Death of California

By Douglas V. Gibbs Wednesday, June 24, 2009

California has long been a beacon of success as a state with an economy putting to shame the economies of most nations. Americans have flocked to California, over the years, for the promise of making a better life for themselves.

The promise of California Gold is no more.

There is an old saying that says, “As California goes, so goes the nation. Since the end of Ronald Reagan’s governorship in California, the state has rarely seen a Republican Governor, and in the cases of Wilson and Deukmejian, it is hard to tell if the Republicans were any better than the Democrats. Nonetheless, the state has been under liberal control for decades. California ranks among the highest in tax rates, spending on education and welfare programs, and the financial habits of the state mirrors what the Democrats are doing right now in Washington.

Based on the similarities of Obama’s and California’s systems, it is safe to say if you wish to see what the United States economic outlook is under the Obama Administration, one needs to look no further than California.

Broken promises, runaway taxes, and out of control spending has led to a state with failed programs, and a bankrupt economy.

California is on the brink of economic collapse, and the Obama Administration has clearly indicated to California not to expect a bailout.

The economy in California is suffering from a $24.3 billion shortfall, and unless the state can save itself, the Obama Administration will probably give in, and pick up California’s shortfall. Meaning, to save a state run by a bunch of liberals that have spent too much of the taxpayer’s money, and not managed the state economy very well at all, taxpayers from other states will have to pay out their nose to save the state under the direction of an Obama Administration that has spent too much money, has not managed the national economy very well, and is directing the United States towards economic collapse.

California asking the Democrats in charge of the Federal Government for help is like a kid in school asking another kid in class, who happens to have the worst grades in class, if he can copy his test answers.

Nearly six years ago Gray Davis was recalled for mismanaging California’s economy. The third place finisher in that vote was Tom McClintock (of whom I voted for in that special election). The winner was Arnold Schwarzenegger, who promised to end Sacramento’s corrupt devotion to big government schemes, abolish the recently raised car tax, and end unsustainable deficit spending in California.

During the last half dozen years, Tom McClintock, a State Senator at the time, gave plenty of sound, conservative fiscal advice to Schwarzenegger, of which Arnold abided by none of it. Instead, like the liberals before him (after all, Arnold is married to a Kennedy, so what did we expect? The “Râ€