California Wins Dumbest State Award in Landslide
It’s the proverbial morning after and with votes counted, California has won the Dumbest State Award in a historic landslide of monstrous proportions.
All Californians can now see Greece from their bedroom windows. No need to even go to the backyards and crane their little necks.
In the coming years, the unions, who have been bilking Californians in a protection-racket type scheme, will be taking to the streets in massive, destructive temper tantrums just like those out-in-the-cold workers in other failed socialist states across the big pond. It won’t be pretty.
All the while Californians have been lining the greedy pockets of union masters, they’ve also saddled their economy with the greenest of the green anti-pollution laws, which they’ve just voted overwhelmingly to keep in place. At the very same time, they’ve neglected their infrastructure to the degree that whole cities will probably be condemned shortly as uninhabitable by anything higher on the evolutionary scale than rats. California’s sanctuary cities openly flout federal immigration laws with impunity now, but if they keep it up they’re going to face a loud demand from the other 49 for their statehood and immediate, irreversible secession by force.
Michigan voters saw their future Greece-like fate and changed course. Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Florida did likewise. Others all across America’s heartland had the smarts to rein in out-of-control Democrat-socialists before their states hit the fans of bankruptcy history. They got it.
Californians still don’t get it.
Let’s start with the election of Governor Moonbeam. As I’m thinking of Jerry Brown’s reincarnated governorship, I’m already visualizing his mouth covered in duct tape for four years. Honestly, I’ll be the first to admit that Meg Whitman, although a brilliant businesswoman, was not the most spectacular political candidate. But really, have Californians been so brainwashed that they mistake a forked silver tongue for actual abilities in the budget-balancing realm? It’s enough to make bright citizens in the other 49 run for the barf bags. Never has a generation so disgraced their ingenuous, hard-working, self-reliant ancestors.
Nancy Pelosi’s disgraceful tenure as House speaker got the national drubbing she had been begging for since she first pranced around with the big gavel and unethically (illegally, probably) started her own foreign policy in the Middle East. This woman has so disgraced America, her state, her gender, her Catholic faith, and the Democrat Party that she couldn’t have won election as dog catcher in any of the other 49 states. But Californians re-elected Nancy Pelosi with a full 80% of her district’s votes. This is the woman who gushed that “Barack Obama is the man God has sent us at this time.” This is the woman who spearheaded the health care bill which started the avalanche that has destroyed Democrat political careers all across the land. For crying out loud, Nancy Pelosi, one of the richest members of the U.S. Congress, has been one of the most egregious wasters of public funds ever to hit Washington, D.C.
I’m still going with the voters of Massachusetts. California a close 2nd.
I don’t know…Ca certainly is 1st..Nevada with it’s ridiculous unemployment rate is trying to push Ca aside in stupidity.
Polls show CA with 12.4, and NV with 14.4 unemployment. Yet they elect the people that got them there.
Obama has insluted Boehner publically in the past, should be interesting to see the interaction. I can’t stand Obama, and I hope he falls flat on his ass…oh he already has, well, I hope he can’t get up.
Prediction: Republicans won’t cut anything (they can’t). They’ll just balloon the deficit even more. Just watch. This is gonna be fun!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UA-16iVxBJA&feature=player_embedded
Well, correction, they might do a 1% across the board cut or even less than that. They’ll be lot’s of back patting and the teatards will say to their liberal foes, “see, we won!” I’m OK with that. It’s kinda like when I go jogging with my grandpa. I let him get ahead of me and act tired, etc., etc. He asks me what the matter, am I too out of shape? I say yes, and that he is just too in shape for me. Whatever . . .
Praetorian,
You make it a habit to lie to your elderly grandpa? Why am I not surprised?
Balloon the deficit. But Praetorian, isn’t that what you want?
Back to the subject. Here’s why the GOP lost in Ca. Their brand is toxic. What is nice is that Obama won’t have to spend a dime on this big enchilada in 2012. It’s already wrapped up and under the tree.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-california-20101104,0,1915403.story
If California wants’ to keep its politicians I am all for it. I believe the voice of the electorate should be heard and respected. With that being said; allow me to tell you what the rest of the electorate (US) have said- We will no longer pay for your bad financial choices. You elected them; you keep them and your debt as well. Left, Right or Center other states should not be punished for the stupidities of some states.
MG, what state are your from? Is it a net receiver of federal aid or a net provider?
See http://www.bepress.com/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1555&context=ev
The bottom line is that the people of California HATE conservative Republicans. Admitting that you are a Republican is even worse than admitting you have gonorrhea or crabs. We had a wonderful night here in California! Not one Republican was elected to a constitutional office. I’ll say that again, not one. Not even dog catcher. What a great day! Moreover, Governor Brown’s job will be made much easier with the passage of Proposition 25. This proposition lowered the threshold for the passage of a budget to a simple majority (rather than two thirds). Although Democrats command an overwhelming majority it was always necessary to peel off a few Republipigs. They held the process up time after time. Now the Republipigs will NOT have a seat at ANY table. They will be left outside with a cup listening through the wall. They are COMPLETELY without power in our state and I thank the many young voters for their defeat. It was a great day for our state and things are about to get a lot better. We rejected the fascism and extremism of the right. Brown and Boxer trounced their opponents, it wasn’t even close! Nutmeg, with all her money, still couldn’t get people to like her.
All those who are disappointed with our state, I know many college kids who need a few bucks to help you pack up your U-Haul, so you can get the F%#k out of OUR state.
In fact the west, as a whole is looking pretty good in dark, dark blue, which will make Obama’s re-election a bunch easier.
California has been hemorrhaging citizens since 2008 and when they hit bankruptcy many more will leave. Who is leaving? The most productive and entrepreneurial. Who’s coming in? Illegal aliens. What will you do when you can’t pay your bills, meet your pensions, payoff your unions? What will you do when interests rates pick up and you can’t refinance your debt? What will you do when Moody’s cuts your debt rating which is already the worst in the US?
“Our state”?
How long have you lived here? I’m 4 generations of Californian, so when you talk about “our state”, you talk about the people who’ve been here damn near since it’s founding and vote conservative. The people who are giving you this mess are the rejects and imports from the other 49.
Don’t you talk to me about “our state”. Thanks for effing up my home, “bro”.
He always has some smart ass remark, makes no sense, and gets everybody riled up, on purpose.
Much to our chagrin…The majority of people that voted in CA..voted Cpt Fairy Dust into office.
He’s a troll, “fairy dust troll”.
Can you picture him..a little green troll jumping up and down on his computer!! getting frothy and spouting crap!! No respect, always trying to one up the other person, must be difficult to always be so angry.
I’m a native Californian dude. However, I suspect you are a whole bunch older than me, which is why your ideas reek of ideological constipation.
Oh, so you’re Native American then? Nice use of “ideological constipation”, by the way. It’s really an excellent way to appear smarter than your average poster without actually saying anything that makes much sense. Not to mention that everything you’ve posted thus far has been devoid of any actually intellectual assessment–mostly you’ve spent your time gloating, demeaning others and revealing the true character of the left.
But hey, don’t let obvious contradictions or real logic ruin the irony here, Mr. Native American. I take contentment in the fact that your smug satisfaction and outright hubris can only last so long. That every check your actions are writing, you and your ilk LITERALLY (and I mean that in the truest sense of the word–literally) cannot cash. It’s a simple matter of the numbers and no amount of condescending liberal ideology can change the inevitable fate of where that’s headed.
So, bro, ENJOY! It’s your state, dude.
Praetorian
After reading your comments it is my professional opinion that you suffer from an extreme malignancy known as
cranial-rectal-inversion
You head is stuck up your backside
Also a native Californian of almost 70 years. Have worn our U.S. Army uniform
1964 -1970 and probably seen more California & U.S. history than most of the youngsters commenting on this subject. California has changed and not for the best. I’ve been all over the world and had an opportunity to see many other countries, people & governments and the quality of their living compared to ours. The U.S. is still a winner, but it’s sliding downwards.
I voted against the winners in the California election to no avail. Glad the Republicans swept the House elections. (one of two isn’t bad) I really have no Political Party loyalty, only loyalty to my country and my fellow citizens.
When you bad mouthed youngsters have as much history and service to the U.S. and California as I and millions others like me, Then and only then you may sound intelligent. I have watched both parties rape this country and it’s getting worse. Democrats, Republicans or any other movement to elect wealthy corrupt candidates are now on a short leash. Either get it done or wave goodbye.
My answer? ABOLISH POLITICAL PARTIES. Give back the REAL VOTE to each state
by majority rules votes. Each state responsible for 2 reps only and those reps will spend most of their time in their own state listening to those who voted them into office, not in Washington D.C. where every vote is up for sale. Get a clue, extremely wealthy people could care less about anything other than taxing the public to further fill their bulging pockets with tax money… AND FOR GOD’S SAKE…MOST IMPORTANT.. EDUCATE VOTERS! Make them question each canidate’s promises by asking how they are going to keep them!
If they can’t? Once again.. Wave bye bye! Immediate dismissle, same rules we have to obey.
Anyone challenging or questioning the above facts is a clone fool and I won’t debate the issue or give dignity to your comments. Why? Because you can’t fix STUPID.
Yank those IPODS out of your ears, stick that cell phone in your hip pocket or some where near it and get a clue! The REAL WORLD out here is eating you alive and you don’t even have a clue… But time’s coming soon.
NOW… LET THE VILLAGE IDIOTS START RANTING & SINGING.. dirty job but someone has to do it. CONFIRM my evaluation of yourself. I won’t respond, you aren’t worth my time. For the rest of you? Please learn from my years of observations and form your own opinions. We are still free to do that.
Uh, my satire alarm was activated by this. Though if I’m wrong and it’s an actual troll, it will undoubtedly be calling for secession soon — like 2 years from next Sunday.
Praetorian. Grow up, get a job and move out of your Mother’s basement.
“California proves the theory of the continental tilt. All the lose nuts end up there.” Frank Lloyd Wright
Praetorian,
You are a poster child for requiring of every voter a knowledge of basic civics and proof of self-support. With every comment, you reinforce the impression of your complete naivete about the political and fiscal realities facing your state. Among those tell tales is your disdain for the people from your state who will continue to vote with their feet in this election and leave. Over 40% of the people in your state saw Brown and Boxer as no solution, but rather your state’s problems personified. In a similar comment you posted a while back you mocked them as denizens of ‘foreclosure’ country and expressed the hope that they would leave and/or the state cut them loose somehow.
So here’s my question. Think long and hard about the answer.
The question is who is going to pay for those budgets that now will be wholly owned by the progressives in your state? Where will the money come from?
Not from the federal coffers. Your naivete might lead you to believe so, but the bailout spigot shut off last night. The California taxpayer is either being squeezed dry, unemployed without choice, or is leaving. Without the support of that over 40% that your say Californians ‘HATE’, without their money, is the other 60% capable of continuing to underwrite the party?
Along with the self-congratulations you’re wallowing in right now over your state’s electoral results last night comes the responsibility that California and only California pay the piper for the dance they called. Again, where do you think the money will come from? I wish you all the angst that is coming your way when that bill hits and you have no answer.
BTW: You have no idea what fascism and extremism are. What you call fascism and extremism other people call self-reliance and resistance to theft by government fiat. What you call fascism and extremism may very well be the only course that California can successfully chart out of the mess the left has made of it. I doubt that California will on it’s own – perhaps under under the defaulted receivership control they are heading for – but when it happens by choice or by force of circumstances, I’ll enjoy the howling coming from the children like yourself.
No I know exactly what fascism is. You people use words like socialism and fascism interchangeably. You are a fascist.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnUfPQVOqpw&feature=player_embedded
…and you are a really big poopy head.
You have no answer to the question. I did not expect you would because I’ve never seen any evidence of self-responsibility or grasp of fiscal realities in your comments. The evidence indicates that you’re a dependent in every way that matters.
So again, I’ll ask you who do you think will be paying for last nights affirmation of the out of control growth of the entitlement culture in California.
I don’t live in California. So you can’t pick my pocket as a state citizen there, and after last night, the federal spigot is closed so you can’t pick my pocket remotely.
Okay. We get it. You like to watch cartoons.
Now, how about answering the man’s question?
Here’s another one for you, Prea – “Useful Idiot”.
I beg to disagree. I am a native and as far as I am concerned the people east of the Hudson all moved here back after world war II, and they and their off spring keep voting against a true Californian, -me. California is just getting worse and worser, or bad and bader, whatever.
Praetorian, would love to take you up on your offer to leave California. However….I’m in Florida. Why I would leave a place that has better schools, no state income tax, and frankly, better beaches to come to that cesspool is beyond me. Enjoy the decline, pal.
If you like living in a swampy sauna then please stay in Florida! And Florida is really not a conservative state. It depends on the region. It’s pretty evenly split. Obama won Florida, remember and he will again when the blue hairs find out you want to destroy their Social Security and take away their Medicare so they have to eat cat food.
Did I say it WAS a conservative state, Praetorian? Uh….nope. Must be that fine California edumakashiun you got there telling you that I did. Reread what I wrote, or more likely, get someone who was educated somewhere else to explain it to you.
We make mistakes (Grayson, Crist, and falling for Obama’s BS back in ’08), but we return them to their villages instead of re-electing them (Boxer, Stark, Brown). Like I said….enjoy the decline.
Yet you’ll probably try to blame them when California goes under. Go right ahead. Just don’t ask the rest of us to bail you out. And to those not in a public employees union or on public assistance, yeah, the producers, leave while you can! Bring some of those jobs on up to Oregon.
Russ Beware,
Unfortunately Californeeeans leave THEIR state in disgust and all too often bring their left wing politics with them in an attempt to show us knuckle draggers how it SHOULD be done and this time they assure us they will show us how it should be done correctly.
Ya,,, you betcha
I fear that you are correct… My state of Texas is doing so well that I am afraid that “outsiders” will knock on our door begging for employment and end up staying. All the while, they will change the political landscape to their liking. We will be victims of our own success.
Oh Praetorian! Even your name invokes what you are: a protector of an imperial order that brought ruin to a once might Roman empire! You are the person who celebrates his captive! You are the person who begs others not to save her from a rapist! You are the person who screamed, “here mein Fuhrer, take my child for your glorious armies!” You act on emotion, your thinking is based upon feeling, you react with hate. They will destroy your state and you will grovel to them, thank them, and then beg for more abuse. You’re your own victim…..
This is satire, right? Isn’t it? Oh wait . . . satire requires intellect and this guy is a Californian and California’s schools are ranked, let’s see, 50th in the nation. So it’s not satire.
The term “schools” encompasses an awful lot. I’ll admit our K through 12, depending on the area you live in (and that makes a HUGE difference via tax base), leaves much to be desired but our universities are world class. The UC system is ranked among the top. Stanford isn’t small potatoes, nor USC, etc., etc. But how could you possible know anything about college rankings. Tuition is increasing as it is everywhere but if you have a problem with that you can choose not to g and end up like our conservative friend the “ditch digger” who dreams of someday being a masser like his masser.
Praetorian, you are amusing! Oops, I mean…you are funny! You probably didn’t understand that big word…amusing.
UC Berzerkely is a fine instatooshun with lots uv smarrt pepull.
Here is wun of our besst stoodentz.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5plWuhor4gk&feature=related
Sure CA schools rank 50th in the nation, but in Praetorian’s ObamaWorld there are 7 more states that rank even lower. And they do have that brand new $578 MILLION school…that should move Cali all the way up to, let’s say…..50th.
Praetorian,
You just can’t help lying, can you? Facism is a manifestation of left-wing totalitarian regimes. It’s opposite and no less dangerous counterpart on the right is anarchy.
But you wouldn’t know the difference since you were educated in a totalitarian university like Berkeley.
You know, since you’re a weak-spined cowardly progressive, you do realize you will be one of the first to go over the cliff when the SHTF in Caleefornia, don’t you? And it’s coming regardless of your smart ass posting on Pajamas Media.
I live in communist california and I voted straight republican and against all bonds and against all of the radical left wing judges. On November 2nd, the criminally insane in california woke from their drug induced stupor and elected the worst possible in that old fart moombeam and the mentally derranged boxer.
We are fleeing communist california and will not look back except to view the ocean front property after the big one hits. The mentally derranged in california deserve any and all catastrophies that hit the communist state.
You are welcome here in the midwest Judy. We are big, red and fiscally sound. CA has beautiful weather – the midwest has beautiful people.
Praetorian’s bizarre comments would be hilarious if he wasn’t so sick and twisted.
He is on the sinking Titanic and he runs around kicking more holes in its hull.
What a psycho. What an incredibly crazy fool. Too crazy to realize how crazy he is.
Hey fool, it’s your own fault, not the Republicans’ fault that you’re such a loser.
Unfortunately he is typical of most California voters. He has no idea what fascism is, nor the difference between that and communism. His inability to make a rational argument is endemic to the ideologues here in California. Please have pity and mercy on those of us here, who actually do understand but are not in a financial situation to leave.
That’s because we all left long ago. I left in ’94 and will never live there again. Celebrate all you want, just don’t ask me to bail you out.
Once again the true tolerant, articulate, intelligent, and inclusive nature of the liberal in its natural state is revealed. Thanks Praetorian for reminding me why it was that when i grew up I became a conservative.
