Thanks for posting this, I do think it’s worthwhile for us here at Free Republic to consider these arguments. George W. Bush won two terms but he did grievous damage to the GOP, to conservatism, to the nation, by steering us in a couple of very wrong directions. Whether it’s luck or the grace of God, we’ve been given one last chance to save this Republic in the form of Donald Trump and the current GOP majority in both houses of Congress, but if we blow this time, it’s probably over for good. As a lifelong resident of California, I can attest that the author is correct about one thing for sure: conservative Republicans have been entirely wiped out in the state that bequeathed Ronald Reagan to the world.
But the author is also dead wrong on several fronts: it is not correct to say that the California economy is working for everyone. For about a quarter of the state’s population, the educated elite, yes, it works quite well. Not only do “we” (I have to count myself a member, coupla elite grad degrees in hand, 200K+/year) command some of the highest salaries in the world, we often make even more money than that just sitting in our houses that appreciate 10-20% year after year. Add to that, the endless flood of cheap labor into the state, not to mention the capitalized digital economy that gets to operate at a loss in order to establish new economy market share, and our lives are not that much different than the modern equivalent of the slaveholders of yore, never preparing our own meals, cleaning our own houses, cutting our own grass, washing our own cars, or nowadays, with Uber, we don’t even have drive ourselves anywhere.
So, yes, for that group, California as currently constituted works great. But for the other 75%, it only works to the extent that their expectations are far lower than what an American citizen should want out of life. The author cites that even the white working class is on board, and that’s a flat out lie. There is no white working class in most of the state, they have been long since driven out of the state. The majority of the working classes of the state are non-white immigrants and/or their immediate descendants. For them, maybe a life crammed into a small rented apartment in a dangerous neighborhood with crappy schools, constantly at the mercy of one’s landlord and boss, is better than what they left behind, but it would be intolerable for most of the people in middle America who voted for Trump. They expect better and they deserve better.
So, yeah, if the future is a small elite class of highly educated technocrats ruling over a mass of uneducated, impoverished dependent serfs, then yes, California is the model. That may be the globalists wet dream but it’s not the American dream. If we are to reclaim the American dream, it’s based on the idea that every man can rule his own castle, as a strong and independent equal citizen, then Trump is shining the light on the path forward, not trying to return us to some bygone era.
Enjoyed your comments that align so well with your screen name. I found your final paragraph to be especially on the mark. I think more than a couple of novelists have made their bones exploring the first sentence of the paragraph and the final sentence on focusing on the future sets the tone for our conversations going forward.
Whether it’s luck or the grace of God [Grace of God!], WE’VE BEEN GIVEN ONE LAST CHANCE TO SAVE THIS REPUBLIC in the form of Donald Trump and the current GOP majority in both houses of Congress, but IF WE BLOW IT THIS TIME, IT IS PROBABLY OVER FOR GOOD.
>What is said here is spot on. Notice my caps.