I haven’t lived in California for a few decades but I think I can safely say that the only thing vaguely biblical left in the state are the plagues that afflict it. And even those probably don’t count, since they are self-inflicted and not the result of the hand of God. Case in point: California’s skyrocketing crime rate. Yes, much of that is attributable to Democrat prosecutors and judges. But we shouldn’t forget about your garden-variety legislators and bureaucrats. These people, despite the fact that Governor/Spokesmodel Gavin Newsom has already closed prisons in that state, want even more penitentiaries and similar facilities shuttered. Apparently, the move is part of an effort to reduce the state’s budget (cue the laugh track) and lower the prison population.
The Washington Examiner is reporting that the State Assembly rolled out the budget last week after Newsom proposed his own plan. June 15 is the drop-dead date for the state legislature to reach a deal. Part of the Assembly’s plan is to close five prisons, citing the fact that there are some 20,000 unused beds. Democratic Assembly Budget Chairman Phil Ting from San Francisco has been a long-time proponent of closing the clinks. Ting claims the move would save the state up to $500 million per year and help keep it from paying capital expenses. Newsom had already designated four prisons to close, two of which have been shut down.
Has crime dropped so much in the state that there are 20,000 unused beds? (I had trouble typing that with a straight face.) No. It has not. Not even a cursory reading of the news could lead one to believe that. Could it be that the state has 20,000 empty prison beds because, oh, I don’t know … THE STATE DOESN’T PROSECUTE CRIMINALS? Granted, I’m not a lawyer, but could that possibly be a factor? I am sure that the news media will say that the deal is a win for all Californians. Except of course for those who are victims of crime. They may not be ready to pop the champagne when they hear that more prisons will be re-purposed as Spirit Halloween stores.
Take for example the case of Zaid. He is an immigrant from Afghanistan who owns and operates Cigarettes R Cheaper in San Francisco. At least for the moment. Someone broke into Zaid’s store last week and made off with $80,000 in merchandise and $20,000 in cash — a $100,000 loss that took approximately 20 minutes. That isn’t even counting the damage the thieves did to his store. Zaid told Fox News:
The politicians need to get a grip on this because It’s worse than Afghanistan or Iraq. At least in Afghanistan the Taliban will cut your hand off and people are afraid to commit such a crime…They know the police won’t do anything. We have drugs issue, we have homeless issue, and on top of this these idiots come in here and take whatever they want…The city has gone downhill, especially the last 2 years since COVID, I’ve never seen it worse. People are afraid to come shopping here because they are either going to get robbed or someone will break into their car. (sic)
Zaid said that he knows the police are shorthanded, but he is seriously considering closing his store since the safety of his family is more important than trying to make a living in San Francisco. Mayor London Breed has placed the blame on systemic racism, the Left’s Swiss-Army-knife answer to everything. The Post Millennial also quoted her commenting that the face of retail is changing: “The city is growing and expanding, but not in the traditional Financial District 9 to 5 ways, or retail shop in the various mall things that the young people used to do.” So, smash-and-grab robbery is now “growth and expansion.”
If there is a silver lining, at least the national chambers of commerce for Afghanistan and Iraq will have some excellent material for their next brochures. “Afghanistan — Safer Than San Francisco!”
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