Well Praetorian…I live in NJ which came to its collective senses and elected a Republican Governor in 2008 and even a couple of Congressman this past Tuesday. You see, realistically there is a limit to how much money any entity (government or otherwise) can take from someone who produces and gives it to someone who doesn’t. Removing the 2/3 check on the budget won’t create more wealth or dollars or jobs. Unless it forces cuts YOUR state will have to increase the interest it pays on the bonds to fund the government. This is all basic economics and politics. If you have ever been to a wedding, that which one has a cash bar and one that is open, the behavior of the guests is pretty easy to discern. Long lines at the open bar, minimal if any lines at the cash bar. Its easy to spend OPM.
Laws of the universe are a bit*h. Just because you don’t believe in gravity does not mean your not dead when you believe in your heart you can fly and you try by jumping off a cliff. Economic principles are the same.
Good luck…We’ll wait for you in the TEA Party and leave the light on for you.
I always enjoy reading a screed from a leftist.
They never fail to show how truly delusional they are..
And how hateful they are in their hearts towards any person who does not feel the way they do.
4 years from now after California has fallen into bankruptcy due to the actions of the leftists I hope rest of the country has the good sense to refuse to bail them out.
5% of voters were other parties. When added to Republican votes. this indicates that 48% of voters did not want Boxer or Brown. Neither one has a liberal mandate and Obama is not guaranteed the next election in California.
Yes, but California is stupider once you adjust for population size.
Yes, but at least the Massachusitts voters stay home. The Californians keep fleeing the state in droves to states with Republican government wherein they begin voting in the same kind of people who ruined California.
That’s something I don’t understand. If I had the financial situation to allow me to leave I would not change the way I vote. I’d still vote for the most conservative people I could find.
Mark Levin calls them ‘locusts’.
The facts are that the tax paying rolls by social security number fell by 600,000 in a very short period of time! But the populaton in the PRC expanded. With that many taxpayers exiting the state who do you think voted?
A men.
I’m a Californian and have to hang my head in shame. Lots of good conservatives here but we’re sorely outnumbered by folks who root for their party like it’s their footbal team instead of a group of OUR paid employees. A lot of it is driven by the takeover of the education system by liberals who’ve used it to indoctrinate generations of kids into liberal emotion reaction over rational analysis.
Please, don’t bail us out. EVER. Contact all of your congressional representatives to ensure that none of the citizens in other states have to pay for any of the insanity here. CA going down the drain, piloted by the group of criminally insane lawyers in our state legislature, will be a concrete example to the rest of the country of where progressive policies lead.
Also a California resident. Couldn’t agree more! ditto, ditto, ditto everything styrgwillidar said.
Still awaiting the Harmer/McNerney results. Hoping that my district pulls out the one bright spot in the storm. It’s a crying shame that it’s even this close, though. And, I wouldn’t put electoral theft above the liberals in this race and state.
Yes, hopefully McNerny will fall. On the bright side, my homey, Barbara Lee, only got 84% of the vote this time around. We’re making progress!
Agreed. Please America, there are those of us who are willing to stay and fight. The best way you can help us is to not send a single penny. We’ll be fine as long as you can keep your wallets sealed.
http://www2.canada.com/story.html?id=2644283 is an option for California to look
at.
I’m in favour of no more money flowing to countries, or states, which resemble flop houses, or halfway houses.
When California goes down the drain they can just blame it on Bush and everything will be just fine from then on.
Kyle,
Your description of CA is … TOO KIND.
Over the past few days I sensed very little anger like that has been brewing in the rest of the country and began to wonder. My wonder turned into disbelief when the elections were called for Boxer and Brown – around 8:05 PST. Unbelievable. They were not even close.
There is not enough space on the internet to express my feelings about my fellow Californians but suffice to say I too can see Greece (and France) and hope that day comes sooner rather than later. Stick a fork in this state.
Me too! I couldn’t believe that Fox called the Senate race within literally two minutes after the polls closed. I was mad all night! How in the world could we send Boxer back to the Senate for another 6 years? Incredible! Southern California needs to secede from the state – then we only have LA and if we cut entitlements and Northern CA does what they do naturally adds entitlements I think we can clean this place up in no time.
If you look at the county-by county results for California it’s pretty clear that the state should be divided down the middle, not north and south.
I guess you have no need for Silicon Valley or Biotech?
K-AS,
Having voted “right”, and seeing how it all turned out, I agree.
We here in CA made our beds. The only way to fix the state is to make it insolvent.
Let the public employee unions try to protect their pensions and employees then!
No federal bailout of CA!
Mike in Redondo Beach
I’ll be the first to say it here, how many illegal aliens do you think have been registering and voting over the last 10 years here in CA? Aside from the unions voting dem, what other big block of voters is there? (O.K., libtards, but not that many!)
So, I propose they make it mandatory to show proof of citizenship when voting, period, end of story. How do you think Boxer, Pelosi and all of the wack-jobs stay in office?
“…I propose they make it mandatory to show proof of citizenship when voting, period, end of story.”
Exactly. It just boggles my mind that a photo I.D. is not mandatory for voting. I live in a small community where basically everyone knows each other and I’ve ALWAYS had to show my driver’s license. Who, other than the illegitimate, can argue against this requirement?
As Rush said, if we would eliminate early voting and start requiring I.D. 99% of voter fraud would be eliminated.
It was my daughter’s first time voting. Halfway to our polling location she said, we have to go back home, I forget my wallet. I said, what do you need your wallet for? MY ID!! I explained to her that they don’t check IDs to ensure that illegal aliens (thank you motor voter law), felons, as well as the dead can vote. She refused to believe it so we had to go back and get her ID. Only for her to find out I was telling the truth- no ID check required.
I disagree the dumbest state is the of Massachusetts, the state I live in. You have to be totally insane to reelect Barney Frank. We all know Barney & co is responsible for the mess we are in, but not for the loony’s of Massachusetts.
go figure.
California don’t feel bad you are not the only nutcase.
Atilla, I see your Barney Frank and I raise you one Nancy Pelosi and one Maxine Waters. As a side bet, when has Massachusetts ever had a governor with the nickname “Moonbean”?
I grew up in California. I am ashamed of the State now. Electing Jerry Brown and re-electing Boxer, what a sorry performance. As bad as things are now there, they are about to get much worse. I believe the state has crossed a threshold where they wouldn’t elect Ronald Reagan if he were available. Nevada is right there with them. To re-elect Harry Reid? The parasites outnumber the producers.
What you have in California is a combination of dumb and arrogant. Too dumb to know that they don’t know and too arrogant to learn from those that do. To be fair that is only true for about 50-55% of the population. The other 45-50% have tried to inform them, but to no avail because of the dumb and arrogant factor.
Sorry, but’s been proven time and again:
There just ain’t no cure for stupid.
As a native Californian, I can say that I have been frustrated (a lot!)in the past. But this year, this election, has just taken the cake for being DUMB!
I admit it, WE ARE DUMB in California! I am surrounded by fools who yammer on about how great Barack is and how “mean” Meg Whitman is. I actually had that conversation with a liberal woman a week ago! “Meg Whitman is mean”!
We’ll have our comeuppance and I hope the rest of the country flips us the bird when we come crawling on our bellies asking to be bailed out!
I was in CA last week and talked to several middle aged women about Meg Whitman. They would have voted for her but thought she was to cold and mean.. The Leona Helmsley/ Martha Stewart effect strikes again. There are too many women who feel that a woman that makes hard tough decisions is unfeeling and evil. Is it the same meme that results in catty backstabbing?
It’s not a meme. It’s a gene, the same one that makes Praetorian half-human.
Sadly, I must agree with everything you said. As a California Republican, it makes me sick to my stomach to see the ease with which Democrats continue to get elected, even as the state flounders. If I could get my wife to agree, I would be out of here in a month.
#8 hits the nail on the head. “The parasites outnumber the producers.” The only cure is for ‘producers’ to leave and watch the parasites starve from somewhere out of their reach.
Your statements have no substantive meaning. The worst economically impacted areas of the state are represented by conservative Republicans. They preside over ghettoes of foreclosed homes. Entire towns! These places are always inland areas for the most part. The most affluent, economically stable, and educated areas are represented by and large by Democrats. So, the real parasites are the conservative white trash that sticks around hoping for a handout from the state to turn their sorry lives around. Not with my tax dollar. I want them out of here! There’s a price to pay for voting republican. Poverty and hunger are the result.
“ghetto of foreclosed homes” All owned by BATs (Bay Area Transplants) who have been living outside of their means for years now. They flooded our communities, drove up the prices and then bailed when they could maintain their lifestyles. Combine that with the fact that our DEM congressmen have shut off all the water to our agricultural wealth and yeah, I can see how you’d blame the producers for the failure.
You lie!
Praetorian is sick, VERY sick. The flakiest of flaky Californians. Just ignore him.
A handout from the state ? Excuse me poster who calls himself “Praetorian” but you really are a weird one, the handouts are all socialist backed, ya know, the socialists, demoncrats, progressives, whatever name the elitists parasites like to use from time to time.
Add this Californian to those who think that the other 49 states should turn their backs when California comes begging. And believe me, the folks who backed Moonbeam and the rest of these statists will *not* be repentant.
I can hear them now: “You should follow our examples of green regulation, taxation, sanctuary cities and social justice. Err. . . by the way, we’re $20 billion short, can we get a little help here?”
When the bill comes due, these people will then say, “Ok, we have to cut teachers, police and firefighters because you voters don’t want to raise taxes.”
Another Californian adding my voice to styrgwillidar, SDbatboy, and Mike Schab. And I belong to one of those much — and justly — vilified public employee unions. Every election I watch the rest of the electorate here vote for the most egregious propositions and candidates on the ballot, but this time they’ve achieved a perfect storm of stupidity. It’s clear that nothing short of complete, undeniable economic collapse is going to wake them up. I’ve got land in Wyoming and U-Haul on speed-dial, I can get clear. It’s fire mission time.
The majority of Californians are even more lemming-like than you describe. A proposition to have the budget pass with a simple majority of the state legislature rather than the 2/3rds now required also won. There will be no stopping the public-sector unions and the rent-seeking grievance industry now.
California is still physically a beautiful place, and I have lived here all my many decades. It would take massive civil unrest for me to leave, but I urge all enterprising Californians of younger years to emigrate to saner pastures. Let’s see how the state fares when all those “greedy” millionaires and billionaires whose taxes Moonbeam wants to increase decide that they will just go create jobs in Texas or Florida.
The Central Valley and the Sierra counties voted sanely. It was the costal denizens who have perpetuated the fantasy, but what can you expect? Hollywood is all about fantasy, and San Francisco is simply unreal.
Wow. Didn’t know about the proposition on simple majority. You guys are in big trouble.
My prediction is that California state government will mirror what Obama/Pelosi/Reid did in the past 2 years. The CA Dems just will not be able to help themselves and they will screw things up so badly that even the Californians will finally see the stupidity and will revolt.
The Repubs will eventually come up with some candidates with less political baggage that will be more electable. For example, this is the last year that I want to see a Repub candidate for Governor that didn’t even cast her own personal ballot for decades.
No they won’t.
Two MILLION people have left California since 1990. These were the productive middle classes. These were Republicans. Now they are gone. Now you have a One Party State.
Live with it, California.
Then die with it. No one will save you now.
As a fourth-generation Californian, I can tell you that California politics hasn’t been this interesting since — er, well, since the last time that Jerry Brown was Governor.
Folks, I cannot explain my fellow Californians. I too am amazed at the outcome. However, it wasn’t all bad news for California. For me, THE most important issue on the ballot was to defeat Proposition 27. If Proposition 27 had passed, then redistricting reforms would be eliminated and redistricting decisions would have been returned to the California Legislature, currently dominated by one party with a nearly 2-to-1 majority. This is the last election under the old scheme, which likely explains why so many really bad incumbent politicians were returned to office. I cannot wait to see how much money was dumped into California from outside (unions, corporations, etc.).
Initial Reflection on California 2010 Election Results
http://soquelbythecreek.blogspot.com/2010/11/initial-reflection-on-california-2010.html
It will be overturned in court.
So, it’s okay for judges to legislate from the bench.
You have a lot to learn, especially about what happens outside the US.
Calif also has open primaries next time around which could potentially shake things up a bit.
They are addicts. Addicted to the public trough.
And like most addicts, they realize it is self-destructive, but keep doing it anyway.
Like the joker in Batman, I’m going to love watching California burn.
Joker – hell! What we need right now is Lex Luthor! I’d gladly buy some not-yet-beachfront property in Otisburg!
I am a Californian. BUT I live in the Central San Joaquin Valley. Look at Foxnews california map last night. A huge portion of our state was red, with a thin blue line along the coastline. Our votes last night were consistently 60% conservative. I agree with the author. When idiots from my state come with their hands out….JUST SAY NO. It will be the best thing ever for our state!!
Well, I’m one of those who live in the nice blue coastal areas. Please stay away during the summer. We don’t need you bringing your litters of dirty offspring to air out your stench at our beaches when you get too hot in your inland foreclosed GOP ghettoes. In fact, the town I live in just passed increases on parking meters except for residents with special permits. This should go far to keep out the riff raff. Other than that I am THRILLED with the election of Brown and Boxer.
Hi Tinkerbell!
Hey you know, by the cadence, phrasing and word choices of your posts, I just figured out that . . . . you’re a girl!.
As a result I feel kind of awkward, what with the man-on-boy prison yard insults I’ve been throwing at you. My apologies.
Hey, are you cute? I’m asking because if you are, these stupid and aggravating posts of yours will be more tolerable — you know, like Ellen-Page-snarking-on-Dick Cheney tolerable.
Fannie Pats and Kisses, Sweet Cheeks!
And on top of that, she’s probably either a high school kid or a college kid — no responsibilities or stake in reality, spoon fed a steady diet of blind hatred and ignorance by our public school system. A know-nothing, wet behind the ears punk girl mouthing off to feel good about herself and cover up some deep seated anxieties.
You just figured that out? She’s neurotic and psychotic, too? What else does that tell you?
Hint: She hates men, but she likes to wear their shirts, pants and work boots.
Praetorian:
Howe wonderful for you that you are able to get a waiter job at Schooners Wharf in Cayucos. My family has worked for generations here in the Central Valley. But we also have a beautiful beachside home on Studio Drive in Cayucos. Because you live there full fulltime on our beautiful “blue” coastline does not make you an expert on those of us who must labor 18 hours per day to pay for your liberal progressive lifestyle.
Nope live far away from there. Hint: think very large coastal city south and my job doesn’t include food handling (I’m white).
Praetorian
Nope live far away from there. Hint: think very large coastal city south and my job doesn’t include food handling (I’m liberal white trash).
Praetorian, you little rascist you. In addition to being an elitist with no basis for it. Too good to work in some job because the color of your skin?
I’m white, I worked food service among other things to put myself through college. Never thought being a particular color disqualified me or anyone else from a particular line of work. And never looked down on anyone because of the job they did either.
Praetorian, I see no reason at all that anyone should even give you
an answer to your garble. You know nothing and you reek of hate.
What do you think that is going to get you?…really wet when Cali goes!
Why would you want to vacation in Praetorian’s little prissy fantasyland, anyway? Come to Florida. Our beaches are better. So’s our Disney complex, Sea World, Universal Studios, etc.
Shush, Lili. We don’t want California trash. We have enough New York trash here already.
And you’re likely to get more of us New York trash types, Flor. Eveyone here knows that New York politics are a rigged game and there’s precious little we can do about it except leave. I wonder what the Dems and the unions will do when they finally push the last productive citizen out of the state and there’s no one left to soak except the poor and the unions.
Dumb? You’re to kind. You can improve on dumb, but morons can only win the Darwin Awards.
I think people here are a bit overwrought and cannot see the solution staring them clearly in the face . When outgo exceeds income the Democrat solution is always the same, raise taxes. Whats another 2 or 3 percent added to taxpayers load ? After all ,that’s what they voted for. They didn’t vote to reduce spending or to curb waste. If they go whining to the Feds tell them there will be no bailout until every last Californian is bankrupt and the State forfeits its sovereign right to self government. Put the State up for fore closure and sell it to China . Perhaps Californians WILL wake up when the Red Chinese begin moving in and California liberals are shipped off to the rice paddies.
Thanks for this brilliantly funny article.
I too was born and raised in California. Growing up in the sixties and early seventies in California was nirvana. Beauty, great people, prosperity and always, always the promise of a better tomorrow… I grew up in paradise.
But no more. I woke up this morning to the cold reality that California is gone for at least the foreseeable future, if not forever.
We not only elected Brown and Boxer, voters approved prop 25 that removes the 2/3 legislative vote requirement to raise taxes, thereby shooting any hope of an economic recovery squarely between the eyes. Executing the economy not being leftist enough, the voters defiled the corpse and allowed AB32, our own cap-and-trade fiasco to go forth to raise energy prices, taxes, regulatory costs and the general level of misery, hopelessness and fealty to the state.
California has a government of the public employee unions, by the public employee unions and for the public employee unions.
