its legislature is the envy of left wing Democrats everywhere. It now has the perfect governor—Jerry “Moonbeam” Brown. It is still feeling the effects of the administration of blockhead governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

To paraphrase Hannibal Smith of the A Team, “they love it when a plan comes together.” The leaders and their faithful sheep have a plan that they think will make California green and wealthy. The citizens of Lotus Land have a nearly infinite capacity for self-delusion. Their plan is actually organized suicide by green pipedreams, regulation and taxation. The Rev. Jim Jones only needed to stay in California and wait another thirty years or so, and he could have been governor.

I’m going to list some of the most egregious excesses of California governance. But there’s method to my madness. Americans in general, and conservative Republicans specifically need an occasional reminder of what could happen to them in the other states if The One is re-elected president along with a Democratic Congress.

Those of us who live in the Central Valley are experiencing a double-whammy. California has been the breadbasket of America for nearly a century. But no more. The bureaucrats have decided that the preservation of an obscure species of fish that holds no known niche in the macro-ecosystem is more important than water for the amber waves of grain and jobs for agricultural workers. In the case of Delta Smelt vs. Human Existence, the useless fish wins. This has been a joint effort of the federal EPA and California fellow-traveling bureaucracies. California embraced the EPA restrictions and added a few of its own. No water, no crops. Simple, no?

At the same time the state, in conspiracy with the Obama administration, has decided to transform the state that was built by the automobile into the state that runs on rails. Exploiting the misery and unemployment brought about by the artificial Central Valley drought, the boys in Sacramento and the boys in DC are shoving a high-speed rail project down the throats of Californians. And they have cynically chosen the Central Valley city of Bakersfield as the first leg of the run.

The train is supposed to run from San Francisco to Los Angeles, but since the resistance to the project in those towns is minimal, they chose a starting place where objections to the project could be overcome by the desperate need for jobs. Clever, huh? And never mind California is essentially bankrupt. Federal funds are available, but the state must bear the largest share of the costs of the project, which in two years have escalated from $30 billion to $96 billion without a single track being laid.

Another California bureaucracy has a plan for all Californians. The California Air Resources Board has determined that 15% of all the cars on the California roads must be fully electric by 2025. The legislature and the two most recent governors think that’s just dandy. In a state where distances between routine destinations are measured in hours and minutes rather than in miles, the state has mandated automobiles which will travel no more than sixty to eighty miles before needing a time-consuming recharge. That’s fine for the denizens of San Francisco where nothing is more than five miles from anything else. But what about the rest of the state?

At least they’re requiring you to purchase an automobile which can be converted into a heat source (accompanying illustration). In the event the weather turns cold, just pull over, kick your car somewhere near the battery compartment, and you will generate a warm fire. Sometimes immediately, but in other cases it might take as long as a week for the blaze to get going, so be careful where you park.

The federal government imposed light bulb standards on all Americans. You are expected to buy a “green” light bulb which contains dangerous levels of mercury in order to use less energy. “Not good enough,” said California. Those not fortunate enough to live near a Wal-Mart will have to buy 60 watt bulbs that used to cost twenty or thirty cents, and replace them with a $3.00 bulb, manufactured in China The new 60 watt bulb actually puts out about 57 watts of ghastly light, while a 75 watt puts out about 63 watts. They also don’t fit right in your nicer lamps, and they look absolutely hideous in a chandelier. Just follow the greenie brick road, and don’t ask questions.

Then there’s law enforcement. Or maybe we should call it law observation. When rioters like the Occupy Movement or Oakland gangs celebrating a Raiders victory loot and pillage, the police are allowed to observe, but laying a hand on an out-of-control anarchist is police brutality. This is not the fault of the police. The governor sees assault and property damage as abstract concepts that don’t happen in his home. The big city mayors express open sympathy with the bums and thugs, give meaningless orders about protecting public property, then forbid the police to do anything “violent” to prevent the occupations. The police in Oakland are expected to react to thrown cement blocks, knives and Molotov cocktails with harsh words and mean looks.

As for border-hopping illegal aliens, welcome to California, land of the freebie and home of the goodies. Bop on over to your local DMV, get a license to drive (en Espanol), then drive around the building and register to vote yourself even more largess from the few remaining taxpayers in the state. If you're old enough, you can also apply for admission to the state's colleges and universities, paying in-state tuition denied to actual American citizens from the other states.

Criminals are welcome as well. The legislature is about to get rid of that pesky “three strikes” law that kept criminals in prison and out of the Occupy camps. It’s very humanitarian, allowing the rapists to have victims of the opposite sex which are unavailable to them in the Graybar Hotel.

I guess this is my way of saying that if you’re a conservative who doesn’t like any of the current Republican candidates for president, think carefully about sitting on your hands or voting for Barack Obama in the general election. Barack Obama and his merry band of socialists have a single goal: Make the rest of the United States just like California.

17 comments:

Tennessee Jed said...

