California the Future----Missionary's position

For a long time I have always thought that California was the future. By that I mean, and meant, that most events, innovations, problems, solutions, patterns of American life occur first in California. The place has always been on the cutting edge and the rest of us, particularly in the hinterlands are a few years behind.

Now in the past, this might have been a compliment, say with the Beach Boys, silicon valley, unlimited growth, fashions, American raz-ma-taz, cool cars, outrageous people. It was just a happening place. Oh, I suppose New Yorkers would scoff at this but they would have a certain hint that, well, maybe they have some things. We will give them that.

But in the past, say thirty three years ago, while they gleefully were still being the exciting future, there was a change that was not so positive. In fact, it is beginning to look like if they are the future, we are in very big trouble. I suspect it started with Prop 13 that was introduced by Gov. Ron Reagan in 1978. It was the start of the tax payer revolt and limited ad valorem taxes on real property. In addition, it requires 2/3 majority to increase new taxes. Powerful stuff.



As a result of this, public funding in California of institutions, schools, hospitals, courts & jails has gotten to the point were the system can not be maintained. In the last 3-4 years, over 80 hospitals & clinics have been closed, schools shut and jails turned to dungeons. The school pictured here was just completed, cost a couple hundred million to build and can not be run because there is insufficient revenue. It is boarded up .

Clearly, California has a number of problems. The legislators want every imaginable entitlement for everybody and they approve many. However, few want to pay taxes and many don't because they are too poor. Plus, the government has had a knack of paying for things by borrowing money from China. Now the piper has to be paid. No revenues to maintain their life style, no desire or ability to raise taxes, many folks don't pay taxes because of poverty (millions of them are not even US citizens), and the government is fractious and out of touch.

The population of California has exploded to 32 million, is smaller than Sweden with 9 million, and has allowed a multitude of non citizens to move in, many who live off government handouts because of poor jobs and high birth rates.

Truth is, California is experiencing a mighty drop in the standard of living, and it is mighty. So are there any indications this pattern is now occurring in the rest of the country? Is California the future? As we look around Wisconsin, the answer is obviously yes.

What it amounts to is that there has to be a change in our standard of living. None of us can continue to pay taxes to maintain this distorted dream, this wonderland now being run by deficits, of money being borrowed from China and oil states. Either we voluntarily take it down or, like California, it will be taken down for us.