Post Election Rant - Good Luck to the Golden State (You're going to need it)

     Congratulations Californians on being officially deemed the dumbest constituency in the U.S. In case you have not been reading the news over the past few years, CALIFORNIA IS BROKE!!! Almost every other state in the union threw out their incumbents during yesterday's election as a means of infusing new thoughts and new blood into the system. California voters opted to reward those who have financially ruined our State by re-electing them. We are the laughing stock of the nation right now. Even New York had enough sense to have a turnover of politicians in statewide offices. I am not only referring to the transfer of power in the House of Reps, I am referring the statewide elections such as Governor and State Legislature. I care less about Barbara Boxer being re-elected than I do about that retread Jerry Brown being elected Governor. What is bothering me is that some are celebrating the fact that we have kept in office those individuals who are responsible for our financial disaster. Are we blind and stupid or are we just so easily swayed by punditry, television ads and voter manipulation (see Gloria Allred).
     Now, I was no Meg Whitman fan but she was definitely the lesser of two evils. Instead of her campaign being solely funded by labor unions which represent only 25% of employed Californians, she used her own money. She did NOT use workers' union dues and special interest money as Jerry Brown (and yes Barbara Boxer) did. Additionally, she is an experienced and shrewd businesswoman. And that, in case you have not been paying attention, is exactly what our bankrupt state needs.  Our State desperately needs pragmatists in office, not ideologues. 
     One of the most important things that everyone seemed to ignore is that Jerry Brown was already Governor of California in the 1970s-1980s. (He was also a failed Attorney General and a self-admitted failure as Mayor of Oakland.) And guess what, his tenure in office was stained with wide swept corruption. Although a fiscal conservative who maintained the surplus established by the previous Governor (Ronald Reagan), his behind closed doors dealings with labor unions ultimately lead to a loss of credibility.
It was during his bid for the Presidency in the 90's when he admitted on television that he LIED all the time while campaigning and while in office. Bill Clinton used this to his advantage and ultimately won the nomination and then the Presidency. So corrupt was Brown that the San Francisco punk band The Dead Kennedys wrote a song about him themed "power corrupts".
     At the end of the day, California has just elected a retread. A retread without any economic vision to bring our state out of the red and back into the black. His 1974 policies are no longer viable as the state is not in an economic boom where businesses are moving to California as it was in the 1974. We are in a steep recession where the largest employers have moved out of the state to a more business friendly state such as Texas. Appeasing labor unions (the ones who paid for his campaign) and letting them run our economy is going to prove disastrous and push even more businesses out of California.
     Now, I hope you are still following me, things are about to get more complex. Not only did you re-elect those who lead to our financial hardships but your proposition votes have now taken away and checks and balanced to protect yourselves. Allow me to break it down:
     1. You elect politicians who admittedly plan on levying taxes and fees on a wide variety of businesses, from Mom and Pop stores all the way to microchip and superconductor manufacturers in Silicon Valley. (You know, those pesky companies that make your computers, iPads, and cell phones possible and employ tens of thousands of Californians.)
     2. You then vote NO on prop 23, thus allowing Cap and Trade to be implemented during the worst economic crisis of our time. Now companies will have to pay the state a fee determined by how much energy they use in producing the goods and services you buy and use. How do you think they will recoup those costs? That's right, they will raise prices on everything. Experts have estimated the average household will now spend $3800 more annually on things like electricity, natural gas, gasoline and any products manufactured by the affected companies. (I am sure that those on the unemployment line don't mind.) This is actually the best case scenario. The worst case is that the companies will find it more profitable to leave the state and relocate to a state where they can keep operating costs down and not have to raise product prices and thus become less competitive. It is called ECONOMICS 101, and if California voters knew anything about economics they would have voted YES on this prop. Even if you are an environmentalist (and I consider myself one), you need to realize that the suspension on Cap and Trade, was just that, A SUSPENSION. It would still be implemented once the unemployment rate lowered to a level where consumers could weather the storm of higher prices.
     3. You then vote YES on Prop 25, thus making a simple majority (instead of a two-thirds vote in the Legislature) enough to pass a budget overturning the State Constitution that makes a two-thirds vote required. This was a deceptive prop as it looks good at first glance because it may stop some of the gridlock that has occurred in passing a budget in the past. But this prop was pork-barreled with all sorts of perks for politicians and now there is not sufficient checks and balances in the legislature. Anytime the Democrats want to raise taxes (and they will) they can and there is nothing the minority can do about it. And there is nothing you, the constituent, can do about it either. The Prop has a security mechanism in it that would NOT ALLOW a referendum to repeal it once implemented. Like I said in my Nov. 1 blog, "READ THE FINE PRINT".
     What is aggravating is that almost all other States realized that we cannot maintain the status quo and stay economically viable. But Californians failed to do their homework and have set the State back. The Bush tax cuts will likely be extended for two years now that the House of Reps has had the turnover, and that is a good thing. Does anyone in America really want their taxes to go up in 60 days? That is what was slated to happen; the Bush tax cuts were set to expire. But the people realize that they need every dollar in their pocket and voted accordingly. California will not fully appreciate this now that it has handed over all taxing power to the legislature and the Governor without any significant oversight or checks and balances. WHAT IS REALLY AGGRAVATING; is that many of you who voted DO NOT EVEN PAY SUBSTANTIAL TAXES. You may pay a little, but not enough to even cover the maintenance of the roads you drive on. So none of this directly affects you. But it screws the rest of us who have to pay for your share. You have set California up for failure while the rest of the union will thrive.  You have created the perfect storm. If you keep driving away those who pay the majority of the taxes in the state and you drive away all the business, WHAT WILL CALIFORNIA HAVE LEFT?  It cannot survive on Hollywood alone.
     I am sorry that I sound bitter. I should be very happy that nationally there has been a change in balance of power. I hate it when one side can govern and regulate unchecked! The country is stronger today than it was yesterday! But I am just very displeased and disappointed in the State that I have grown to love and have chosen to call my home.