Topic: Decline of the West
Perhaps the clearest evidence of the intellectual and moral bankruptcy of contemporary liberalism is the fact that the most dysfunctional states in the union are colored blue. Case in point: California. The sad story of the Golden State’s decline is also the story of liberalism’s California triumph—if that’s an appropriate word for the context. And in 2010, when Jerry Brown was elected governor, the California tragedy degenerated into a farce.
Governor Moonbeam, as he became known during his previous occupation of Sacramento (1975-83) bears a great deal of the responsibility for California’s current mess, for it was he who first focused state policy on environmental issues. Since then the cult has grown into a mania—to the great detriment of agriculture, industry and businesses. California, once a magnet state, is now losing businesses and population. State government spending is wildly out of control, thanks largely to the demands of rapacious public employee unions. Unemployment is high and the state’s economy remains moribund. So this year, California is expected to run a $16 billion deficit. And there’s no real hope that the budget gap can be closed.
To his credit, Brown has proposed some fairly serious spending cuts, but in his heart he’s a doctrinaire liberal. The governor’s plan to close the budget gap by raising income and sales taxes seems hardly likely to foster an economic recovery. California’s regulatory climate seems likely to remain unfavorable to business development and job creation. Of the wide-ranging reforms necessary to rein in state government and make California a more attractive place to do business, there is no sign. Instead Brown is focusing on pie-in-the-sky projects like that perennial favorite of liberals, high-speed rail.
It’s not a pretty picture—and if you ask me, it’s a preview of what America will look like in a decade if Barack Obama and his pals have their way.
