CALIFORNIA FINDS TENS OF BILLIONS FOR ILLEGALS BUT CAN'T MANAGE FIRE CONTROL!
"In fact, the destruction has again exposed the criminal indifference and negligence of the ruling class and both its political parties, Democrat and Republican. Social infrastructure, including fire departments, have been starved of funds for decades as trillions of dollars have been funneled into the bank accounts of the rich."
Statewide death toll rises to 31
California wildfire deadliest and most destructive in state history
By David Brown
12 November 2018
The death toll from wildfires ravaging Northern and Southern California has risen to 31. Thousands of homes and structures have been destroyed, and hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee from the spreading inferno.
The most destructive fire is in the north—the Camp Fire, which
started under the power lines at Poe Dam in Butte County. Fueled
by high winds and dry weather, the blaze quickly engulfed the
nearby communities of Pulga and Concow, before reaching
Paradise, a town of 26,000, shortly after students were beginning
their school day. The entire city was forced into a panicked and
unprepared evacuation. By Friday morning, Paradise
had burned to the ground.
started under the power lines at Poe Dam in Butte County. Fueled
by high winds and dry weather, the blaze quickly engulfed the
nearby communities of Pulga and Concow, before reaching
Paradise, a town of 26,000, shortly after students were beginning
their school day. The entire city was forced into a panicked and
unprepared evacuation. By Friday morning, Paradise
had burned to the ground.
The Hill Fire in Southern California
Harrowing pictures and video have been posted on social media of cars racing to escape as walls of flame bear down on all sides. Others had to abandon their cars and try to escape the flames on foot, while some did not make it.
With the death toll at 29, it is the deadliest wildfire in state history, the number of fatalities greater than the Griffith Park blaze in Los Angeles in 1933. At least two hundred more are missing.
The Camp Fire is also the most destructive in
state history. At least 6,453 houses have
been destroyed, along with Paradise’s
hospital and retirement home. Both the
destruction and the death toll are expected to
rise as the fire continues to burn and officials
begin to sort through the wreckage.
state history. At least 6,453 houses have
been destroyed, along with Paradise’s
hospital and retirement home. Both the
destruction and the death toll are expected to
rise as the fire continues to burn and officials
begin to sort through the wreckage.
The Camp Fire erupted on the same day as the Hill and Woolsey fires in southern California, which together have forced the evacuation of over 260,000 people. Two deaths have been attributed to the fires in the south.
President Donald Trump responded to the fires by threatening to cut off federal funding. “Billions of dollars are given each year, with so many lives lost, all because of gross mismanagement of the forests,” he declared in a tweet on Saturday. “Remedy now, or no more Fed payments!”
In fact, the destruction has again exposed
the criminal indifference and negligence of the
ruling class and both its political parties,
Democrat and Republican. Social
infrastructure, including fire departments,
have been starved of funds for decades as
trillions of dollars have been funneled into the
bank accounts of the rich.
the criminal indifference and negligence of the
ruling class and both its political parties,
Democrat and Republican. Social
infrastructure, including fire departments,
have been starved of funds for decades as
trillions of dollars have been funneled into the
bank accounts of the rich.
California has been hit by a series of devastating fires in recent years. The unfolding catastrophe follows the enormous 460,000-acre Mendocino Complex Fire in July (the largest in state history), the 280,000-acre Thomas Fire in December 2017 (the second largest), and the Tubbs Fire in October 2017, which destroyed 5,636 buildings (second only to the Camp Fire).
The levels of death and destruction from California’s fire season increasingly resemble the impact of hurricanes on the East Coast, where Hurricanes Florence and Michael killed dozens this year and Hurricane Maria killed thousands in Puerto Rico in 2017.
Each “natural” disaster follows a common pattern. Scientists and engineers have given repeated warnings that decaying infrastructure, dangerously built sprawl and global warming threaten disaster. The government carries out none of their recommendations. Then, after the inevitable catastrophe, officials organize grossly inadequate relief efforts, the media drops the story, and thousands are left to fend for themselves.
Part of the devastion in Paradise. Evacuation orders are not yet lifted
The impact of each of these disasters is the product of social conditions. Fire departments have been starved of resources, and power companies have failed to take basic safety precautions.
Two days before the recent fires broke out, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention (Cal Fire) issued Red Flag warnings that 23 million people across the state were in areas where conditions were ripe for fires to rapidly grow. Winds were expected at 20 to 30 miles per hour with gusts up to 50 mph.
