The Real Voting (Thomas Sowell on California's problems)

The Jewish World Review ^ | August 12, 2003 | Thomas Sowell

[Mr. Mulliner]

The real voting

http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com | Arnold Schwarzenegger has made a big splash in the media by entering the California governor's race. But the real news out of California came a few days before Arnold's political bombshell.

The latest census data show -- for the first time -- that more Californians have been moving to other states than people in other states have been moving to California. Between 1995 and 2000, California had a net loss of more than 600,000 people to other states. People are voting with their feet.

California's total population has not gone down, however. Immigrants have replaced Americans. Apparently California is still considered to be preferable to Mexico or Central America.

[Mr. Mulliner]

Of all the evidence against California's politicians, this one seems the most damning.

The latest census data show -- for the first time -- that more Californians have been moving to other states than people in other states have been moving to California.

Can someone stop the bleeding?

[Roughneck]

"**California is still considered to be preferable to Mexico or Central America.**"

Looks to me like all thosw who have been paying for illegal aliens health, food, housing, clothing, etc. are leaving, which is VERY smart!

I belive the nanny state mentatlity (remember Pelosi calling illegal immigrants her constituents?)is what is bringing down California. No one with brains wants to live there anymore. Who is going to support the illegals now? and where will democrats get their votes if not for those getting hand-outs?

[Treebeard]

In short, "no". It's like asking if anyone can stop the leaking on the Titanic.

California can't be salvaged. It's too broke to fix, and if it was a horse, would have been shot long before now, as an act of pure kindness.

[u-89]

>California can't be salvaged.

I believe you're right. Darn shame. California is such a beautiful state too. I'd've moved there years ago if it weren't run by liberals. Fruits and nuts are one thing - socialism is quite another.

> It's too broke to fix

That is the evil of socialism. It's doomed to fail and once down that road there is no way of turning back. BTW, I do not think the problem is isolated to California.

[South40]

Sowell is exactly right on all counts.

Of course in the minds of liberals that makes him a racist.

Oh, but wait! Minorities can't be racists. Jesse Jackson can spew all the racist venom he wants, but he cannot be a racist because he's not in a position to oppress or dominate.

The same can be said about Al Charlatan or Louis Farrakhan, or any one member of the NAACP or the Congressional Black Caucus.

They're immune from such charges as they are "minorities".

While there's certainly many things wrong with California, there's more wrong with a country that allows blantant open racism from a sect of society that, in their own minds, can do no wrong.

[mhking]

Article is not subject to WP/LAT exclusion - please post entire article:

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http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com | Arnold Schwarzenegger has made a big splash in the media by entering the California governor's race. But the real news out of California came a few days before Arnold's political bombshell.

The latest census data show -- for the first time -- that more Californians have been moving to other states than people in other states have been moving to California. Between 1995 and 2000, California had a net loss of more than 600,000 people to other states. People are voting with their feet.

California's total population has not gone down, however. Immigrants have replaced Americans. Apparently California is still considered to be preferable to Mexico or Central America.

After years -- indeed, generations -- of being a magnet for people and businesses, California is now exporting both, including particularly young people. Why?

One reason is that California's politicians are following a strategy which has worked well politically in New York City -- milking the productive people in order to support the unproductive, whose votes count just as much and are easier to get.

This may be killing the goose that lays the golden egg, but that is all right politically, so long as the goose doesn't die before the next election.

A classic example is San Francisco's monthly stipend paid to the homeless, who nevertheless panhandle and make themselves a nuisance on the streets in other ways, much to the dismay of downtown business owners. Recently, a San Francisco hotel association asked its guests not to give money to panhandlers because this just kept them hanging around, creating problems.

Instantly, a San Francisco official threatened to launch an investigation of hotels' charges if they didn't back off from telling people not to give money to panhandlers.

This is, after all, the left coast, where parasites are at least as valued as producers. That's apparently what equality is all about.

Illegal immigrants are at least as valued as native-born American citizens. Indeed, illegal immigrants living in California can go to the state's tax-supported universities, paying less than native-born Americans from neighboring Oregon or Nevada are charged.

Since this is California, the very phrase "illegal immigrants" is taboo. These are "undocumented" people. Even when they are caught committing crimes, California officials will not report them to the federal immigration authorities for deportation.

Then there are the environmentalists. Nothing is to be built that would offend them -- as virtually anything would. Even a dangerous section of highway along the northern California coast where people have fatal accidents with some regularity is not to be allowed to be improved because that would "spoil" the area and -- worse yet -- allow more people to move in.

Environmentalists are against crowding -- at least crowding where they live. Of course, this means that other places where they don't live will be more crowded than otherwise. But, somehow, that doesn't count. Nor do the people who die on a highway that the greenies don't want fixed.

And we mustn't forget the rioters, for whom San Francisco is the place to be. First of all, nobody who is anybody calls them rioters, no matter how much vandalism and violence they commit, including violence against the police. The politically correct word is "demonstrators" -- and this is the place to be politically correct.

San Francisco's district attorney can always find reasons not to prosecute "demonstrators," no matter how much evidence there is against them. At the same time, he is ready to throw the book at the police on the flimsiest evidence or even with no evidence.

They say that California is a state of mind -- and you can see what state that mind is in -- at least among the political classes. You can also see why many of the people whose work has contributed to building California into a great state are getting fed up and leaving.

Arnold Schwarzenegger already shows that he knows California will have to stop driving business away. But it will take a lot to terminate California's left-coast mindset.

[Mr. Mulliner]

A few other states in the area better wake up and smell the coffee. I lived in Washington for years and know they are headed down the very same road that California is. Their hostile attitude towards businesses and loony leftist regulations could threaten another very beautiful state.