The rest of us are tax-slaves. Our government masters allow us an existence dedicated to providing sweet salaries, job security, and fat early retirements for the aforementioned public employees, their unions and their pet politicians. Oh, and freebies to illegal aliens…
The lesson that the other 49 should be getting from this is that California was the canary in the coal mine. If you examine the election results by county, you will find that virtually all of the races were decided by the major population centers around Los Angeles and San Francisco. These areas tend to be liberal, and have about 55% of the state’s population, as well as the largest concentrations of illegal aliens. When we consider that this is the state that gave us Ronald Reagan not so long ago, it becomes obvious that it only takes a small shift in demographics to completely alter a state’s political landscape. Soros and his merry band of pirates, among others, spent decades infiltrating the education system to create future little goose-steppers (complete with Che T-shirts), and corrupting the bureaucracy (where most of the real power in any government resides). The success of their efforts is now plainly evident. They got away with it largely because too many Californians voted with their feet, instead of standing up to the growing corruption. As of today, I too have thrown in the towel, put everything up for sale, and started my hunt for a place where sanity still prevails.
What all of you in the other 49 need to realize is that the Leftists took the tactics that worked so well here on the road some time ago, and they’ve been quietly working in your back yard. If you don’t deal with this harshly, and the election was only a very weak start, California’s present will become the mirror of your future. My friends who went to Tennessee now find themselves facing the spread of militant Islam. Those who went to Arizona and Texas are gearing up for open war with Mexican criminals. California’s current terminal condition, as compared to other states, results simply from the disease having started earlier here. You are not immune, and only vigilance and strong action will save you.
“As of today, I too have thrown in the towel, put everything up for sale, and started my hunt for a place where sanity still prevails.”
Don’t let the door hit your well-fed- conservative ass on the way out! Buh, bye . . .
You have misidentified me. Well fed conservative? Hardly. I am an ordinary man, a strict constructionist, a native Californian and an American citizen, who has learned new depths of anger at what creatures such as you have done to my family and my country. I was forced out of my job four months ago, and my truck is being repossessed. Last night’s election results destroyed any hope of regaining employment here.
Study this creature, folks, so that you will know your enemy. It howls about poverty and oppression, but is almost always a member of the wealthy class it claims to despise. It pretends to compassion, but in act and deed is narcissistic, selfish and cruel. It accuses any who question its ideology of the ugliness of violence, hatred and bigotry, but has refined the very things of which it accuses to the level of an art form.
This is the Socialist. This is the horror we must purge from our society at any cost, for if we fail, history shows us the darkness that will follow.
What is there to prevent the red counties getting together and having a special vote to redraw the borders of California? When one takes a look at the blue areas of the state, it is like the situation in Quebec. The separatists want the entire province, but their support is only along a thin strip on the St. Lawrence seaway.
Now is the time to fence off California and only let people that voted GOP out. That’s the only way to save America from this festering pus wound.
And #16, glad to see you returning to you senses. Have I seen your comment on Free State Wyoming?
Actually, it’s kind of the other way around. The state isn’t a north south divide. It is an east (inland) west (coastal) divide. All the smart creative types live along the coast in nice neighborhoods. All the stupid teatards live in the hot foreclosed conservative ghettoes. They are the ones bringing down the state economically and they need to just pack up and leave. Go to Texas or Alabama. What needs to happen is that we need to bull-doze their neighborhoods when they’re gone (or my preference, while they’re home) and return these highland desert areas to their once pristine state. Designate them as national monuments. Too many of the wrong kind of people live in Ca. and this needs to change
So, when are you guys seceding (the coastal area that is)?
Also, who’s going to bail you guys out when the inevitable time comes — China? Good luck with that.
Better hurry with the bulldozers. CARB has passed regulations banning current diesels requiring replacement with far more expensive ones. All based on a report that even CARB acknowledged was by a guy who faked his credentials and drastically overstated both the level and impact of diesel particulates. Most trucking/heavy equipment companies are selling their equipment out of state and shutting down. Maybe the state will hire some illegals with shovels and pay them with IOUs, wait can’t do that it violates union rules and even illegal aliens are too smart to take IOUs from California.
I watched Jerry Brown’s victory speech last night and just shook my head in disbelief that ANYBODY could vote for this fool. He was just rambling on and on, and it was so disjointed, I swear he must have been smoking a joint before the speech. Did anybody tell him the pot provision failed to pass?
I left the Peoples Republic of Jersey many years ago, because its California, but without the nice weather.
Its a sad formula…. Any state that has enough “diversity”…the REAL kind of diversity that matters….meaning a good mix of Agriculture, Manufacturing, and Financial/Professional/high tech industries (like the Garden State or California) usually develops a nice robust economy and good standard of living….but the downfall is that it ALSO allows the parasites and do-gooders to florish for a generation or two, without producing anything themselves….
Once they get a foothold, THEY think THEY are the drivers, the decision makers, the pullers of the wagon.
They Talk, talk, talk… Sociologists, Professors, Union Leaders, Politicians…..they eat, sleep, reproduce and consume, all in a protected cocoon of welfare, tenure, or tax funding, while the rest of us are busy providing the bread they eat.
They honestly think THEY are contributors, and cant believe why EVERYBODY cant live that way….how EVERYONE should/could live in the comfy suburbs or hip cities nearly cost free, but dont, only because “the ugly they” are so mean and conservative to prevent it.
Its the byproduct of prosperity, our servants and hirelings now think the Mansion was of THEIR creation, not ours, and wonder why the carpets are not being vacuumed, and the toilets cleaned
California is lost, so is most of the North East, the tipping point passed was decades ago.
Like the Titanic, the agony and upheaval we see (or will shortly see) in the financial meltdown is but the drama of the stern rising for its final plunge…. the fatal damage being caused (and ignored) much earlier
#8 Jim Rockford and #14 Sam. Exactly! This is the very essence of the EVIL that permeates the so called West. The system that allows the PARASITES to outvote the PEOPLE OF SMART AND HONSET WORK has nothing to do with the true democracy but in fact with the degenerate form of a collective existence that we must call PARASITOCRACY.
It is a fundamantally absurd and unacceptable idea that two dole bludgers, two drug addicts or two alcoholics, or a PARASITE and his caretaker (a corrupt lawyer, for example) can outvote me and steal the results of MY OWN WORK from me.
The exclusive ownership of the results of my work is one of the most fundamental HUMAN RIGHTS secured in the Constitution of America and all other the so called “democratic countries”.
It is also secured in the “Human Rights’ Charter” of the so called “United Nations”.
And yet, this is the very human right which is the most frequently ignored and abused not only by the totallitarian regimes but also by the so called “democratic states”.
In fact al the other human rights are being denied and abused by totalitarian regimes and increasingly also the quasi “democratic” governemnts in the West (the revolting fenomenon of “political correctness” among others) for the very purpose of stealing the money from the PEOPLE OF SMART AND HONEST WORK.
Western PARASITES use the enormous marxist lie called “wealth redistribution” in order to steal and along the way waste the wealth produced by the class of PRODUCERS without bearing any RESPONSIBILITY for their criminal activity.
California, has become the most blatant and at the same time most tragic example of the failed entity where the parasites now overwhemingly preavail over the class of CREATORS.
Even more tragic aspect of that scenario is that one cannot negotiate with the PPARASITE and convince it to change its ways.
The PARASITE must be removed by force and be removed brutally.
Has a TAPEWORM been ever removed from the body of its carrier by the force of persuation?
Did Gen PINOCHET of Chile manage to save Chile by compromising with the Chile’s communo-fascists?
Did Gen Franco of Spain manage to save Spain and along the way the entire Western Europe by making the Spanish STALINISTS to cooperate?
How can the good, working people of America convince the monster tape-worm of the PARASITIC SECTOR to return to work for 4-5 buck per hour?
Don’t delude yourself My Friends that it is possible in a peaceful way.
Yawn . . . Old man has been taught well by the master the the right thing to do is bend over quietly and spread his cheeks and take what master wants to give. The crumbs that fall from the table are his reward. Some of us want better. Now go back to drinking your rancid tea. We in California are going to enjoy this beautiful sunny day!
P.S. don’t get too pumped up about re-taking the house. It wasn’t enough.
Indeed, PARASITIAN. Very soon your parasitic life in your sunny Kalifohnia will be DEFUNDED by the newly elected Hause.
A very RUUUUUDE awakening is awaiting you.
4-5 buck per hour; that is what you shall be forced to settle for…
P.S: You can still consider emigrating to even sunnier CUBA…
But remember, don’t forget to take your own toiled-paper with…
Keep thumping your chest Jethro. If we have recently found out anything about the house of reps is that they are pretty powerless. The most progressive legislation we have seen in generations passed by the house was watered down significantly by the senate. Indeed, many things were stopped entirely. Do you think that will now be magically any different, especially when the senate is controlled by Democrats? Get a clue stupid. The Dems control the White House and the Senate. They have MORE power than the GOP. That’s a fact.
My junior high polisci classes, from what I remember, told me that this IS the function of the senate. They are essentially a bill killing machine (or they slow them down significantly).
So here’s is a hypothetical scenario. The GOP house wants to defund hypothetical Democratic pet project A in a hypothetical blue state. The Democratic senate counters with the prospect of defunding GOP pet project B in a hypothetical red state. Bothe parties come to the table and the point becomes moot. But the GOP will suffer because they have already promised their teatards that they will not compromise. There’s more than one way to skin a cat and you’re about to see many, many ways very soon. I’d stock up on blood pressure medicine old man. You’re gonna need it.
“My junior high polisci classes, from what I remember, told me that this IS the function of the senate. They are essentially a bill killing machine (or they slow them down significantly).”
When was that, last year? LOL!
The entire State of California now starring as Norma Desmond…..
Please start the petition!!!! DON’T BAILOUT CALIFORNIA
I grew up and still live in California and I’m am so disappointed. This state will only learn its lesson the hard way, so lets make sure California doesn’t get bailed out.
California is my home, my territory, where I was born and raised. But I no longer relate to its inhabitants (except the good folks who voted sanely, i.e., conservatively). We ARE looking into moving to another state. Several of our business owner friends ARE looking to move to other states. Sad… but I agree with this statement: Do NOT bail out California. Let her sink into to oblivion just like Greece. I just wish the water was as warm as the lovely blue Aegean… Ouzo anyone?
Where wee you planning to go? As I stated above, I’m on the way out as well, but don’t have clear destination.
I recommend Wyoming. Lots of space, low unemployment, low sales tax, no state income tax, and no state deficit. I can even hook you up with a good realtor.
Thanks for the suggestion, and for the offer. Who’s your realtor?
Lovely lady in Wheatland named Ellen Alley. Tell her Alex from sunny SoCal sent ya.
Start with T for Texas. We’re at 8.4% unemployment. Then T for Tennessee. Many Californians moving to both states e.g. Franklin in hilly and verdant Williamson Co, Tenn. No state income tax in either state.
As a Californian, I have to sadly agree. But we do now the satisfaction that Minnesota has joined us in sending an idiot to the Senate and a crackpot to the Statehouse.
Critical thinking is not a power suit of the liberal mentality! They can’t seem to get past that touchy feely, pseudo kinesthetic, half assed way to looking at the world. I mean, their idea of research is a Michael Moore documentary and that’s as visual as they’re gonna get! The big picture just doesn’t extend past that for them! What can you say about people that smoke some weed and “feel that Tiger Woods should do more for disadvantaged people” instead of buying himself a billion dollar house. (the @#$% criminal) Spread the wealth and give illegal aliens healthcare and don’t forget to apologize to every non-white earthling for something that you sure as hell did wrong to them, is their viewpoint and we aren’t changing that.
And what would your type know about critical thinking? That’s a big concept for you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnUfPQVOqpw&feature=player_embedded
Enough to know that you libtards had your asses handed to you last night. Look, you fools lost badly last night. Really, really badly. Barry Ogabe’s ideology (and yours) was soundly rejected by a majority of the American people and Nanzi Pelosi is now just one of 192 loser liberals in the House. You beta males lost. Get over it. Now get on back to DKos before your feelings get hurt. Your welcome.
The house was painful, I’ll admit that. But we control the White House and the Senate. You came up short. Your goals will not be realized, especially repealing HCR. However, almost half of the house losses were from blue dog Dems who were recalcitrant to begin with. I feel the same about them as you perhaps do about RINO’s. And Blanch Lincoln, GOODBYE! Essentially, the Democratic caucus is more progressive than before and it will be exciting to build on that.
When Obama is re-elected HCR will be on a glide path to full implementation, indeed it is as we speak. In the meantime, your GOP handlers will keep you in line with red meat about saving the babies and making sure gays don’t get married, etc. A sorry retarded bunch you teatards.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnUfPQVOqpw&feature=player_embedded
Praetorian,
What’s the deal? You have a cartoon fetish?
Just Passing Through asked you a legitimate question. Put down your well-used copy of National Geographic and answer the question.
Alright Praetorian, you claim to be smart, let’s have a round then shall we?
Do you know what a checks and balances system is? Because the legislative branch(Congress) is bicameral(that means it has two houses, NOT that it swings both ways like I would expect you to believe), it has a degree of checking itself. A bill has to be passed through BOTH houses. The fact that you have the senate and white house means nothing if your party’s BS bills can’t make it past the House of Representatives(now under Republican control).
And as for our goals, conservative goals for this election were nothing more than putting a stop to you and your kind’s liberal garbage. Repealing Obamacare was a bit of a stretch, we all understood that. So we’ll repeal Obamacare when he is voted out in 2012.
Thanks for playing, sorry for your loss, and try not to cry yourself to sleep tonight because you were outwitted by a “teatard”, I believe you called us.
‘Just Passing Through asked you a legitimate question.’
He answered it obliquely, not being too smart our boy, when he chortled out the following statement.
‘California is getting 10 billion dollars as a down payment on the new health care plan. Sorry, the train has already left the station!’
He believes that the money will come from the federal coffers. It has not yet hit him that that coffer is contributed to by producers in other states who just made it very clear that they are not going to subsidize either wild spending by entitlement groups any longer, nor will they underwrite any effort to prevent insolvency if that wild spending is not curtailed by those responsible.
He won’t answer the question on where California will get the money to maintain its entitlement culture directly because any answer he could truthfully give means taking one (or probably both) of only two approaches. Either the cost will be met by raising already onerous taxes and fees on the producers, and/or it will be passed off to future taxpayers to pay ALONG with whatever increased tax burden they have then. Both approaches will inevitably lead to a further decline in wealth producers in California (as opposed to service providers).
I have no sympathy whatsoever for the special interest Californians who understood this but thought, and still think, they can continue to benefit by ignoring it in expectation of federal relief. I have neither sympathy nor approval, no consideration in any form actually, for the clueless tools like Praetorian incapable of grasping what they bought into to keep their party going. My sympathy goes out to those 40% or so of Californians who tried to halt their state’s death spiral and are trapped by the other groups into enduring it instead.
I was going to e-mail my brother in Nevada and ask him how the HELL could you re-elect Reid, but I know he’d just send back a “how the HELL could you re-elect Jerry Brown” … so just, nevermind.
BTW, when Boxer, Pelosi and Brown do end up asking DC for a bail-out, I’m fine with telling them to get lost. As long as we can support and feed a gazillion illegal Mexicans, then there’s still got to be a lot of fiscal fat that can be cut.
Did you hear the rally cry at Reid’s victory party…”Si se puede!” That’s how he got elected.
nice, over 30 comments where the pot is calling the kettle black. i envy you guys, though; ignorance must be as comforting as a warm blanket on a cold night.
we will have to bail these dumbasses out. what do you call someone who continues to do the same thing over and over again and expects a different result? a californian.
There will be no Cali bailout, last night put the nail in the coffin.
Will the last productive citizen leaving California, please turn out the lights. Oh, sorry, lights are banned in california. Never mind…..
No one would notice anyway. Rolling blackouts will be permanent by the time the last productive citizen leaves.
I just notice that bear is marching towards the left and appears to be following a red star. Don’t hit me! I did not make that flag! I’m just sayin’
Were number!!!!!! Yea!!!
Im 19, a Californian, and i cast my first vote ever for Carly. I really wanted to see boxer lose but i guess it wasnt enough. Dont bail us out.
Oh and all the stuff you hear about brainwashing in the schools is true, at least in cali. I was hearing how evil bush was as far back as 8th grade.
I’m somewhat older than you. I took my cousin and three of her friends to the polls to vote for the first time too. Of course, they voted for Brown and Boxer and straight D down the ticket. So we canceled out your vote as did the vast, vast, majority of young people who live in California. if I were you, however, wouldn’t admit to being a Republican on campus (although I shouldn’t even assume you’re educated or were even able to get into a decent college). Admitting to being a Republican is like admitting you have an STD.
Troll.
“… vast, vast, majority of young people who live in California.”
Thanks! All of you will be working your a**es off to pay for my state pension, my Social Security, my Medicare/Obamacare, and subsidizing my lifestyle. Sucka!
Forth generation Californian here. When I saw the results this morning I started laughing. I decided that I am going to view this as farce and laugh my head off.
My wonderful friends who are Obama lovers. And I do mean lovers. Have been nagging me all day about all the wonderful things King O has accomplished. I keep telling them,”I know what he has accomplished. I just don’t like it.” Well friends list keeps getting shorter. Life in paradise.
