Jerry Brown and California’s “Attractive” Poverty (BS alert)

Newgeograhy.com ^ | 11/12/2013 | Bill Watkins

[amnestynone]

Jerry Brown is supposed to be a different kind of politician: well informed, smart, slick, and skilled. While he has had some missteps, he's always bounced back. His savvy smarts have allowed him to have a fantastically successful career while generally avoiding the egregious dishonesty that characterizes so many political practitioners.

So, I was shocked to read that he said that California's poverty is a result of the State's booming economy. Here's part of the Sacramento Bee report:

Gov. Jerry Brown, whose pronouncements of California's economic recovery have been criticized by Republicans who point out the state's high poverty rate, said in a radio interview Wednesday that poverty and the large number of people looking for work are "really the flip side of California's incredible attractiveness and prosperity."

The Democratic governor's remarks aired the same day the U.S. Census Bureau reported that 23.8 percent of Californians live in poverty under an alternative calculation that includes the cost of living.

Asked on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" about two negative indicators — the state's nation-high poverty rate and the large number of Californians who are unemployed or marginally employed and looking for work — Brown said, "Well, that's true, because California is a magnet.

"People come here from all over in the world, close by from Mexico and Central America and farther out from Asia and the Middle East. So, California beckons, and people come. And then, of course, a lot of people who arrive are not that skilled, and they take lower paying jobs. And that reflects itself in the economic distribution."

This is so incredibly wrong that I'm worried that Brown has lost his head and ability to reason. If he really believes what he said, he's living in the past and he's so ill informed as to be delusional. If he doesn't believe what he said, I'm worried that his political skills have slipped. To my knowledge, he's never said anything so clearly at odds with the truth in his career.

Here are the facts:

•California's poverty is not where the jobs are, which is what we'd expect if what Brown said was true. Most of California's jobs are being created in the Bay Area, a region of fabulous wealth. By contrast, California's poverty is mostly inland. San Bernardino, for example, has the second highest poverty rate for American cities over 200,000 population, and no, it's not because it's a magnet. Most of California's Great Central Valley is a jobs desert, but the region is characterized by persistent grinding poverty and unemployment. No one in recent years is moving to Kings County to look for a job. •States with opportunity have low poverty rates. North Dakota may have America's most booming economy. According to the Census Bureau, North Dakota's Supplemental Poverty Measure is 9.2 percent. That is, after adjustments for cost of living, 9.2 percent of North Dakotans live in poverty. The rate in Texas – a state with a very diverse population, and higher percentages of Latinos and African-Americans – is 16.4 percent. California leads the nation with 23.8 percent of Californians living in poverty. •According to the U.S. Census, domestic migration (migration between California and other states) has been negative for 20 consecutive years. That is, for 20 years more people have left California for other states than have come to California from other states. Wake up, Jerry, this is no longer your Dad’s state – or that of his successor, Ronald Reagan. This is a big change from when Brown was elected governor the first time. At that time, California was a magnet. It had a vibrant economy, one with opportunity. California was a place where you could have a career, afford a home, raise a family. It was where the American

[amnestynone]

WWW.newgeography is one of the hidden gems of the internet.

[RichInOC]

Jerry Brown is supposed to be a different kind of politician: well informed, smart, slick, and skilled. While he has had some missteps, he’s always bounced back. His savvy smarts have allowed him to have a fantastically successful career while generally avoiding the egregious dishonesty that characterizes so many political practitioners.

I’m sorry. Are we talking about the same Jerry Brown?

[Maceman]

In other words:

War is peace.
Freedom is slavery.
Ignorance is strength.
Poverty is prosperity.

[B4Ranch]

There’s only one Moonbeam. It has to be him.

[rockinqsranch]

What Jerry Brown is above, and beyond anything is a Democrat. His allegiance is to the Democrat Party, and he will do anything for the party including lie like ‘H’. He isn’t much different from Obama, only smoother.

[Nifster]

California’s poverty is due to two main causes 1) illegals streaming across the border and 2) California’s anti-business atmosphere. End of story