[Mr. Mulliner]

I was going to post the whole thing, but FR stopped me and made me post an excerpt.

[TotusTuus]

Recently, a San Francisco hotel association asked its guests not to give money to panhandlers because this just kept them hanging around, creating problems.

"Don't feed the wildlife"

[Toidylop]

A classic example is San Francisco's monthly stipend paid to the homeless, who nevertheless panhandle and make themselves a nuisance on the streets in other ways, much to the dismay of downtown business owners. Recently, a San Francisco hotel association asked its guests not to give money to panhandlers because this just kept them hanging around, creating problems.

Instantly, a San Francisco official threatened to launch an investigation of hotels' charges if they didn't back off from telling people not to give money to panhandlers

modern day gestapo is alive and well in America...

[Sabatier]

The Californians are cashing out and moving to surrounding states and bringing their suburban lifestyle with them. Meanwhile the Mexicans, legals and illegals, are taking over the urban areas, such that places like Phoenix, Las Vegas, and other Southwestern cities look exactly like California cities. The only difference so far is that these other states are more conservative fiscally and haven't yet turned themselves into welfare states like California did. That's why I agree, Washington State is very liberal, at least in Seattle and Olympia, and in danger of ending up like California. It's not just the fault of local government when things start to go wrong, either. During a recent trip to a Social Security office in Arizona, 80% of the people appeared to be Hispanic. Once the local governments become dependent on the Feds for handouts, the Feds regulate more and more and the local governments have less and less to say about how they manage their states. It's what happened in California and it will happen in these other states, too, with Washington State leading the way.

[Treebeard]

I agree. IMO, California is the lightning on the horizon for the rest of the country.

[Common Tator]

Arnold Schwarzenegger already shows that he knows California will have to stop driving business away

Yes but Arnold campaigned for a very expensive new child care benefit not too long ago. It has to be paid for by taxpayers. Arnold must believe that if California can just get back to where it was 3 or 4 years ago all will be fine.

That is not going to happen. The margins on the products and services supplied by California's formerly high flying industries can not be restored. The tax rates formerly easily paid by the companies and their workders can no longer be paid. The $1000 computer chip that once had a 500 dollar margin, now sells for $100 and has a $6 dollar margin. Those busineses will leave the state or go out of buisness. They can't pay the fixed fees and taxes of California. They can't even aford the workers comp fees. There are no practical viable options . The one option that could work is to cut public spending per capita to a level well below other states. The differcet would have to be used to pay the increasingly papered over public debt. The smoke and mirror accounting will not work any better for California than it did for Enron. But huge custs in spending and taxes will not be done. Instead Arnold will likely be forced to reduce benefits without cutting taxes. As more tax paying citizens and companies leave it will require more cuts in benefits and the still high taxes will force more jobs and companies to leave. Arnold thinks he can attract businesses back to California.. That will not get done. They can't afford it. They will leave and stay gone or go broke. They will not exist even as the economies in other states improve.

Arnold could, once he figures it out, make the required cuts in both taxes and spending. That would cause him to be less popular than Gray Davis. But he is likely to achieve that job approval rating within months of being elected. Gray Davis and his lie about budgets won't be an excuse as more and more people get pink slips at work and leave the state.

The bottom line for the people cheering about Arnold, is that once again Republicans will get to take the blame for Democrat failures. Arnold is going to see to that. I don't think this German Socialist has a clue about what is in store for him or his state.

I think he believes he can ignore the issues and then just hang on until the economy in Califoria fixes itself. It is not fixing itself.

The main problem is the bubble burst on profit margins. For most of the last 70 years California has been on the cutting edge of many new technologies. That produces companies whith huge margins of profit. Silicon valley is a recent example. But the computer and electronic industries are maturing and the 20 to 50 percent profit margins have shrunk to 4 to 6 percent. The companies can no longer afford California's tax rates. The companies must leave or go broke. The nearest thing to a free lunch is over.... unless california can come up with new hightech industries that can pay the tax rates.

California is now the highest cost place in the world to make almost anything or provide almost any service. Until the costs come down .. including housing costs, California's goose is going to be increasingly cooked. Arnold has fixed it for himself and the Repubican aparty to take the blame for the results of that sad situation. The state is now losing 21,000 jobs a month. That is not a business cycle. That is the decline and fall of the California empire.

[Treebeard]

Agreed. It's the "dogcrap in the brownies" analogy, on a larger scale. By that, I mean, the tendency, whether intentional or not, if the illegals come from a third world $hithole, is to bring as much of the $hithole with them as they can.

Unfortunately, it seems California politicians (not most Californians) are unwilling or unable to see $hit and call it $hit. It's diversity, humanitarian, world citizenship, call it whatever, it has doomed California.

[ladtx]

That is the decline and fall of the California empire.

I agree. California is quickly becoming the ghetto of the whole United States. There will be no improvement until after the total collapse of its economy. The sad thing is that it will drag others with it.

[Amerigomag]

California is such a beautiful state too

You've obviously not visited California.

7/8s of the state is a desert and the part that could be considered "beautiful" is generally above 5000'.

[u-89]

I've been there 6 or 7 times. North, south ,east, west. I happen to like deserts but I saw some pretty nice mountains, forests, vineyards, coastlines farms, orchards, etc. Honestly I never heard anyone say it wasn't pretty. And what's wrong with high elevation?

[Morgan's Raider]

mhking - we have a sort of "friendly agreement" with Jewish World Review to link to their articles as it benefits their website.

[shhrubbery!]

Who is going to support the illegals now? and where will democrats get their votes if not for those getting hand-outs?

Well there's always the federal taxpayer who's already used to getting soaked.

But you're probably right, the lion's share of goodies handed out to illegals, such as MediCal, may be out of the California taxpayer's pocket.