- Banned
- #41
The 112th Congress was sworn in this morning amidst hope that a new crop of visionary conservatives can make a difference along with dismay that a new crop of visionary conservatives occupies many new seats in the House and Senate.
The die has been cast. Those new Conservative members will be able to turn the country in a new fiscally responsible direction with more personal accountability; or they will cave in to the status quo of more and bigger and more powerful, intrusive government.
How do you want it to go? Please include at least some basic reason for your choice that is more than an insult toward another person or group.
The basic crisis seems to be summarized in this article in Forbes today:
(emphasis mine)
California Suggests Suicide; Texas Asks: Can I Lend You a Knife?
By JOEL KOTKIN
In the future, historians may likely mark the 2010 midterm elections as the end of the California era and the beginning of the Texas one. In one stunning stroke, amid a national conservative tide, California voters essentially ratified a political and regulatory regime that has left much of the state unemployed and many others looking for the exits.
California has drifted far away from the place that John Gunther described in 1946 as the most spectacular and most diversified American state so ripe, golden. Instead of a role model, California has become a cautionary tale of mismanagement of what by all rights should be the countrys most prosperous big state. Its poverty rate is at least two points above the national average; its unemployment rate nearly three points above the national average. On Friday Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was forced yet again to call an emergency session in order to deal with the states enormous budget problems.
This state of crisis is likely to become the norm for the Golden State. In contrast to other hard-hit states like Pennsylvania, Ohio and Nevada, which all opted for pro-business, fiscally responsible candidates, California voters decisively handed virtually total power to a motley coalition of Democratic-machine politicians, public employee unions, green activists and rent-seeking special interests.
In the new year, the once and again Gov. Jerry Brown, who has some conservative fiscal instincts, will be hard-pressed to convince Democratic legislators who get much of their funding from public-sector unions to trim spending. Perhaps more troubling, Browns own extremism on climate change policybacked by rent-seeking Silicon Valley investors with big bets on renewable fuelsvirtually assures a further tightening of a regulatory regime that will slow an economic recovery in every industry from manufacturing and agriculture to home-building.
Texas trajectory, however, looks quite the opposite. California was recently ranked by Chief Executive magazine as having the worst business climate in the nation, while Texas was considered the best. Both Democrats and Republicans in the Lone State State generally embrace the gospel of economic growth and limited public sector expenditure. . . . .
MORE HERE:
California Suggests Suicide; Texas Asks: Can I Lend You a Knife? - Joel Kotkin - New Geographer - Forbes
Yes at one time CA was "golden" Look at how we got ourselves banckrupt. The country is following in CA's footsteps.
Idiots voting for bond measures and every pet project that sounded good for the "poor"
Increasing the amounts of social programs.
Spending borrowed money hand over fist without any plan to repay the debt.
Voting in required spending.