I am in the middle of moving out of California and have not been happier about it as I am today! The state is a lost cause. It is beyond corrupt and there is nothing short of a federal takeover of the state that would even have a prayer of fixing it. The last election boundaries, which I believe were drawn with crayons, set it so the liberals are guaranteed power until they don’t want the power anymore(forever). Their solutions to ANYTHING is to raise taxes, even in their depression equivolent status. As soon as my house short sale closes, I won’t even look into the rear-view mirror as I leave.
I dunno what I could possibly add to the column and the comments. I came to California 57 years ago, had a wonderful working life in a company founded in 1905, married, had kids and had a wonderful life. Now my company is gone, one of my kids has left, the other would be gone in a heartbeat if not for being upside down (in a beautiful home)and people here think there’s no end to bashing the business community, driving out jobs, putting people on welfare, and electing dumbasses to office. When the inevitable bailout cries start please don’t listen. And make sure that anybody who supports same loses their job ASAP.
Why can’t there be a referendum on voting California out of the union? Given its allies are, at best, ethically suspect, cutting it off from the US taxpayer
is one way to lighten the debt loads. (I use the plural, because there is debt
which is on the books, and there is debt which is off the books).
LET ME OUT OF MY STATE! Seriously, California has left me behind. Then again I was born on the right coast of California (old Joke about my home town of Needles) so maybe it just moved to the left leaving me behind.
Kyle-Anne, if you read any of the comments when you write an article or an essay, you know what I think of you.
So, my complete disagreement comes with absolute respect and admiration. But, Massachusetts is the hands down winner here.
Sean Bielat was an incredibly strong candidate as well. And his opponent had a direct impact on the very issues that voters say they cared most about. He was not a back-bencher on Fannie, Freddie, the mortgage meltdown, or any of the big spending bills.
Massachusetts gave the country zero, zip, nada support last night. California fought hard in the Lungren, Harmer, Vidak, Mack races.
Whereas Perry, Bielat, Golnik and Hudak got nothing for their efforts.
Moreover, Patrick beat Baker…which gives the whole Scott Brown thing a rather fluke aura about it. It truly may have been in large part because his opponent was such a miserably weak candidate, she took a laydown win and turned it into a loss.
California has contributed Darrell Issa, Kevin McCarthy, as frontline warriors…even though the loons and barking moonbats also cough up a Pete Stark, Nancy Pelosi and Boxer and Brown.
The coasts are in trouble. New York and California are bankrupt, they are just debtors in possession at the moment. But, don’t for a minute think that 43% of the people in California aren’t struggling to find a way to find and fight for another Reagan. This is my adopted state. I moved out here for family health reasons and can’t leave.
But, I came from Chicago. Sweet irony that the guy from my district takes Obama’s senate seat, but the politics there is terminal dementia. California is in desperate straits and needs help, but at least it is still sending frontline warriors into the fray. Massachusetts sat on its hands and looked the other way. Barney Frank breaks all ties.
This vote for Brown as Gov after his last stellar performance as a leader was the greatest example of you can fool some of the people some of the time but also the statement that history repeats itself and you should learn it from it crashed and burned yesterday. Geez, how did you folks do this again. You ladies and gentlemen are not the worse though. The great state of Massachusetts and their continued votes for their “great statesmen” deserves credit. Gimme a break. Mr. Franks is a fine example of fiscal responsibility and he went right back in also. And lets not forget the voters of Minnesota with their great Senator Al. California with these other two states there still is hope for you.
I have to agree though that NOT A DIME SHOULD GO TO BAIL OUT CAILIFORNIA. Enjoy this clown you elected.
I am a Texan, stuck in California – fortunately, it is as a Federal Defense Contractor. The only thing I have to worry about is the state tax rate going up.
I wanted to start a Trailer BBQ stand to make some extra money, try starting anything in the PRC (Peoples Republic of California) let alone in San Bernadino County.
I assume I will never sell the house for what I paid for it. Pay it off and then take what I can get when I am ready to return to ‘Gawd’s Country’. There is a reason TX lead the nation in job production . . .
Long discussion on California over at Ace of Spades http://minx.cc/?post=307836. Some interesting discussion topics:
- Repeal of Prop 13?
- Oh yes you will bail us out — the unions will see to that. N.B.: Congressional approval for spending federal money is for suckers.
- After Californians destroy their host state, they’ll metastasize. Beware.
The idiots who hate rich people voted. Fiorina and Whitman are rich, self-made, strong women… who were rejected in the heavily-Democratic State. They were rejected mostly because they are rich.
Class-warfare. The politics of envy.
You are completely wrong. If you look at the map the wealthiest communities voted against the two rich GOP candidates. The poorest areas of the state did the opposite. That doesn’t correspond with the claim you are attempting to make. Rich people rejected Whitman and Fiorina because of their politics. Poor people didn’t (the ones who live in conservative represented areas) because they simply don’t know better. But now, we’re going to force them to be free.
Thanks for doing such a great job of proving the author’s premise. You really are an idiot. Good luck in your disaster area. I’m combing my retirement funds to make sure I don’t own any CA bonds.
Are all Californians pansified girly-men like Praetorian? I ask this in all seriousness. We’re seeing a ton of Californians moving into the Black Hills of western SD and I swear they’re all cut from the same pansified, girly-man cloth as Praetorian. They’re absolutely helpless and make outrageous demands on the local governments.
You carry the California virus and don’t even know it. If you feel you have to leave California, please stop at Wyoming.
You are so right. They ruin their own prospects in their own state and metastasize like a cancer to the rest of the country to grow like a malignancy as their friends come and join them. I witnessed what they have done to Austin Texas when they made it a suburb of California in the 90′s. Not content to vote California down the toilet they spread like a stain and try to ruin everyplace they move to. I lived in California for 3 years . It was all I could stand . I would rather deal with illegal immigrants from Mexico anyday
Conservative thinking as demonstrated by ditch digger:
Pansified girly man: The smart kid who sits at the front of the class. The one who got outstanding scores on the SAT and went on to a good college. The one who has the prospect of a good job with good pay in spite of tough economic times. He has a good life ahead of him.
Tough real man: The stupid one who sat at the back of the class and made fun of the smart kids because they were, you know, those librul elites with all their thinking and stuff. Shot spit wads at the back of their heads. Being smart isn’t cool. Got detention. Never went to college. Never learned to think and understand the complexity of the world he livse in. Lives in a GOP represented area of foreclosed homes and works for his conservative master for a mere pittance digging ditches.
Thanks, ditch digger, but I’ll wear the pansy label with pride. Now go back to digging your ditch.
I can derive a function, I speak four languages, read seven. But I can also shoot, vote conservative and like girls. So…?
I’ve followed your comments throughout this thread, and you are hardly impressive. As someone whoe has multiple advanced degrees in engineering and chemistry from elite universities – think MIT – I can confidently say three things: 1) you are an inconsequential third-rate mind who doesn’t have the courage or accumen to logically make coherent and defendable arguments (HINT: ad hominin attacks are NOT arguments for your position); 2) your mindless adherence to POLITICAL ideology (as if that is the sum total of human existence)causes you to presume far too much, including the value of your talent and ability; and 3) you simply are showing yourself to be a vindictive, petty, and just plain nasty person.
That said, it is ironic that I actually agree with you to some degree. Indeed, as a Californian who has always argued for a return to Federalism in the framework of a constitutional republic, I am more than willing to allow California to drive themselves into the ground. Just remember, however, that you should be more than willing to accept the consequences for policies that will have devastating effects on the state; don’t expect your FELLOW Americans in other states – YES, T
It is a mistake to think that all these socialists deadbeats are native Californians. They aren’t. They move here from every state in the union to live in California and get the benefits that the socialist dims offer. Dims declare some social issue as a problem, such as homelessness and demand money for it. Before long the problem grows as people hear about the benefit and come from far and wide to get it. Then the dims declare that the problem is bigger and they need more money, etc., etc. etc.
Hey, let’s not be too eager to generalize. There are those of us who are the outnumbered Republicans here in California who have struggled unsuccessfully against the tide for years. I am one of those mythical creatures, a Reagan Republican in Southern California.
I can’t leave, or I would have done so years back. Try selling a fixer-upper in this economic environment. Hopeless. I am stuck here, doomed to share the fate of the idiots who sent Boxer back to the Senate, yesterday, and Brown to the Governor’s mansion.
Maybe I can get out of here someday but I’m beginning to lose hope. I was here when Brown was governor the last time, so I know what to expect. (sigh) You’ll never convince most of the CA natives that they’re ruining their lovely state. They’re convinced of their moral superiority to the rest of the country with their cap and trade and sanctuary cities. I really hope no one bails out California. It might wake up some of the self-deluded before it is too late. Maybe.
I just don’t want to share their fate.
Lee,
I believe you. I just haven’t seen it yet. The joke out here is a “California Conservative” is a “South Dakota Liberal.”
Good luck escaping from the PRofC.
Don’t mind him. He likes living on massa’s plantation. Someday he gonna get to be a massa just like massa!
ditch digger needs to look up “false consciousness.”
OK!
California is the national laughing stock. They need to top the list of states that need to be the first to secede from the union to form the United States of Libtardia. Don’t worry when they face sure insolvency they will be calling on states like Texas with their hands out expecting to be bailed out. I am sure Obama will oblige them.The rest of us hayseeds will pay for their grand experiment that was doomed to fail . Nevada and Massachusetts are good for a chuckle as well. How could you look in the mirror and recognize yourself as part of the human race if you vote for the likes of Pelosi and Reid, not to mention Obama. Florida has redeemed itself by sending us a future president in Marco Rubio and tossing out Grayson on his fat rump.
There are two main reasons why the GOP lost in CA:
1. Check the demographics from the CNN exit polls.
All across the nation, the GOP got trounced among minorities; over two-thirds of blacks and Hispanics voted for Democrats.
But nationally, the electorate was 78% white, 22% minority.
In CA, the electorate was only 62% white, 38% minority.
Evidently, the GOP has trouble appealing to minorities. Nationwide, or in states and districts where the overwhelming majority of voters are white, that’s not too big a problem. But in CA, where only 62% of voters are white, a GOP candidate would have to win 80% (!!!) of white voters in order to win the election without any minority votes, a herculean task. Even though Republican candidates did get a few minority votes, they would still needed to have racked up absolutely overwhelming majorities among white voters to overcome their huge deficiency in minority votes.
2. Voters are clearly not buying the theory that a corporate CEO has the ability to handle American politics–that you can run a state (or the nation) “like a business.” Wealthy CEO types lost: McMahon, Whitman, Fiorina. And with unemployment high, the Dem charge that these CEOs laid off lots of workers clearly stung. We’ll never know if a true man or woman of the people would have fared better in the CA races.
And it’s a cautionary note against any more Mitt Romney candidacies.
Please check you statistic that 62% of California is white. I heard that we are less than 50% now.
Then the cause is lost. Time to flee or fight because you are truly only one generation away from Mexifornia. Habla?
You can also add in that Schwarzenegger (sp?) ran and campaigned as a conservative republican and emphasized his business experience but then actually governed as a liberal.Went along with the global-warming falsified-science stuff, went along with the legislature on the increases in spending. On and on.
One of, IMHO, the most effective ads run by Brown was a series of clips showing Meg Whitman making all the same statements as Schwarzenegger when he ran. A lot of folks think Brown is such an unstable moonbat that perhaps he’ll govern differently than last time. May have learned his lesson about what his prior policies have led us into.
That’s the other problem for republicans in CA. The ones we have in the state legislature have been more interested in holding office and have pretty much just compromised and gone along with the dems. Last redistricting they agreed to districts locking them into the minority @ ~1/3 instead of fighting for competitive districts. Even arranging a back-room deal agreement to allow a few repubs to vote for a tax hike while the rest yelled that the repubs were completely against them.
The gerrymandered districts are the other huge hurdle. Dems are scared by the change which was passed forming a commission of citizens to redraw the districts vice the politicians. In fact, there is some hope for CA as one of the Propositions which was passed directs that the Congressional districts will now be determined by the citizen commission vice politicians. This scared the Dems so badly that George Soros spent a ton of money to get a proposition on the ballot eliminating the citizen commissions and turning redistricting back to the politicians- IT FAILED MISERABLY. So, don’t give up all hope. Competitive districts may resurrect CA from the grave.
But write your congressmen insisting that no bailout funding is provided to CA.
I’m a Californian too. I can’t believe how Californians voted. Its beyond anything rational or remotely sane. Our accountant tells us that we are easily paying over 50% of our income in taxes and fees etc. We get to keep less than half of what we earn to live on. I have two sons in universities that cost me $70,000 a year. When I ask for some kind of help, I’m denied because we earn over $80,000. If I earned just slightly over $80,000 a year and still paid for my children’s education, I would have to live on a little over $10,000 per year. Yes folks, that’s what is expected in this state. We have a business in this state and real estate investments. We’ve done everything right, played by the rules; yet, I’m sure that we can’t recover what we have invested. People we know who make real money, lots of money, have moved out of the state and they won’t return. Instead they are fueling the economic recovery in some other state. Yet I see other students with a whole 1.0 GPA lower than my children get all kinds of Federal and State aid to go to college. Their designation is that they are minorities. I have news for them, according to people I’ve talked to, there are fewer “whites” in this state than people of color. So, who is the real minority?
Enough said about Governor Brown, I’ll take a wait and see attitude. But, it looks to me like this state just became the smaller version of the Federal government. We saw America’s reaction to that. Fellow Californians remember how well the Obama plan worked, the State is not allowed to print money. If the State tries to squeeze me any more, I’ll go John Gault on them.
Now for Boxer and Waxman, two of the Fallujah Four, these two should be on trial for treason not elected to office again. Both of them were dupes of Code Pink and helped supply the Talliban with supplies and money. Boxer must have an IQ of 100, that’s before senility set in. Waxman still hasn’t brought to prosecution one of his biggest donors, the Botachs who swindled the US government out of $300,000,000. Yet he was in charge of the subcommittee that was investigating the Botachs. Yes, we only re-elect the very best. There was an ad in the Jewish Journal which asked “What has Boxer done for Israel?” Answer “Nothing!” I am ashamed that these two are fellow Jews! They are joined at the hip to Obama and are virtual Siamese triplets with him.
By the way Praetorian, if any more Jews leave this state, it will be bankrupt. And, my next investment will be out of state. I hope you stay smug until you choke on it. Its going to be fun watching you gag on it.
Dear Mr. Bleachers:
I admire you a great deal as well. And truth be told I did consider Massachusetts long and hard before awarding the dumbest state award to California.
I’ll have to admit that it was probably my own pride in my gender that caused me to pick California hands-down.
Nancy Pelosi has been a particularly painful thorn in my own side since the day she became Speaker. Before that she shamed me as a Catholic, but the day she became Speaker and took her flim-flamming ways national was a day that all good women still mourn. That the first female ever to hold this once-distinguished role in our government was none other than this spoiled brat without an ounce of good sense or real ability has rankled us conservative women more than you can possibly imagine.
That she is joined by other California women like Barbara Boxer and Diane Feinstein just makes it all the more painful to endure.
These women are rich, too. It’s just that they married well; they didn’t make their fortunes themselves. And they treat their political positions like social adornments for their own vanity rather than real jobs performed in genuine public service.
So, let’s agree to give 2nd place to Massachusetts or even make it a tie. Okay?
Ok, Kyle-Anne, I will agree to a tie.
It’s my opinion that California just went Full Kevorkian on itself. The far leftist agenda is a lethal injection of union bulling, entitlements, set asides and preferences and a large dose of skimmigration.
Democrats in California drive business out, starve the middle class, choke the taxpayer and call themselves noble and holy, while they and the union bosses jingle the change in each other’s pockets for their jollies.
California simply has decided that rather than a painful, arduous and grueling fight back to health and vibrancy, it would sign up for assisted suicide and be done with it. There is really no other explanation. Nothing highlights the “death by Democrat” strategy better than the turning off of water for agriculture in the center of the state. If this got any national play by the Pocket Media (I know, fat chance), the rest of the country would simply cordon off the borders and declare a quarantine. That way, nobody else in this land of ours would risk contamination.
You do have to have some great joy, Kyle-Anne in the unprecedented strength of women in the New Republican Party, though. Susana Martinez, Mary Fallin, Nikki Haley, Kristi Noem…women are a powerful part of the new wave. This is a wonderful thing and if Carly can stay involved, she can be a big part of that wave.
I share your disgust with the current crop of female politicians in California. But keep in mind that this is just a consequence of the dominance of the “Progressive – Public Service Union Political Complex” (with apologies to Ike).
Once you weasel your way into that club as one of their sitting politicians, nothing else matters. Not your character, your intelligence, work ethic, personality, humanity, ethics or performance as a representative of the people.
This is the root of the problem. The rest of the eco-poseurs and the insulated coastal wealthy are just useful idiots to this group.
One interesting take on why California has remained immunized from the common sense that has gripped the rest of the nation can be found here:
California’s Public Service Unions Got Everything They Wanted.
This organization seems to be trying to rally the unwittingly duped lower and middle class private sector workers in California to wake up and smell the rat.
there is no doubt in my mind that some of the dem. wins were achieved by fraud.
“there is no doubt in my mind that some of the dem. wins were achieved by fraud.”