Hawk - you are singing to the choir and preaching from the same book of common prayer. Nevertheless, there can be no better example than Kahleefourneeyah of the ghost of Christmas future so thanks for reminding us.

Perhaps the question is: what is it about Californians that made it thus. One would think that a state as large and diverse as the golden state would have had more sense?

T-Rav said...

That final warning is something for all Republicans to think about this fall.

Fox pointed out this morning all the problems with electric cars like the Chevy Volt. They say you get a 40-mile range with the electric charge; you only get 25. Plus, it takes 12 hours to charge (no doubt doing wonders for your home's electric bill), and of course it's electricity provided by burning coal. What a moronic society we live in.

Tennessee Jed said...

Rav - B.O. didn't think of it as moronic, rather as a "gift" from his subjects (the American taxpayers) to his loyal followers (the U.A.W.) as a big thank you for their support in the establishment of the People's Socialist Republic of North Amerika. "and in the year 2016, citing internal unspecified yet clear and present dangers, announced that presidential elections would be temporarily suspended for an indeterminate time. Grateful snaildarters announced they supported an amendment to make him "president for life." However, the president, decrying a new nothing congress, just decreed it so.

StanH said...

“California dreamin, on a winters day…” More like a nightmare, huh? You know how your dog will cock his head sideways when you make a strange noise, that’s how the rest of America looks at California. It’s a never ending laugh until lettuce gets up to $5.00 a head, and a $3.00 tomato. I feel for you brother, CA is a cluster _____, of monumental proportions. I read yesterday that CA will run out of money in mid March. If so the wilding in the cities will be ugly indeed, keep your weapons close at hand, but if Caliente is anything like my neck of the woods, you’re issued a firearm at birth…ha.

Unknown said...

Tennessee: I've thought that over time and again. Then I think "how could a nation as cultured, literate and progressive as Germany produce the Nazi madness? I still don't have a good answer for that one either.

Unknown said...

T-Rav: I hope the rest of the nation is listening.

I guess we could add that you will usually charge your car at home, pay a young fortune for the charging unit, then watch your already rising electrical bill go through the roof if you drive more than three or four times a week. I propose that we cut electrical costs by burning a new fuel source--the Delta smelt.

Unknown said...

Tennessee: My, we're grim this morning.

T-Rav said...

LawHawk, I suggest filming the burning process and distributing the video, just to make the greenies have a nervous breakdown.

Unknown said...

Stan: Yep. The state budget office says they'll run out of money and have to start issuing state IOUs for things like Medical and other social(ist) services. Meanwhile, the governor is putting a measure on the ballot to raise income taxes "on the rich" and raise the state sales tax. Oh, and there's the proposed $1.00 per pack cigarette tax. I'm sure those proposals will take care of everything. Of course that same report says tax revenues are down, but state spending is up. Imagine that!

And yes, Caliente does have a gun or two, or three. LOL

Unknown said...

T-Rav: To the tune of "Nobody Does It Better."

rlaWTX said...

Delta Smelters! There's a plan!!

Unknown said...

rlaWTX: I keep trying to come up with a Delta smelt song using the tune of Delta Dawn. Haven't succeeded so far.

tryanmax said...

One would think that a state as large and diverse as the golden state would have had more sense?

It's simple. They've lost perspective. California has had things very good for so long, they've forgotten how good it is. So they demand Utopia. And until they've destroyed every good thing they have and have run out of other people to blame for it, they won't get it.

Koshcat said...

Two things would fix the problems. One, nobody should accept the IOUs, especially the medical industry and number two, no federal bail out. Yes, California's economy will literally crash and probably hurt multiple states around it. But it just may take hitting rock bottom before the state gets it (see Lindsy Lohan). Sure, some people are going to get hurt but most of them deserve it by continuing to vote in economic idiots.

Unknown said...

tryanmax: We have a lot of film buffs here. I have to say that California reminds me of the sunny and perfect kingdom of Hy-Brasil in Erik the Viking. After the offense of bloodshed is committed, the inhabitants find their kingdom sinking slowly into the sea, and their reaction is to sing happy songs (out-of-tune) as they all proceed to drown.

Unknown said...

Koshcat: I think your solution is far too sensible and logical ever to be considered by Lotus-Landers. It's going to come sooner or later, and as much as I will be negatively affected by it, I think it's time to pull the bandage off the scab. Cancer cannot be cured by a topical skin cream.

Patriot said...

Watching this slow death is extremely painful to me. My family settled the area now known as Silicon Valley back in the 1840's as one of the first wagon train settlers. I've seen CA turn from the golden mountain to a criminal hell. As a child growing up in the 50's and 60's my impression of CA from movies and TV shows was of an area that was perpetually sunny, all beach and populated by happy and beautiful blondes. Probably the way man foreigners see it too. All of this to say, CA residents brought all of this on by themselves. Law hawk knows of which he speaks. I say let em crash and burn so the rest of the world will see what used to be considered the best of what America has to offer, turn into Greece on the Pacific. They will just be the most recent casualty in the eternal war between the dreamers and the doers.

We now return control of your state back to you.

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