Kenneth B. Kay
A Navy veteran of the tumultuous Vietnam and Nixon years, he served his country from inside that chaotic White House. I cannot sing his praises enough! As a writer and a brother, a mentor and a friend, this man has had a life-long effect on me and so many others. Enjoy the spell he weaves with his mastery of prose and attention to detail that only his style surpasses.
THE CALIFORNIA MESS
Ken
Kay
08/16/03
It
has become all too easy for the rest of us in the nation to dismiss what
happens in the Land of Fruits and Nuts these days. The truth is that we all had
better show more concern for what is happening out there. The Golden State has
emerged as both a cultural trend setter and a political crystal ball. It is the
world’s fifth largest economy. As such, we ignore or discount it at our own
peril.
Alright,
you Californians no longer have any right to poke fun at or criticize the folks
in Florida over anything to do with their state politics or voting issues. They
are off the hook and you guys are on. If you keep it up you are likely to set
new standards for comedic politics.
So
what gives me as an Arizonan the right to concern myself with or criticize the
politics of a state I do not live in? For starters, all five of my
grandchildren are currently living there. Anything that impacts their little
lives shall not escape my attention and I will comment on it at the very least.
Since I live in a bordering state, I spend a lot of time in California. While
there I pay the same sales taxes that resident Californians do and I am subject
to most of their state level statutes. That being the case, I feel the state
officials there owe me a reasonable amount of service and attention.
In
a broader and less personal sense, California has become a political powerhouse
through shear size and economic importance. It exerts a tremendous amount of
influence on the culture of the nation if not the world. It has been blessed
with resources and natural wonders too numerous to mention. It has a rich
history and a reputation for a free-wheeling, innovative entrepreneurial sprit
that enables farsighted and talented citizens to build fortunes beyond their
dreams.
In
spite of all it has going for it, California has become little more than a
political echo chamber for the left. This adherence to such a monolithic
political philosophy and its resultant dominance has set the stage for an
unparalleled crisis in the state.
The
state treasury is facing a thirty eight billion dollar deficit while its
citizens pay what has to be one of the highest percentages in the nation of
their income to fund draconian tax codes set up to pay for lofty and often
unnecessary social programs, most of which were actually designed to cater to
special interests. People and businesses are fleeing the state at an alarming
rate resulting in reduced revenues and amplifying the negative effects of an
already shaky national economy.
Times
are hard all over but such a set of fiscal circumstances in a state not only
bespeak of poor management but screams of corruption at all levels. In short
the fix is in. Special interests are in fiscal control and therefore political
control of just about all branches of the state government. Ideological checks
and balances can’t work because conservative viewpoints and initiatives are
systematically squelched.
Having
grown up in Alabama, I am no stranger to weird politics. Need I mention Jim Folsom
or George Wallace? In his last run for governor I personally heard Jim Folsom
say that we the citizens of Alabama should re-elect him because he had already
stolen all he wanted from the state and if we put a new guy in office he would
steal more than he Folsom would. You can’t get any weirder than the truth in
politics I guess. Wallace’s exploits were well covered nationally but his and
his wife’s administrations at the state level are still legendary. Both pale in
comparison to Mr. Davis and his current crew in Sacramento when it comes to
sheer ineptitude and fiscal naiveté.
There
is more than enough blame to go around however. You Californians voted him in.
Not only that, but you voted all those high taxes on yourselves and all those
weird regulations that make running a business in your state like trying to
hang wallpaper with one arm tied behind your back using only a crowbar at
midnight. If you are expecting me to feel sorry for you, don’t.
This
recall farce is a classic study in confusion. At first look, it is like trying
to get a splinter out of your finger using a chainsaw. There should not have to
be a recall process. Like impeachment it is a last ditch tool to correct
situations such as exist in the state today. No one should want to use it and
maybe it needs to be even harder to initiate than it is but at this point those
are all moot questions. The die is cast. Hopefully, this will make public
officials at all levels more mindful of their obligations to the voting public.
At
last count you guys are going to have close to 200 from which to choose your
replacement governor. Congratulations. But look on the bright side. Each of
those candidates has to pony up $ 3,500. Times 200 that’s a cool $700,000 – a
nice start on the 38 billion if it weren’t for the fact that projected costs
for the recall election will be 67 million dollars plus. Makes you wonder if
the cure isn’t worse than the disease.
The
alternative is simply more of the same. The state is just before entering the
junk bond market. Business as usual is just not a viable option at this point.
You Californians, like your politicians, are just going to have to face the
music. Things are going to get a lot worse before they even start to get
better. Whoever you select out of the 200 to be your next governor will need
your total and unified support if he/she is to have a prayer of restoring any
kind of fiscal order in Sacramento. His or her ability, experience, skills or
leadership; although important, won’t mean a thing without the wholehearted
support of ALL of you.
Politics
mirrors life in that you get out of it only what you put into it. Failing to
vote or inform yourself from a trustworthy source about what your elected
officials are up to is one of the quickest ways I know of to lose control over
their behavior in your behalf. Listening to and believing all they tell you
without confirming it independently is another. Voter apathy and ignorance are
the root causes of political corruption. If some sharpie in political office
thinks he can get away with something he is sure going to try.
I
wish you guys nothing but the best. As I have stated I feel I have a pretty
important vested interest in the outcome of events out there. The Founding
Fathers of this nation had a vast and enduring faith in the wisdom and will of
the people. Get in there and fix this mess so the rest of us can build on your
example.