There is no doubt in my mind that some of the rep. wins were achieved by fraud.
You remind me of the Libertards who were posting here after Obama’s win. The only difference between you and them is that you spell better, or rather know how to use spell check. I don’t hear from them any more. I’m so glad to have you here to take their place. We are all going to have a grand time with you. By the way, I give California 18 months before bankruptcy. I want to hear from you then.
Praetorian: I don’t really expect an answer, but I’m honestly curious. What do you do for a living?
The obnoxious RACIST that he is, has already informed us that since he is WHITE, he’s not in the FOOD SERVICE line of work….I’m sure that makes sense to him, as much as the burden California politics places on the rest of the Nation.
Aint it always the obnoxious hate filled left wingers that are the true RACISTS?
The rich white “progressives” in their SUBSIDIZED little worlds, never paying for, or paying back their “free” student loans, busily calling everyone else names while never ever touching elbows with the dirty brown folks they accuse others of hating?
Smug little sissies, in their cute clothes and “better than you” lifestyles that are bankrupting the nation….Coastal communities with no food, fuel, or energy resources but for those that are trucked in from the dull grimy places they disparage as “icky” because its not manicured like their lawns…tons of diesel fumes into the air to provide them the fantasy of eating “local” and “recycling” and “living cool green”
Politics are fashion, you see, and his are soooo much hipper than ours. Because like everything else in La LA Land, its APPEARANCES that matter, not reality. Disease ridden skanks with fake tits, as long as the hair is blond and the skin is tan, what else matters?
As long as the California liberals can spend (forever) much, much more money ON THEMSELVES than they can possibly SUPPLY THEMSELVES, all is fine.
Its not HIS money he’s spending, its the money of those icky uncool people (and their children), who might work in FOOD SERVICE, that our California Troll is spending on his fantasy lifestyle.
And he DESERVES it too, I mean come on, he’s soooo friking coooooolllll
Send the red states the bill, send our grandchildren the bill
What a rant. Did some cute blonde with a nice set of knockers turn you down for a date recently? I understand the hostility. After all, your hand must get tired. Republican guys don’t know how to get a date. Rumor has it they stink. They never get any and you know it. The liberal guys get all the action!
Moreover, you don’t know me or anything about how I live. All that has been revealed on this site is that I am a college student living near the beach in California. Free student loans? Definitely let me know where I can find some those! My guess is mine will be paid off when I’m around 40. So not only are they not free, the government and a few private lenders are making money off me. We do, however, have lot’s and lot’s of fake knockers in Ca., especially L.A. and I for one like that! Even more if they’re a bit skanky!
Praetorian,
Your “morality well” isn’t very deep, is it?
That’s why you enthusiastically support abortion. So you and your skank can kill off the product of your one-night stand. Well aren’t you the lucky one to have survived Roe v. Wade. Now you can pass death sentences onto the unborn.
The best part of being a liberal is not having to stand for anything. The next best thing about being a liberal is you never, ever run the risk of being called a hypocrite. Why? Because you don’t stand for anything.
Praetorian, you won’t be a progressive forever. Either you’ll be dead due to your reckless lifestyle choices or you’ll grow up and become a responsible adult. I’m betting on the former.
So you are a college student living “near the beach”. Am I to assume that you are in your teens or 20′s, then? Do you work? Do you have an income? Do you live entirely on student loan money? What are you studying in college, that you have acquired such wisdom and worldliness so early in your young life? And yes, Root’s comment was a not-very-helpful rant, and didn’t answer my question. Nor did you.
Dear “P”
The reason you are paying such high tuition and other college costs is that you are also paying for the disenfrachised’s college costs. Now think about it. You fought to have a good GPA and probably worked hard to get a good score on your SATs. Next to you now in school is a student who had a 1.0 GPA lower than you and probably a much worse score on his/her SAT exam. However, they are disenfrachised and you are not. They will have their entire education paid for by different Government grants, programs and scholarships; but, you won’t. You’ll be paying until you are around 40 years old. You’ll be paying from earned income which is taxed and since you are in California it will be retaxed. This in turn will pay for other disenfrachised to be educated and put into hiring lines ahead of you. I know how glad you are to be paying back all those student loans plus taxes for the next twenty years, or around the time you want to have a family. Peace brother, be happy!
Dennis Miller had this posted on his twitter account today…
“It’s like Xmas AM where everyone got GI Joe, but in CA, I got a brown sweater and a book about an impotent old wizard and his hag sidekick.”
Pretty much sums up how I feel. I was born in California, lived here my whole life. It was starting to go downhill in my childhood… test scores in public schools, businesses leaving for states with more business friendly climates. Things got better in the late eighties, but since Governor Davis it went downhill again and fast.
I feel very sad about my home state. I wonder if there isn’t a Cloward-Piven type of experiment happening here. When New York was bankrupted due to an overwhelming welfare state, the voters were able to turn things around. I hope that when it happens here it will be the same… but I won’t hold my breath.
One other politician that got re-elected that wasn’t mentioned in this article is Loretta Sanchez. She’s another queen of dirty politics and unfortunately I reside in her district. Democrats would have you believe that it’s always the Republicans who are the bigots. She said some pretty racist things on a Spanish speaking news channel. I guess she thought that Californians were too stupid to figure it out. The interview was translated to English and shown on YouTube and Fox.
Californians weren’t too stupid to figure it out, just too stupid to care.
“We have to pass the health care bill so that you can find out what is in it.” That quote is right up there with “let them eat cake” for the most asinine thing a political figure can say. Any attorney will tell you that anyone who signs a contract before reading it is a blithering idiot. Pelosi comes from a district of idiots so why were we all so shocked at her when she uttered the quote that she will be most famous for long after she’s gone?
And to top it off, my fellow Californians wanted more of this…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIlzYD4tk78
Proposition 19 should have passed. If your going to be this stupid, you might as well be stoned.
Years ago my cousin tried to talk me into moving to Texas. I’m regretting my decision to stay.
Wow, I love the intellect of this group. I take it that most of you see the election of fraudster Rick Scott as the next governor of Florida as a sign of that state’s wisdom. I encourage all of you not currently there, specially those Californians who are crying over the loss of Nutmeg Whitman to “come’on down to Florida”, the Stup…, I mean the Sunshine State!
It’s interesting that some of the posters here repeatedly state that “I can’t leave (California)” or “stuck in California”; come on, get the heck out of here and move to Redneck Woods or whatever hole you crawled out from. Or is it that you got suckered into refinancing your property and blowing it all. I mean for the price you get selling your California property you should be able to pick a McMansion in Florida, Texas, Alabama, you name it. So go on now, do’t let the door hit ya where the good lord split ‘ya. Get out!
Let’s see. California has the worst schools in the nation, some of the highest taxes, gives IOU’s instead of tax refunds, and has a credit rating in the toilet. 3000 escape from there every day. California re-elected Boxer, Mr Moonbeam, and Stark. Think of it…three Golden State villages, cruelly left neglected. Tragic. But I’m sure there’s plenty of drones out there to cover for them.
Florida has better schools, no state income tax, a very good credit rating. We’re gonna gain at least one more seat when the Census data reallocates the House of Representatives. We sent our village idiots packing (Grayson, Crist). Even though kicking them out of office adds to our unemployment figures, it’s still below California.
(Don’t know anyone here thrilled about Scott. But there are a lot of people thrilled about Rubio, and West. You can’t possibly be proud of any of the dorks California re-elected, can you? I mean, Pelosi is the one most responsible for a LOT of vulnerable Democrats losing their seats all across the nation because of the way she handled health care….and you guys STILL elected her for another term? I could understand that if you guys had legalized pot, but…)
ProudLib,
Your elitist slip is showing again.
Admit it. You have posters of the delta smelt hanging all over your bedroom walls.
I knew it!
first things first
1. finish the fence, and run it up the east side of cali. they think the rest of the chumps will keep bailing them out.
i believe we have already given them close to what,15 billion $$$ we will never see again?
2. fix the vote process. i don’t believe the results. i do believe there was fraud.
3. let’s see some credentials mr. big shot, as required by the Constitution.
# 3 will be the end of his game. who needs a maybe document that has a real one?
don’t agree? try this.
you: good morning officer, may i help you?
cop: yes sir, may i see your driver’s license and registration please?
you: yes, well, i do have them, but i want to use these documents instead. i insist.
cop: sir, please get out of the car and put your hands on the hood.
yeah, i believe. call me names. swear someone in to the highest office in the world,
and not a clue as to his background. yeah, i’m the stupid one here.
picture me laughing.
Just because I am a citizen of California does not mean that I am dumb. I agree that things here are truly bad. I also am dumbfounded at the stupidity of those who voted for Boxer and Pelosi…not to mention Mr. Moonbeam. I don’t understand how Moony could be elected this time around. I don’t even think it is legal! He has already served the maximum of eight years, two terms! And, yes I am really truly saddened today. I voted on the right side of all the issues on my ballot. I know there were others. Please don’t lump all of us in California in the too stupid to live category. I’m so sad today that it is really hard for me to rejoice with the rest of the nation at what truly was an amazing Red Tsunami.
What’s sad is that the parts of California that voted red in this election (and other elections) is sizeable enough to be their own state. LA, SF, the coastal cities – those areas are enough to color the entire state blue.
I’m starting to wonder if CA is too big for its own good. I recall that San Fernando Valley flirted with secession from Los Angeles 8 years ago. Maybe the eastern half of CA should secede and form their own state (if constitutional). Why ignore such distinct political makeup of the state? One side will always hold back the other.
It sounds like a pipe dream (one last prop 19 pun) now, but the historic recall election was only 7 years ago.
Sarah, I have a question for you: Would the Tea Party folk in the Golden state be supportive of a special vote initiated by the counties which saw the Republicans receive more than 50% of the vote, and the question would be to redraw the borders of California?
I’m over in Western Canada, and even though it was more than 20 years ago, I remember a certain hockey player making his way from the Edmonton Oilers to the LA Kings, thereby starting the NHL experiment in southern parts of the US, where
attendance is rather anemic.
Well, all I can say is, if you come out here to California don’t drink the tap water. It’ll make you stupid.
Once a state to be envied, not its a state to be pitied.
Start selling assets to the Red Chinese.
Praetorian is a shining example of why it’s a good thing this has happened. Speaking as a 4th generation Californian, he exemplifies the state of education among the twentysomethings in this state. Note that he cannot engage anyone here in a debate or discussion. His entitled California-ness that removes that inconvenient responsibility.
This election result is the best gift California could ask for, because it has highlighted – yet again – the degree of our cancer to the nation. Our holier-than-thou attitude to outsiders, fostered over decades, has filtered into the minds of our children like Praetorian; entitled, blissfully ignorant, and apathetic. Creating a perfect storm of arrogant, condescending assholes of the Pelosi mold.
Since liberalism is a ritual of pleasing oneself without regard to the consequences to others, we have today’s California. Where the city of San Francisco pays out more in individual homeless grants than the starting salary of an SFUSD teaching assistant. Where Arnold recently stopped allowing Calif. welfare ATM card payments to psychics, medical marijuana shops, cruise lines and Vegas. Where the smell of urine on SF sidewalks can cause eye problems during heat waves.
Like several here on this thread I am hoping this state is refused all manner of Federal assistance in its upcoming insolvency and I would support petitioning our GOP reps here to that end.
In fact, that really is our only weapon. Notice that when the state government occasionally shuts down, we in the private sector get to keep on ticking. Small recompense however.
The reality is simply that California is a left-wing state. Sure, it went for Reagan but hey Vermont once was considered the safest GOP state as well. That’s distant history, demographics and attitudes change. It’s not that Californians are really all that different, the different types are just distributed in a way more favorably to Democrats than in most other states.
If you look at the exit poll, Fiorina got 46% of the male vote, 52% of the white vote, 54% of the white male vote. Those would be poor values on a national level where those values are around 10% higher. But McCain only got 40% of the male vote, 46% of the white vote and 48% of the white male vote in CA. In other words, Fiorina consistently ran 6% over McCain with these groups. Nationally, the GOP ran 5-8% ahead of McCain in these groups this year. Fiorina gained 16% on McCain with independents, the national GOP gained 12%. Whitman ran a bit behind Fiorina but also made considerable gains on McCain, you can see similar results in the House races too.
So really a very similar push toward the GOP. There definitely was a surge towards the GOP even in California and exit polls show Fiorina with increases very similar compared to the GOP nationally with minor variations of course.
The problem is that Obama won CA by 24 points. You may argue that Obama won MA by even more and yet Scott Brown pulled it off. But those were different parameters. It was a Special Election, a no incumbent race, Coakley mailed it in and Brown was a much better than average candidate. Independents in CA are less likely to be angry taxpayers in a Perot mold and more likely to be quixotic left-wingers than elsewhere in the country, so in spite of Fiorina’s huge gains with Independents, she just carried the group by 5 points. Kirk in Illinois carried it by almost 30 points. In reality you need a lot of factors coming together to have a shot in states like these where liberals make up over a quarter of the voters and Democrats significantly outnumber Republicans even in mid-term elections. Neither Fiorina or Whitman ran great campaigns, they would have had to run awesome ones to make up the huge gap in CA.
If you look at it rationally, really a Fiorina win would have been a huge upset. Boxer is a safe Dem vote in a safe Dem state and whilst repulsive to conservatives, she’s not done anything egregious to anger DEM-leaners which matters much more in CA today.
Praetorian is a shining example of why it’s a good thing this has happened. Speaking as a 4th generation Californian, he exemplifies the state of education among the twentysomethings in this state. Note that he cannot engage anyone here in a debate or discussion. His entitled California-ness that removes that inconvenient responsibility.
He will stick to witty collegiate metaphors to attempt to participate in an adult discussion.
This election result is the best gift California could ask for, because it has highlighted – yet again – the degree of our cancer to the nation. Our holier-than-thou attitude to outsiders, fostered over decades, has filtered into the minds of our children like Praetorian; entitled, blissfully ignorant, and apathetic. Creating a perfect storm of arrogant, condescending assholes of the Pelosi mold.
Since liberalism is a ritual of pleasing oneself without regard to the consequences to others, we have today’s California. Where the city of San Francisco pays out more in individual homeless grants than the starting salary of an SFUSD teaching assistant. Where Arnold recently stopped allowing Calif. welfare ATM card payments to psychics, medical marijuana shops, cruise lines and Vegas. Where the smell of urine on SF sidewalks can cause eye problems during heat waves.
Like several here on this thread I am hoping this state is refused all manner of Federal assistance in its upcoming insolvency and I would support petitioning our GOP reps here to that end.
In fact, that really is our only weapon. Notice that when the state government shuts down, we in the private sector get to keep on ticking. Small recompense however.
“Praetorian is a shining example of why it’s a good thing this has happened. Speaking as a 4th generation Californian, he exemplifies the state of education among the twentysomethings in this state…”
Actually, I do believe s/he is the perfect example of why voting rights should only be provided to actual taxpayers… or at a minimum, adults who are at least 30 years old.
I got news for you – she didn’t disgrace the Democratic party. She is the epitome of the Democratic party – at least what the party is now.
Don’t you love the drooling trolls of the coast (i.e, Praetorian). Really. Just gotta love their addition to diversity in America. They’ll soon be needing to eat the weed they grow and smoke (but not in public, that failed, woo-woo!) and they’ll be drying their feces to burn it to keep warm and to generate electricity as part of their carbon thingy. Oh, and be sure to send all your soft padding to CA since, when they get a scratch they’ll die from infection – no doctors, no nurses, no medicines and the line at the voodoo station is way too long dude to get emergency treatment.
Next up will be the trolls Proposition 38, “The Clense California Of All Industry and Evil Business”. Oh wait, they’ve already got that one in place. All those college kids needing a buck will make fortunes loading up all those U-Hauls. Even Hollywood has mostly moved out. Even Cameron.
For sure Kyle-Anne is right. California will soon be the Calcutta of the Western Hemisphere.
Never fear folks! California will go broke (it will only accelerate with air head / pot head Moonbeam being re-elected and the new law requiring only 50% majority to decide budgets). Let’s sit back and enjoy the show (and ensure our representatives don’t even consider a bail out – maybe a high interest secured loan though).
Blue states (including California, New York, New Jersey, MA, etc.) are losing somewhere between 10 and 14 congressional seats total (and electoral votes) due to the recent census which will be very beneficial to the receiving red states (Texas will receive 4, I think, AZ, Florida, and other red (now redder) states will pick up at least 1 each). The fact that Republicans dominated in the state legislatures and Governorships as well as the U.S. House will bode well for redistricting leading up to the 2012 election cycle.
Also, there are substantially more Democratic Senators running for re-election in very red (now notably redder) states in 2012. As was pointed out above many hard working productive intelligent folks are fleeing California heading to red states (Texas especially) and being replaced by more parasites of the bloated California Government.
Sit back and enjoy the show and let’s make sure we let our new red representatives know we are totally against any California Government bail out!
California is getting 10 billion dollars as a down payment on the new health care plan. Sorry, the train has already left the station!
http://www.sacbee.com/2010/11/03/3154085/state-to-get-10-billion-to-expand.html
Outstanding news. Congratulations! Choo choo!!!
I’m only upset because it should have been $10 trillion. Shoot, it’s only money! C’mon people! Open up those wallets and purses and shake the mold out, will ya?
Choo choo!! Your hard work has really paid dividends, Praetorian. Choo choo!!
Geezez, ditch digger, enough already. You’re as obnoxious as Praetorian is, only dumber. STFU
Funny how things work. Typical CA logic though. Most CA folks seem to forget that day follows night, Monday follows Sunday, January follows December and, sure as the dickens, 2011 follows 2010. Oh, and I thought even CA has to do a tax and spend budget each year. Even 2011. Then 2012. Oh, and 2013, unless, of course, CA believes in that Mayan end world things.
But Bernanke will step in. Wonder who will be the CA Czar? I’m guessing Geithner will be available. All bailouts, it seems, have a price. My guess is little Timmy and Uncle Ben can do the final touches on CA.
Boy am I glad I live in O~HI~O. Especially now that it has turned back to red. Well, all except Cuyahoga County in Cleveland (our mini-California). What a GREAT day for America. Thank you Kyle~Anne for all your hard work. 2010~ The year of the conservative woman. God bless America and you! Loved the tea-nami. Mama bear out.
liberty NOT tyranny time
saved USA for our kiddies
GO Kyle~Anne
Some of you folks leaving California might want to consider Wisconsin:
“Perhaps the biggest shift in the country is featured in Wisconsin, with the entire state government flipping from Democrat to Republican control, and its Congressional delegation changing as well. ”
Here is a counter-revolution in motion, and it could use a little help!
If you think the GOP Congressional leadership messed up in 2004 onward…that is what the California GOP leadership has done for twenty years straight. Worst leadership ever. Brain-dead, weak-kneed, moderate girly men all.
So it’s true that the state is filled with all kinds of fools, but the GOP leadership tops them all.
Boxer is almost painful to watch in her lack of intelligense (Pelosi not “that bad” either). So now California is proved to be a heavy Swedish Social-democrat state, or Soviet-Hollywood-Union state…
Praetorian,
Okay. We get it. You like to watch cartoons.
Now, how about answering the man’s question?
This article was nails. One more thing for the fire – If you ask Californians how they think the state is doing, only 8% say things are going well – but they still vote Dem. Truly unbelievable. One thing for you people from other states to understand, however, is the Blue/Red California map resembles the Blue/Red National map. It is mostly the people in metro areas that have a decidedly rose-colored tint in their specs. I live here and I am hoping for a big earthquake that takes the western-most 40 miles of the state and moves it out to see, creating a 40-mile wide 51st State. Eventually they could just secede from the US, and we would be healthy again (with new stretches of waterfront property). I know, I know – I’m dreaming. But what else can I do?
Since they can’t smoke in public they’re forced to eat the weed they grow. Does really odd things to one’s vision and coordination. Most feel great just to hit the ballet,
I don’t think Californians care whether they are another Greece. The exit polls, early to be sure, seem to suggest that immigrants, Asians, and African_Americans just wish the last white person could leave so they can have the spoils for themselves. A product of multi-culturalism that worships every culture but that of America. And in fact enforces such beliefs as a matter of law. They share this opinion with millions of white liberals that wish they were not white. It will be interesting to see how the descent of a State into chaos develops. And no. I do not think for a second that any GOP candidate can make or would have made a difference. The pent up hatred for America in CA is beyond cure.
I say sell California to MEXICO on the long-term installment plan! (Balloon payments every 10 years.) If they F-up those, we retake possession.
It’s very win-win!
Here is my imagined scenario of California’s future, with a 2012 Nostradamus style twist.
California goes broke fiscally and the government shuts down then slowly cannibalizes various government agencies and services to keep fire fighting and law enforcement services viably funded and effective. A last gasp effort to keep the peace and slow the chaos.
Obama and the Democrats scream and press political panic buttons as the state defunds and defunds programs as Red State America refuses to support the political heroin California’s political class is hooked on.
Congress refuses to raise the debt ceiling and California’s banking and financial class start jumping up and down with the unions crying rivers of “woe is me” tears, as foreclosures go into warp speed. Able body move quickly away to other states the unable body weep and moan.
This is the X-factor in my scenario. The Obama Administration beats a slow drumbeat for “Comprehensive Immigration Reform”, in response to the continuing chaos in Mexico. Demanding un-challanged family reunification and compassionate and generous immigration policies due to the violent narco-terroism denuding the Mexican State and it’s economy.
President Calderon resigns or worse? Civil unrest, civil war take your pick! roil the populace of Mexico and the border between the USofA and Mexico collapses. Obama and the political class see a wedge issue of unimaginable distress that befuddles red state and blue state citizens and requires some political code blue (immediate medical attention) too resolve this economic and political quandary.
Californians demand fiscal infusion of the baddest heroin ( RAISED DEBT CEILING ) ever created or they will throw themselves at the feet of the shadow billionaires that populate the narco-terroist hinterlands on both sides of the border and lay their exhausted state into that comforting bosom as they guarantee a peace the federal government can’t provide.
The fiscal and emotional hell of my scenario is unimaginable but not to far fetched as of today $600,000,000,000 was added to the debt ceiling. Amazingly the political class of California was hopeful that the passage of proposition 19 (legalized Marijuana) was to be the fiscal savior of their house of cards. ( they’ll never admit it). Obama had little success with the immigration issue but it is the single most obvious domestic issue that he can run on in 2012.But only if he can manufacture a Armageddon like atmosphere ripe with a state of fear. 2012 indeed.
You know, Bug Pee, if you were right, you would not feel the need to repeat yourself ad infinitum.
Here for our Social Liberal Libertarian friends…
Pro-Life Democrats Lose Big With Health Care Reform Vote
Pro-life conservative groups took ‘em out. From The Hill: “Seventeen of the 22 Democrats targeted by two prominent anti-abortion-rights groups will not return to Congress next year, doomed in part by their support for a healthcare reform bill that many Americans worried would open the way to taxpayer-funded abortion.
Also dont forget the Queer Marriage State Supreme Court Judges taken out by Iowans….All 3 up for election, voted down.
In honor of Governor Moonbeam, I suggest a listen to the Dead Kennedy’s “California Über Alles,” as savory then as now.
As a former, genuine, authentic valley girl, who still has friends in that area, I can assure you that, like all Progressives, Praetorian is a compulsive and pathological liar, and she has told several lies on this thread; e.g., contrary to what she told you, slowly, but slowly, the once beautiful state of California is being run down and it is turning into a big sewer and cesspool, for which imbecilic and mentally ill Progressives (like Praetorian) and equally retarded illegal aliens are entirely to blame. Within 10 years, no decent person will want to live in that state anymore. It will belong to trashy elements, and they can have it. (Yech!!!)
great site with wonderful info on state of housing in cali.
http://www.doctorhousingbubble.com/
All is not lost in California. Along with all the other inexplicable outcomes, we passed Prop 22 that keeps the state from taking local tax money (giving them less to spend in Sacramento) and the Prop that keeps redistricting in citizen hands. And my county (Kern) voted almost 100 percent Republican, trouncing Boxer and Brown.
Not quite, may I suggest you look at the election results posted by your own county:
http://elections.co.kern.ca.us/elections/results/nov10/results.pdf
2012 is already shaping up to be another rough election cycle for the folks who are blue (22 dems up for re-election in 2012 and many in red / redder states:
http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/127631-you-think-10-was-tough-check-out-12-
This will be an exciting time to sit on the sidelines.
By the way, a temporary (1 time) $10 billion payout to California you mention is a drop in the bucket compared to the kind of cash California needs to be solvent. Think of all the hilarious public sector pensions that are coming due. Don’t expect to get any more help from the red states (other blue states are almost as broke as California so they can’t help you). Expect to see your state taxes going up up up and the folks making money going out out out (coming to the red states like they have been over the past 20 years).
I might be inclined to support a high interest secured loan every so often (maybe not – heh heh heh)
Whoooo Choooo!
dont encourage californians to leave thier state! my god we dont want to let them out. they will just spread thier irrational politics an infestation. let them solve thier own damn problems first or secede.
Unlike Praetorian, the rest of us (mostly, at least) see the world for what it is, not what we think it is. Have you noticed how her comments have taken to: bashing minorities (which, those of us who know history know is typical of a Democrat; KKK anyone?), saying poor people are Republicans by explaining how the “ghettos” of California are represented by the GOP (which, the rest of us realize means the poor got tired of having everything taken away from them, and elected Republicans after the Dems were finished stealing their property and taxing them into oblivion), and asking for Reps to leave “her” state?
Here in Texas we have a name for people like you, Praetorian. Do you want to know what that name is? Village idiot. I am going to ask you some questions that you won’t be able to answer honestly, but just for the other people following this thread to feel good that you got yours, I will do it anyway. My answers to these questions are already provided.
A. Who do you believe is responsible for racism in the USA, including Jim Crow laws?
1. Jim Crow Laws developed and supported by – Democrats.
2. Imprisonment and interment of Japanese-Americans during WWII enacted by – FDR – Democrat.
3. The KKK has been described by historians as the militant arm of the Democrats, who were its original founders.
4. The Emancipation Proclamation was made by – Abe Lincoln – Republican.
5. The Civil Rights Acts of 1866-1991, encompassing over a dozen individual Civil Rights Acts, were all passed with broad and powerful support of – Republicans.
6. Most (nearly all) of these Acts were opposed by, and many filibustered by – Democrats. Strom Thurmond (R) also attempted to filibuster a civil rights act, but was unsuccessful. The Democrats still hold filibuster records for attempts to keep Civil Rights Acts from passing the legislative branch.
7. Democrat President Andrew Johnson vetoed the Civil Rights Act of 1866, and was overrode by the Republican-controlled Congress. This Act became the 14th Amendment.
8. The Democratic National Convention of 1924 is nicknamed the “Klanbake.” The KKK held a rally just outside the Convention as the Democrats agreed to the Klan’s plans and actions, and the festivities of the convention were complete with racist speeches at the podiums and a burning cross.
There are many other pieces of evidence that further prove that the true racist party in America is the Democrats. For the sake of this post, I believe I have proven my point.
What might be unclear to you now is the connection between the historical evidence of the Democrat’s long racist history and the current scheme of the Democrats. I present that they are STILL the Democratic Racist Party of America. They still support certain races over others in nearly everything they do.
B. Do you believe in the “welfare clause?”
The Preamble reads, “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
And that welfare clause that the Left cites for all their social workings is but a tiny fragment of that Preamble, “…promote the general welfare…”
Let us examine that, what the Democrats would call, all-encompassing clause of “social justice.”
This examination must start with the beginning of the actual sentence that this phrase occupies. And the beginning of that sentence is, “We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union…” You catch that? It doesn’t say that it is the federal government’s prerogative, nor does this preamble in any way even speak of the government itself. The rest of the preamble talks about establishing justice, insuring domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense… Now, some of these things are things our federal government oversees, but, in all cases, it is we the people who actually do them. The government oversees our court systems, but we are the voluntary jurors, the plaintiffs, and the defendants. The government oversees our military, but we the people are the voluntary soldiers, the generals, and the sergeants, aren’t we? The government exists to provide tranquility, but only does so because we the people voluntarily want it, and it is our voluntary tranquility that provides this republic its tranquility. Do you see where I am going with this?
But first, back to the phrase in the preamble we are dealing with right now.
The first word of the phrase… Is it construct, design, invent, or create? Is it define, agitate, entrench, or enthrall? No. The word is promote.
Promote: 1. To help or encourage to exist or flourish. 2. To aid in organizing. 3. To encourage the sale, acceptance, etc. of a product, especially through advertising or publicity. 4. (Informal) to obtain by cunning or trickery; wangle.
So, looking at these definitions, which one seems to be most likely, and how do ALL of these definitions compare to the Democrats’ accepted understanding of the first word of the phrase.
I believe it is important to note that the Constitution itself was written so that the federal government’s powers would be few and defined, while the powers of the states and the people would be numerous and indefinite. In fact, that is how many of our founders described the Constitution themselves. So the accepted definitions of words presented in the Constitution would have to be assumed to be the proper meanings of those words, unless the document itself says otherwise.
So promote… Promote, in this short clause, most likely means “To help or encourage to exist or flourish.” So it is the federal government’s job, then, to help or encourage something.
The next word to define, general: 1. common to most, prevalent, usual. 2. considering or dealing with overall characteristics, universal aspects, or important elements, esp. without considering all details or specific aspects. 3. not specific or definite.
Does this sound like something specific, like our Welfare program, Social Security, or Medicare or Medicaid, despite the definition of the word general? Of course not. They, the government, are supposed to help those who seek to improve general welfare, not perform, create, or invent a system to dispense welfare to specific individuals.
The last word is welfare. What does this word actually mean?
Welfare: 1. The good fortune, health, happiness, prosperity, etc., of a person, group, or organization; well-being: to look after a child’s welfare; the physical or moral welfare of society. 3. Financial or other assistance to an individual or family from a city, state, or national government: Thousands of jobless people in this city would starve if it weren’t for welfare. 4. (initial capital letter) Informal. A governmental agency that provides funds and aid to people in need, esp. those unable to work.
So, given the rest of the phrase’s meaning, the terms promote and general, welfare means what it said in #1. The good fortune, health, happiness, prosperity, etc of a person, group, or organization; well-being.
So, taken all together, what does this phrase from our preamble mean? Using the definitions of the word in the clause, “We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union… to help encourage the common and universal good fortune and prosperity… do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
So, what of the Democrats’ translation (and I use that word accurately. Nothing ever comes through literally when you try to translate something from one thing into another)?
Well, think of it like this. When the federal government tries to establish a social program, are they doing it for all of us? Will Warren Buffet, or Bill Gates, or Barack Obama himself ever have the use of one of these programs? Of course not. Will most of us in this Union ever use welfare for instance? No. Sure, there are some people in this republic that need it; the handicapped who cannot work, the victims of crimes and accidents who cannot work, etc. But those are specific cases. And charities are much better equipped to help those people than the federal government. For starters, charities don’t have to cut through all the bureaucratic garbage to get started.
And does the unwed mother, who chose to have sex when she was 16 or 17, and now at 23 has 4 kids, no husband, and no job… Does she DESERVE the rest of us footing her bills? By force? Because the force of coercion is the only thing the government has. Do we actually pay our taxes willingly, or do we pay them because if we don’t armed men will either force us to by taking our stuff, or put us in prison? Which is it? It is coercion. It is force.
And why must they use force, to take money from us, to do all these things that they do? Because there is no grounds for the programs in the first place. And if we were left alone long enough to figure out that out, they would have problems.
This supposed “welfare clause” is a full-on chunk of bologna, just like John Conyers’s “good and welfare clause”. For how long are we going to let these people continue to socialize this republic in ways that are difficult to reverse? It is an embarrassing and tragic end we are moving toward in this Union. We, the working class, the rich, and the ambitious, are forced to pay the way for the unambitious, for the lazy, for those who make poor choices and refuse to live up to their own responsibilities, because of the massive number of those people gaming the system, and the force of the government when it craves more taxation.
There is no welfare clause in our Constitution. There is only a general guideline that says our government should be looking out for us, all of us, not just the poor and the unambitious, who are quite often the same people. And by looking out for us, I don’t mean providing hand outs. I mean our federal government should be insulating those who are growing the economy of the United States, as much as they can, from those who are intent on destroying it for their own benefit.
It is a lesson we have been learning for over a hundred years now. When do we quit learning, and start correcting? How much more will we let them take? How much more shall we let them control? How much more will we let them subvert our guiding principles, our guiding documents, our guiding laws… Before we decide we have had enough?
You and I both know, that in their eyes, they will never take enough. Never. So when will we have lost enough? The reason they are doing this is clear. Only by tearing down our system, destroying our economy, and making us all dependent on the government, can the Left ever establish full control, and have the power to mete out what they see fit to all. Will we wait to say no until then? Will we wait until it is too late to do anything, after they have taken our guns, begun tracking our every movement, and established themselves as our rulers?
Let me reiterate the entire preamble for you:
We the People (the people, not the government) of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice (not social justice, which is what the Democrats call redistribution of wealth), insure domestic Tranquility (which includes keeping the people happy with the goings on in DC), provide for the common defense , promote the general Welfare (which means to help encourage the common and universal good fortune and prosperity, not the specific misfortunes of those who make mistakes or are helpless), and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity (yet right now we are taxing our posterity through record deficits and spending ourselves into a record debt), do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
The preamble, a bold and valiant statement on its own, needs to be understood for what it is, not what it could be. No longer can we allow the spin doctors to make our Constitution say what they want it to say. We must go by its definitions. We must go by its character. We must adhere to its principles. And those principles are the preservation of liberty, the ability to earn what you can, and the right to keep it. Nowhere in this document is there a right to take someone else’s, a right to receive what your neighbor has. Nowhere is there the responsibility of the federal government to give a ham to those who are hungry, but instead, it says to protect he who would go out and EARN a ham. The federal government is not supposed to hand out home loans and property to those who are poor, but to protect their rights to EARN a home if they are responsible enough to do so. The federal government has no authority to take from the rich and the modestly stable and give to the poor, but instead to make sure the rich and the modestly stable, and the poor person as well, has the opportunity to EARN their own keep, whether or not they choose to do just that.
Any contradictory “interpretation” of the preamble, or any other part of the Constitution, means that the person interpreting it has a different agenda than the principles, the human dignity, represented in the document itself, which is as close to a perfect code of principles and rights and responsibilities as man has ever come up with on his own. Read it for what it says, not what it can say. Our republic, the United States of America, depends on understanding our Constitution and enforcing it.
3. Should guns be regulated?
“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” 2nd Amendment
Two factors go into the interpretation of the 2nd amendment. The first factor is the phrasing of the amendment. At the end of the amendment it says, in no limiting or uncertain terms, “…the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” This is a concrete statement that is both inviolable and concise. When combined with the first part, it reads as if the founders did not intend for anyone to be able to regulate, or limit, the people’s right to weapons.
The second factor in this amendment is the word choice. The first half of the amendment, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State…” is not a qualifying statement, but rather a statement of the need of the right to bear arms. The need is security. We know from the founders’ own journals and papers that they did not intend for the right to weapons to be regulated by the government, but the disagreement has focused on which part of the government.
Gun control advocates claim that the term “State” refers to the federal government. Since the federal government, according to this idea, cannot regulate guns, but the 10th amendment states that whatever the federal government is not allowed to do, the states can do, the gun control advocates imply that it is regulate-able on the state and local levels. Hence, the gun control laws in many major cities, like Atlanta and New York City.
However, there is nowhere in our founding documents that they ever refer to the federal government, the United States as a whole, as a “State.” Taking the four most primary documents from our founding (the Constitution, the Articles of Confederation, the Declaration of Independence, and the collection of Amendments), we see that they called the USA:
the United States of America 6 times. Independent States 1 time.
these Colonies 2 times. United States 139 times.
these States 3 times. Union 9 times.
Country 1 time. several States 17 times.
United Colonies 1 time. the States 2 times.
Free and Independent States 2 times. America 2 times.
Not once did they refer to the United States of America as a “State.” When using the term “State” to refer to the collection of states in the Union, they always pluralized it to “States.” The only times they used a term only once, the definition of the term came nowhere near as disputable as “State” in the 2nd amendment. Country, United Colonies, and Independent States can in no way mean anything other than the collection of States as a whole, the United States.
Given this disposition to be clear on the nature and meanings of their words, the founders did not intend for the term “State”, in the 2nd amendment to be taken as the federal government. They intended it to mean, “any collection of people in a land.” That includes federal, state, and local governments.
Understood properly, the 2nd amendment means, “The people’s defense, being necessary to their security, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed by anyone.”
We have the right to have the same weapons, or better, than our armed services carry, for it is against the government, should we need to revolt as our forefathers foresaw, that we must fight.
Now, Praetorian, assuming you can read well enough to have gotten through all this, answer these 3 questions yourself. If you come up with a different answer on any of the 3 than my answers, then we all know that your problem is not simply a matter of party over principle. We will all know you are deeply delusional, like most Lefties in the several states, and that you should be walking around with a helmet on your head.
And for your own knowledge and conscience, don’t worry about being beaten here by a Republican. I am not a Republican. I am one of the few and the proud: Libertarians. And you, Praetorian, have no defense against the truth.
We (the rest of the country) need to start making plans for California’s eventual collapse.
One of the first bills for the new House needs to be a process to strip a state of it’s status in the vent of a economic collapse.
I propose…
1) in the event of an insolvency, the state goes into receivership. The state Constitution is nullified and all contracts and agreements are broken.
Once the Territory has shown two years of solvency, the Territory has the right to apply for statehood, using the rules of the Enabling Act of 1802
2) All state funds and assets go to the federal government.
3) All state elected officials and employees both past and present, are removed from office, and their pensions are revoked.
4) Congressmen from the failed state revert to territorial representatives with the limited voting rights of other territories. Senators are removed.
5) The former state is declared a Territory, with all rights and responsibilities.
6) The POTUS with consent of the Senate, appoints a territorial Governor.
7) The Territorial Governor oversees the payment and restructuring of the former states debts.
I would think that approach is needed for more than California.
I like the idea of stripping them of legislative representation, but should we really be taking on the responsibility for their debts? I say cut them loose, and shame on the morons who lent them money. Otherwise, you know that the big Democrats and their cronies will loan the state money just before they declare bankruptcy, in order to get a guaranteed high-interest bond from the U.S. Treasury.
You are scary!
Start that petition, Kyle-Anne. I say that as a CA resident. No federal bail-outs for the insanity here. Remember, though, this is a very divided state geographically. The map has looked the same for decades. Over 90% of the landslide support for the Democrats on Tuesday was in five megalipolitan counties. More than 50% of it was in LA. There are a whole lot of California voters who went for GOP candidates and voted the intelligent way on the propositions — out in the hinterland.
CA has to collapse on the path set by the Tuesday vote. It’s only a matter of time.
I am also a CA resident and absolutely stunned at the idiocy of my fellow Californians. I agree, no federal bail-outs. The money will only be wasted on union pensions and govt wages. The schools, state infrastructure and cities won’t see a dime of it. Meiji_man, as hard as it will be, I agree with you completely. I am new to this site and I can’t tell you how refreshing it is to know there are sane, logical people out there. I wish you’d all move to San Francisco and knock some sense into these people.
Did it ever occur to you that you are the idiot? I doubt it. California went the way it did for specific demographic reasons. The rest of the nation will follow soon and there really isn’t much you can do about it.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-california-20101104,0,1915403.story
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/03/12/60minutes/main6292458.shtml shows the role Wall Street played in why Quantitative Easing has been launched a second time by the Federal Reserve Board.
Others have commented, more than once, about Washington’s role in why there is a Global Financial Crisis.
These are objective criteria, rather than subjective criteria that can be treated like a delusion because of eating some bad exotic food, that will be dealt with.
No bailouts for California?
Fine, but give us a lifeline. Specifically, amend the bankruptcy laws to remove any ambiguity as to whether states can file Chapter 13 bankruptcy protection.
I really just have one simple question: why, WHY would ANYONE do business in California under the present circumstances. Something like Stockholm syndrome is the only rational reason I can come up with. Productive Californian’s are like children who are beaten regularly, and someone should send their overseers straight to jail.
“Perhaps I will start a petition drive: Not one dime of bailout money for California! Any legislator from the other 49 who votes to send federal bailout money to California will be toast come the next primary season.
You Californians made your bed yesterday. Now sleep in it and don’t come crying to the rest of us when your lights go out, your water turns off, and your illegal-alien servants head back south.”
I second that. I moved out of NY to Florida 35 years ago because I did not want to pay for NY’s stupid liberal policies, now only to be expected to have to pay for state policy mistakes through federal bailouts.
Florida just went from purple to deep, deep red, i.e., both federal and local governments.
Carly Fiorina and Meg Whitman were not elected due to their personal wealth. It was because they’re identified as being white women. Amongst many hispanic males especially in the lower socio-economic maelstrom of mys
Carly Fiorina and Meg Whitman were not elected because of offense to their personal wealth. Simply, it was because they’re identified as being white women. Amongst many hispanic males especially in the lower socio-economic maelstrom of misogynistic macho mumbly peg. White women are not to be exalted. Latino women are traditionally exceptionalized as Madonna’s and mothers. Crossing borders are more than just that back 40 of a desert scrub. The generation that will cross that border is distant and is absorbed as we speak in such an inner journey’
, that is the American Dream. Univision and Telemundo can propagandize the wholesomeness of the modern day Latina household forever and always but the cultural stranglehold stays and it will lightly tolerate our unique American experiment for now. (20% of the electorate resides in the Southland, LA county).
The ones who are celebrating are the ones who know they will get to keep their food stamps and welfare.Californias were relieved after election night because they thought they might actually have to go to work now .;D
Lifelong Californian here & I totally agree. Spot on…
The ‘good news’ is that the potential for catastrophic implosion has logarithmically increased & is now looming on the horizon, an unavoidable black hole. It will be interesting to see what Jerry does & who he blames… he will not be avoiding this with his usual rhetorical banter….
The bad news is that all Californians loose.
&, BTW, we here in San Diego Co. elected Meg & Carly by a wide margin. It’s the rest of this state….
Proud Lib and Praetorian will not get the lightbulb on the head until they get to experience the Jimmy Carter days. When you have to choose between gasoline and food; when a babysitter is a t-total luxury; when you take sewing classes at the Y cause you might have to earn a living elsewhere….that’s when they will understand the current situatuion. You can talk all the gliblib talk you like but it isn’t reality. Obama’s India trip will cost us a cool billion that’s borrowed money also just like the stimulus money and the CA bailout money. When the inflation hits (soon) and you can’t do whatever it is you you will get it then. Cya hate to Bya.
Don’t forget that Pete Stark doesn’t actually live in California. He files his tax return in Maryland. His listed local address is that of his in-laws.
“yet they voted for the status quo that’s destroying their state”
Yup.
Same thing Southerners did for generation after generation…which is why the American south is still the most backwards and poorest part of America (even though it ought to be the richest). Large parts of the south STILL haven’t recovered from the effects of decades of Democrat rule.
You want to see the future of California? Just take a look at Mississippi. ‘Cause that’s where we’re headed. You want to destroy where you live, turn it into a complete craphole? just let Dems run it, and you’ll get what you want.
Report from the “Smart” State.
Its a beautiful sunny day here in California. The liberals of the State have seen the hand writing on the wall; and, guess what. Its not graffiti. There is a virtual tussle going on here in trying to get Obama to retire here after the next election. There are signs going up all around here with “We love you Obama!” Its Southern California against the San Francisco crowd. Rumor is that they want to replace the Hollywood sign with “We love you Obama!” Another rumor circulating is that San Francisco wants to have those same words on their famous bridge. Our gay community has taken it one step further. Their signs read, “Obama, you will fit in better here!” Its nice to know that Obama is assured a loving place to retire after the next election. America you could learn from this.
Please, please, pretty please don’t make the rest of us payyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy for this.
Note to Californians looking for greener pastures: Don’t bother moving to “fly over” regions. Nothing to see there. You would be bored. Keep on movin on. The cities are too far apart, not enough shopping malls. You would hate it there.
Call me stupid, but I am an optimistic Californian after this election. First of all, not one representative that I voted for won (they never have, but nearly all of the propositions that I voted for passed. I know that the democrats gained office by getting out the college students and the Latino vote. Apparently, their voters didn’t take the time to read the propositions on the ballot. Granted, the terrible proposition to allow our legislature to pass a budget based on simple majority passed, but there is still a requirement that they have to have 2/3 majority to raise taxes, and a new proposition passed that requires 2/3 majority to raise fees (hidden taxes). So even if they could pass a budget, their means to fund it still require republican votes. Not only that, but they gave equal voice to the area east of the coast in redistricting rights. I’m thinking that the democrats either can’t read, don’t speak English, or they are so busy with their “college” studies that they only have time to run through the polls and check “anything with a D next to it” and “yes” to everything else. Whatever, it gives me a bit of a smile.
I’ve been around a while. Actually, I used to be “cool”, almost as cool as Praetorian, and I am venturing a guess that the pendulum is swinging. I am betting that being conservative, responsible for yourself rather than taking from others (which used to be shameful rather than a way of life), and getting government the Hell out of your way so that EVERYONE has the right to live their life the way that they see fit, has the right to do so without interference…. is going to be the new “Cool”.
Until we throw the socialist idiots, starting with Obmama, Oprah, brown, Boxer, etc. things are only going to get worse until the self-elected “intellectual elite” have put everyone except themselves into grinding poverty. READ YOUR DAMN HISTORY PEOPLE! WAKE UP AND GROW UP!!!!
Listen here. I love So. Cal. Nothing better than living by the beach. Someone who calls themselves Pajamas Media, makes me think of a lonely little hermit who sits in his basement, taking Wellbutrin, because you so damned depressed with your own loser life.
Lov’n Life Southern California style, is my motto.
So, fire up Dude and party on!
Then there’s this
http://www.top50states.com/average-iq-score.html
Whatever Happened to the Golden State?
One of Hollywood’s better thrillers in the 1960′s was “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?” In the sixties, despite that flick, the state of California could still lay claim to a relative degree of sanity.
Even into the mid-seventies, the Golden State elected and re-elected Ronald Reagan as its governor so it obviously was then functionally sane. Something happened in and to California after that, however and, long before 2010, California began devolving into a laid-back cesspool.
It still has plenty of nice weather but Mother Nature tends to that. Balmy weather in a broke and broken state, however, doesn’t cut it, unless you’re a nouveau hippy pothead in which case nothing much bothers you.
As for the rest of Californians, who sometimes seem straight and normal when they reject gay marriage, as they did in 2008, and reject pot for all, as they did on Election Day, 2010, they just don’t seem able to see those woods with all those damned trees and all that foul pot smoke casting a haze over the view.
California and Californians have changed significantly over the last 3 decades principally in demographics. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=2498)
Those who don’t like California should leave to any of the other 49 States.
Both Democrats and Republican legislators are the culprits for whatever is wrong with the financial situation. But don’t forget the banks (real estate loans), insurance companies, medical insurance profiteers and Medicare embezzlers.
California has a lot of dreams and idealism and pushed for legislation to make them happen. If it didn’t work, it’s time to reassess and cut back. We don’t need Republicans to do that. We need honest and patriotic legislators.
Life is simple.
Californian here, embarrassed beyond comprehension by what this state did Tuesday. I wholeheartedly agree with the author’s assessment of Carly Fiorina, it is difficult to imagine a more qualified candidate.
All clever remarks aside, as I watched most of the U.S. get it, and realized the next morning that Boxer and Brown won _by 10 points_, and saw that the CA Prop passed which allows the democratic statehouse to pass any budget it desires with only 51% vote, I realized we are truly and deeply in trouble. I remarked to my wife that we may have to leave the state within the next 10 years as things appear headed toward meltdown. Later that day, my best friend, unsolicited, who just bought his first home after renting here for 25 years, said to me “I may have to leave my beloved California”.
I do hope that Brown wakes up the electorate like Obama did, by scaring it enough, but I no longer have any confidence it will happen. 10 points, Boxer over Fiorina? Are you kidding me?
Praetorian
Look, the “Anointed One” makes his chess move’s and us babbling humans need to realize that the unbelieving conspiracy “heathen” understate the issues when they say that Obama is a radical. Alas, they know not the secrets we are all going to witness. The “Anointed One” is amazing, he takes the people at the highly efficient Post Office and sends them right over to the Student Loan Program. The “Anointed One” knows all. Twitter messages were machine-gunned to cell phones at mach speed. Facebook and MySpace groups spread across the Internet like digital fire. YouTube videos featuring celebrities ricocheted across the globe and into college students’ in-boxes with devastating regularity. All the while, the Obama mega-money-raising engine whirred on at high speed, until the result became inevitable: an unthinking mass of young voters marched forward to elect the “Anointed One.”
I am not surprised to hear these stinking lies about our “Anointed One,” it should be apparent to anyone that this was coming down the pike. I do have a couple questions about future process steps concerning these developments? When the “Annointed One” decides to start bar-coding everyone, will we get to decide if the mark is on our hand or forehead? Allot of people will prefer the hand, (especially women of course), unless your a porn actress or something along those lines. Also, my girlfriend was wondering if the Administration will be getting fashion advice from Hollyweird or the New York City crowd? We are both agree that the Administration “Maoies” as the “Anointed One ” so lovingly calls them,will be getting uniforms similar to the SS uniforms in Germany in WW2. With big letters abreviating “Barack’s Socialists.” So shall we start calling them the BS?
California to become America’s first failed state?
Their unemployment is at 12 percent, and government staff workers are being paid with IOUs. None other than Professor Kevin Starr, University of Southern California, State Librarian Emeritus, one of California’s greatest historians, pronounced that “We are on the verge of becoming a failed state because we can’t agree on anything.” The California Senate has been in Democratic hands since 1970, and likewise, the Assembly — The reason California may be our first failed state is because the Democratic recipe for success in California is the same as in every other liberal state — more spending —– particularly on social programs and public employee sector benefits. Spending is the public policy that gets Democrats re-elected. (Their state budget went from $56 billion in 1998 to an eye popping $131 billion in 2009.) What nobody on the left is willing to admit is that blue states are in meltdown. Michigan, New York, New Jersey, Illinois (Obamaland), Pennsylvania, Oregon and, of course, California, are in debtors prison. High levels of taxation, a love affair with regulations — the more the merrier — and the unremitting expansion of public sector employment have made public sector unions a political powerhouse. It’s hard to imagine that the debates in the primary elections will not focus on job creation in the private sector, and stemming the tide of businesses and high-income residents fleeing the state. So will California’s elections move them right of center as we saw with Europe’s large social democracies, or will their fascination for Obama-like left-leaning economic policies remain intact — no jobs, increased spending and bigger government. Lastly, Los Angeles voted to Arizona boycott over immigration law. Who cares? Many states are now looking at passing the same law. LA and San Francisco have just hurt there on own economy’s which according to all the top economists won’t last long anyway. This is bad news, who wants to be like California Not Arizona. Many experts agree that after the November elections the Democrats will lose the House and Obama’s rating will drop 20% to the lowest ever recorded for any US President.
Thirty-four states already cut higher education aid and twenty-five states already reduced grade school aid. Twenty-Seven states have reduced health care benefits for low-income people. Twenty-six states have hiring freezes. Twenty-two states have lowered employee”s wages. Thirteen states have announced layoffs. Federal aid to the states has already being reduced. The worst is yet to come. 2010 will bring the loss of many jobs in public sector as well as the private sector. Experts say any chance of a turn around will not happen now. The US is broke and has the worst debt in the world.
The bankruptcies should happen in 2010 and many of the other problems have already begun. In 2010, 37 Governors face re-election and 46 states will chose their legislatures. The reality is to keep the states spending budgets up; taxes will have to be increased. When you have a lot of people out of work and a lot of failed businesses this means big tax hikes and raising taxes for those able to survive in a down economy is just going to make it harder for them to make it in the long run. Of course out of work people are short term oriented and can care less about down the road.
Things look like the politicians are going to try and run with upside down budgets but they will run out of money and then have to make some hard choices when they are up against the wall. In a state with high unemployment, who is going to vote for a politician who says we need to pull our belts in and run with a balanced budget and a sound economic policy and this will mean spending cuts and job cuts. Now the politician who says well we need to make jobs, extend unemployment benefits, send the kids to school and college, keep the medical aid coming, and keep the spending up is going to get elected. Then when the spenders get elected what are they going to do?
A study, conducted by the Pew Center on the States, found that California, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island and Wisconsin are among the most bankrupt states in the country. The only ones not run top-to-bottom by Democrats were Arizona, Florida and Nevada…all of which have huge illegal immigration problems.
The truth is California — the land built on the future — has become stunningly averse to change.
It is a depressed place made up of terrified people, clinging to the solutions of another era. The idea that the electorate could even consider electing Jerry Brown in 2010 attests to that. At least you can understand the union workers — who are desperate to maintain their unsustainable pensions — supporting him, but the rest of the populace? You are dealing with a form of habituation so deep reality has no place in the equation.
California now is the state of the childishly threatened. No one seems to have an imagination anymore, particularly Hollywood, the industry that depends on imagination. They are backing Jerry with a tenacity that makes no sense. Hollywood was built on entrepreneurship, yet they abjure Whitman, one of the most successful entrepreneurs of our time.
What do these entertainment kingpins think will happen if Jerry Brown is elected? Do they think things will change? Do they want things to change or do they like things the way they are? Don’t look for the answers to these questions. Habit and tradition prevail into oblivion.
Indeed, to return to my premise, the situation is clear: as of now, California’s electorate is “repeating the same mistake over and over again while expecting a different result.” They used to say California was crazy because everyone was whacked out on acid or buzzed on coke. That’s nothing compared to now.
Employers do not “distort” the market. They react to the natural forces at work in the market. So do landlords who write commercial leases. The idea that these capitalists don’t know how much parking spaces cost them and need an artificial penalty system designed by collectivist nitwits in Sacramento is arrogant and stupid. It is so arrogant and stupid that it’s impossible to tell whether the arrogance causes the stupidity or vice-versa.
California is living proof that there really is no end to the harm liberals will do to any economy they get their hands on. As several other posters have already pointed out, people are fleeing California by the hundreds of thousands because the state gov’t has made it impossible to prosper there. So naturally the ‘solutions’ proposed by the state are to invent even more of the same onerous regulations that are already destroying that prosperity.
In another 10 years there won’t be anyone left in California except spoiled movie stars and the homeless. Come to think of it, the “stars” won’t be there either, in fact the movie studios are leaving now, it’s to expensive. Of course, they won’t broadcast that to the smelly and worshiping masses.
California State managers earned overtime during furloughs
August 3, 2010 | Chase Davis
Rather than receiving a 15-percent pay cut as intended, hundreds of state managers and other high-level workers brought home more money than usual during some furlough weeks thanks to an obscure federal labor law, a California Watch review of state records has found.
During furlough weeks between February 2009 and April 2010, state departments paid at least $1.6 million in overtime to salaried state workers who are not typically eligible to receive it, according to data provided by the state controller’s office. At least 14 employees took home more than $10,000 in overtime payments during that period.
The payments were allowed because during furlough weeks, federal law requires the state to temporarily classify most salaried workers as hourly employees so their pay can legally be reduced.
But that shuffle has a side effect: It makes employees who are typically exempt from overtime rules eligible for a rare opportunity to collect the extra cash.
More such payments could be made in coming months, following Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s announcement last week that furloughs will continue at least until the state budget is passed.
Of the three-dozen departments that paid at least some overtime to exempt workers, none shelled out more than the Employment Development Department, which paid more than $488,000. The department is charged with running California’s unemployment programs, which have been swamped in the down economy.
Department spokeswoman Loree Levy said demand for unemployment benefits and information technology projects within the department led to the overtime, which she said was closely monitored and approved.
“Overtime payments to salaried staff are a direct result of the unprecedented demand for service EDD has faced through the course of this severe recession,” Levy said in a statement.
Not far behind was the Chief Information Officer’s office, which coordinates IT work across state government. Records show the department paid more than $327,000 in overtime to exempt employees.
Department spokesman Bill Maile said the payments were made largely to employees tasked with keeping the state’s computer systems running smoothly. Others were made to employees involved in high-priority projects, such as building Web sites that outline state stimulus-fund spending, he said.
“They’re mission-critical applications that require staff to be there regardless (of furloughs),” Maile said. “We have pretty strict conditions under which staff can work overtime.”
Maile and others also argued that labor laws gave them no choice but to pay the overtime. Even if they are typically salaried, hourly employees are legally required to be paid for any overtime they work.
“These are situations governed by federal law that determine whether overtime applies,” Maile said.
The state Department of Personnel Administration issued at least three memos during the furlough period urging departments to minimize their overtime payments to exempt employees. Department spokeswoman Lynelle Jolley declined further comment but said the memos make clear the department’s stance that overtime should be kept to a minimum.
Fat Cat California Teachers Union Misses the Education Mark
by Meredith Turney
The California Fair Political Practices Commission released a report last week detailing the fifteen most influential special interest groups in the state. Over the course of the last ten years, these fifteen groups—consisting of unions, Indian tribes, and corporations—spent over $1 billion on lobbying, candidates, ballot measures, and other political activities. In a state as large and influential as California, it’s not hard to imagine millions of dollars being expended on directing its course—especially when multiple ballot measures every election pit one interest group against another.
But among the top fifteen big spenders, one special interest group particularly stands out: the California Teachers Association (CTA). In the last decade, the CTA has spent over $200 million on lobbying and political activities—almost double what the second highest-spending lobbying group spent.
Unions have become the dominant political influence in California. At the mere hint of any threat to their power structure, the union-financed political machine fires up and intimidates all opposition. The hubris of the unions is such that during a legislative budget committee hearing last summer, one union leader threatened, “We helped get you into office and we’ve got a good memory.”
The CTA’s spending is especially noteworthy when one considers the issues it spends its members’ dues on. Most of the CTA’s 325,000 members probably assume that their dues are used only on education-related matters. But the CTA has branched out into all sorts of political battles beyond education funding.
Although it would seem logical that a teachers union would only focus on education issues, a look at the CTA web site reveals the true goal of this progressive union. According to the CTA mission statement, the union exists to “protect and promote the well-being of its members; to improve the conditions of teaching and learning; to advance the cause of free, universal, and quality public education.” That sounds like a perfectly ordinary goal for a teachers union.
But the mission statement goes on to explain that the union also exists to “ensure that the human dignity and civil rights of all children and youth are protected; and to secure a more just, equitable, and democratic society.” Ensuring “human dignity and civil rights,” as well as a “more just, equitable and democratic society” is far beyond the scope of simply lobbying for teachers’ salaries or more school supplies.
Since 2000, the CTA has spent over $38 million on lobbying the state legislature. A look at the legislation the CTA is lobbying in the current legislative session shows a focus on more than school-related matters.
The CTA is actively supporting Senate Joint Resolution 9, legislation calling upon Congress and the President to repeal the “discriminatory” Don’t Ask Don’t Tell military policy. It also lobbied to pass Senate Bill 572, which declares May 22 Harvey Milk Day in California, in honor of the homosexual activist from San Francisco.
Apparently universal healthcare has become a priority for the teachers union as it supported Senate Bill 1, legislation that would extend Medi-Cal coverage to illegal immigrants’ children. And the CTA isn’t just supporting, but is co-sponsoring Senate Bill 810, which would implement a single-payer government-run healthcare system in California. The CTA lobbied against a Republican-sponsored healthcare reform measure that would have provided greater competition in health insurance by allowing out-of-state carriers to sell plans in California
Even more telling than the legislation it supports, is the legislation the CTA opposes, including Senate Bill 370, which would have prevented voter fraud through voter identification requirements.
The CTA has also invested a great deal of time and money into the marriage issue. It supports Assembly Joint Resolution 19, calling on Congress and the President to repeal the “discriminatory” Defense of Marriage Act. It also lobbied on behalf of House Resolution 5 and Senate Resolution 7, which both expressed the legislature’s belief that Proposition 8 was an “improper” revision to the state constitution. In 2008, the CTA was among the biggest donors to the No on Proposition 8 campaign, pouring more than $1 million into the effort.
And if there were any doubt about the political party with whom the CTA most identifies, their $6.5 million dollar donation—the largest donation to any political party from the special interest groups—clearly signifies the union’s commitment to the Democrat Party.
Pay check protection is crucial to transforming California and diminishing the influence of unions. Union members who don’t agree with the aggressive social agenda of their unions are forced to pay dues spent on political campaigning that may violate their beliefs and standards. In the meantime, the CTA will continue to flood Sacramento with its money and influence—at the expense of those they supposedly represent.
I don’t know Mrs. Shivers’ opinions.
It sounds like Mrs. Shivers is not a Sarah Palin fan given her joke about seeing Greece from the window. Is she not a fan of Sarah Palin? Good for her.
Yes, the unions have been bilking the state and its citizens. A change in how the districts are drawn will help some, but probably not enough. What is happening is that people from all stripes are realizing this and the groundswell will change it. In fact, I bet California becomes the first state (is there another out there?…let me know) that makes it easier to fire state employees and their retirement will be more like the rest of us…401Ks with risk.
What cities is she talking about that will be uninhabitable? Is Richmond, VA a nicer city than San Francisco?
Forced secession by the other 49 states…California’s economy is the largest in the country by far – not a smart move by the other states. Many of the states in the middle of the country are net receivers of aid from the Federal government. California is not. See http://www.bepress.com/ev/vol6/iss10/art3/. No bailout money for California…no money for your state either.
How can she forget that President Bush II put the U.S. in the poor house. He took a surplus from a Democrat and turned it into the highest deficit by far along with putting us in the worse economic crisis since the Great Depression. President Obama has increased the deficit to an even higher level, but at least it’s for a reason – his attempt at trying to get us out of this recession.
Gerrymandering the districts is the problem in California. Incumbents are nearly locked in. Yet, California just passed a law (and reaffirmed it) that will put that in the hands of a citizens commission. Pelosi tried to stop it. Shame on her, but the citizens did it.
The citizens did elect Schwarzenegger and he tried to pass a budget, but the Republicans in the State Assembly and the Democrats turned against him.
I’m not defending the State’s Democratic party (or the national one), but the Republicans cannot cast stones in the this glass house.
What did Pete Stark do? Where is the real information? This author is like Rush Limbaugh…full out hot air and no facts. I’m not even defending Stark, but in order to make progress in this country, people like this author are only creating divides between people and actually making us go backwards.
First of all, Albert Einstein’s theory that you cited does not apply to this situation. THOSE who voted for Mr. Moon Beam are not expecting anything different. They are expecting the same thing they have been getting for years, and that is redistribution of wealth from those of us with a little bit of money to those who have none. That includes all their free medical (like they need this health care bill), food stamps for their beer and cigarettes and to spend on their cruises. What more could they want? Mexifornia is a Sanctuary State, so you know where all the illegals, and legals for that matter, come for their redistributed wealth. Redistribution of wealth is nothing new, Mexifornia has been doing it for years. I’m sure Barak Hussein learned well about redistribution of wealth while he was attending Occidental College here in the state of Mexifornia.
I wonder what this Kyle-Anne Shiver, who wrote this piece of diatribe, believes Mexifornia’s future would be like had Meg Whitman, or any other Republican won? Maybe she needs to look at Arizona who has a very conservative female Governor, and has no authority over how she can regulate out of control matters in her own state due to Hussein Obama and his Feds with guns. The govenator of the State of Mexifornia is the least powerful governor in the nation. Mexifornia is run by the ultra liberal Assembly and Senate Democrats of uber liberal San Francisco Bay Area and those recipients of redistributed wealth from the Kern County/Los Angeles county line south into Mexico.
While I seldom agree with the Union Thugs who want more than their share, they are not the most powerful people in this state. It is not they who have broke this state. It is the silent immigrant (legal and illegal) and other recipients of redistributed wealth in this state. The City of FresHell is probably made up of 1/2 or more of redistribution recipients. All one needs do at any time of day or night, is go to an emergency room in or around the City of FresHell, including the formerly well to do City of Clovis, and take a gander at who is in there. The waiting rooms are filled with non paying redistribution patients. Try to find a seat for your 84 year old mother in the waiting room who can hardly stand. Can’t do it, because when one of these redistribution patients hurts his or her little finger, they bring Auntie, all the Cousins and other Mehas to make a social section and playground out of the brand new formerly (like day after built) beautiful waiting rooms. Do you think any of these mopes would give up a seat for an elderly very sick old lady. Not a chance. So, you learn. Next time mom gets sick, you call a $800 ambulance. Where does that money come from to pay for that ambulance ride? You got it. Mediscare. Do you think I am the only person who learned that little trick? So, once again, the lazy border brothers and sisters (those filling the emergency room waiting rooms) have cost the tax payer another bundle of money. By the way, don’t for a minute think that this happens just her in Mexifornia.
Kyle-Anne Shiver talks of Nancy Pelosi being elected as though I and all my neighbors voted for her. I wonder if she has been to San Francisco lately and seen the people who vote in that vile city? Or, if she knows anything of district voting lines? Then she talks of how Michigan, Indiana and Ohio saw the lite and voted differently than in the past. Obviously this lady doesn’t know the make up of a DemocRat. Mexifornia has about 360 nice days a year, and even a terrible weather day in California is nothing compared to a bad weather day in the states she uses as a examples. Most DemocRats will not come out in inclement weather. It is easier to stay home and watch the Big Screen me and other workers bought for the. Kind of like, they don’t really like to work either, and if they do, they just show up and let the Republicans do the work while they sit back and just draw a pay check. So, Nov. 2, was a very nice day in Mexifornia. The redistribution slugs came out and voted. The tax payers of the State of Mexifornia came out in droves for this election. Most of them (there are some real idiots) voted Republican. Guess what? There are more redistribution slugs in this state than tax payers. Of course I am sure all the prison guards in this state who received enormous hikes in salaries by the recalled DemocRat Gray Davis, when he was in office, also came out to vote for Mr. Moon Beam Re distributor, so they can keep their $100,000.00, plus a year salaries.
There are too many public employees in this state, in the City of FresHell for that matter. That hurts the tax payers also. It is administrations, of various departments who always want more than they need, and tell whatever lies and exaggerations to the politicians to get those employees. That way they build their own fiefdoms, be somebody important, make more money, boost their egos, etc.
Moon Beam would have won that election without saying a word. It had nothing to do with his silver lounge, which he doesn’t have, by the way. He does tell some pretty good jokes, but beyond that, he’s not a whole lot smarter than a leach…………oh no, leaches are the people who voted for him. So Ms Kyle-Anne Shiver, go shiver somewhere else, and quit giving the impression that the hard working people of the State of Mexifornia (both of them) had anything to do with voting in Governor Redistribution. And please, keep your bail out money. Maybe the leach redistribution recipients in Mexifornia will leave. Who the hell needs the government anyway–state,federal, city or county?
Being a California resident since being brought here in 1960 as a child has left me with a long history of politics here. The problem is the result of immagration yes the whole problem in Californoa is right there in a nut shell. All these people from across the united states that couldn’t or wouldn’t make it in the boaring little towns they were from came here and then with no ones prying eye’s on them they seems to transform into som real strange ding dong’s then to avoid becoming anything like where they were from they started little special groups and started voting because mainly they had nothing better to do while in college or whatever. Want to fix politics the best thing we could do would be to make a ten year moritorium on your right to vote when entering a new state. I think you should have to earn the right to vote by working, living there and learning the community and its ways. Don’t just blow into town and stir things up then disappear into the night with a pocket full of change and move again in 5 yrs so you can spread more yuk. Doesn’t really matter what you want anyways it’s all rigged like a wresteling match. yea I believe the votes got counted sure they did. Sorry not buying into it computers and programers so money talks and bull pucky walks. This was proven when George bush was elected. So we may be the dumbest State no dought we can thank the rest of the USA for supplying us with our “STOCK” A well bred pool of genes from around the world then mixed with tons of pesticides from spraying feilds and what do ya have Californian poof there it is.
I wish she would have added the fact the in my California District (#28), a dead woman was elected. Our bright citizens couldn’t stand the thought of electing a living republican, so they elected a dead democrat. Now it will likely cost us a couple million dollars to hold a special election. It just keeps getting better and better here in California.
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