BLOG: PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC ARE CRIMINAL ENTERPRISE AND LONG THE BIGGEST CONTRIBUTOR TO WAR PROFITEER SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN, AND ADVOCATE FOR WIDER OPEN BORDERS TO KEEP WAGES DEPRESSED.
BLOG: PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC ARE CRIMINAL ENTERPRISE AND LONG THE BIGGEST CONTRIBUTOR TO WAR PROFITEER SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN, AND ADVOCATE FOR WIDER OPEN BORDERS TO KEEP WAGES DEPRESSED.
The Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) repeatedly told residents of Butte County that they might preemptively shut off electricity to prevent power lines downed by the high winds from sparking a wildfire, but ultimately decided not to.
When firefighters initially responded to the Camp Fire Thursday morning, they were immediately confronted by PG&E’s downed power lines. Cal Fire will be investigating whether they were the cause.
The first firefighter on the scene at 6:43 a.m. recognized the danger and ordered the evacuation of the nearby community of Pulga. Within three hours, the fire had raced 10 miles to the city of Paradise. The County Sheriff began ordering evacuations, but no Wireless Emergency Alert was issued to cell phones in the area. Many residents only discovered the extreme danger when the fire was already bearing down on them.
This was an almost exact repeat of the Tubbs Fire last year that tore through a working-class area of Santa Rosa and killed 22 people. That fire broke out at night under high winds, with firefighters responding to 10 different reports of downed power lines. In just three hours, the Tubbs Fire traveled 12 miles to edge of Santa Rosa, and only then were people systematically evacuated, far too late.
Red Flag warnings currently in effect in California
Cal Fire has not yet determined the precise cause of either the Camp or Tubbs Fires. However, in a June report they found that PG&E equipment sparked 16 wildfires last year, and that in 11 of those cases the company had violated state fire prevention codes.
Far from holding the company
accountable, Democratic Governor Jerry
Brown signed into law SB 901 in September,
a new measure that would limit the potential
damages that utilities are liable for. PG&E is
potentially liable for $15 billion from the fires
they caused, but regulators can now reduce
assessed damages when weather
exacerbates the disaster. It further allows
state regulators to take the company’s
“financial status” into account and limit the
costs to shareholders by allowing the utilities
to raise rates on the public.
accountable, Democratic Governor Jerry
Brown signed into law SB 901 in September,
a new measure that would limit the potential
damages that utilities are liable for. PG&E is
potentially liable for $15 billion from the fires
they caused, but regulators can now reduce
assessed damages when weather
exacerbates the disaster. It further allows
state regulators to take the company’s
“financial status” into account and limit the
costs to shareholders by allowing the utilities
to raise rates on the public.
The bill also allocated $1 billion over five years to Cal Fire for fire prevention. By comparison, the operating profit
of PG&E in 2017 was $3 billion.
of PG&E in 2017 was $3 billion.
Adventist Health Feather River Hospital as it burned down [photo credit: Nichole Jolly]
Emergency measures are required to address the consequences of disasters like the California fires and prevent similar catastrophes in the future. Housing needs to be built with fire resistant materials. Cities need perimeters where brush clearance, fire breaks and controlled burns to prevent fuel from accumulating. In the event of the unforeseen, modern technology needs to be leveraged to carry out rapid evacuations, and those affected need the resources to rebuild their lives as best they can.
Every such catastrophe raises the necessity for the
massive mobilization of social resources based on
scientific planning and social need. The fundamental
barrier to taking even the most minimal measures,
however, is the capitalist system, which subordinates all
social and economic life to the profit interests of the
corporate and financial elite.
Northern California Wildfire Deadliest in State History After Death Toll Hits 42
1:18
PARADISE, Calif. (AP) — Authorities have reported 13 more fatalities from a blaze in Northern California that destroyed a town, bringing the total death toll so far to 42 and making it the deadliest wildfire in recorded state history.
The dead have been found in burned-out cars, in the smoldering ruins of their homes, or next to their vehicles, apparently overcome by smoke and flames before they could jump in behind the wheel and escape.
In some cases, there were only charred fragments of bone, so small that coroner’s investigators used a wire basket to sift and sort them. The search for bodies was continuing.
Hundreds of people were unaccounted for by the sheriff’s reckoning, four days after the fire swept over the town of 27,000 with flames so fierce that authorities brought in a mobile DNA lab and forensic anthropologists to help identify the dead.
The statewide death toll from wildfires over the past week has reached 44.
A 1933 blaze in Griffith Park in Los Angeles killed 29 people, and a series of wildfires in Northern California’s wine country last fall killed 44 people.
Is California Governor
Jerry Brown Mentally Ill?
Leftists are relentlessly
selling their bogus narrative that Trump is insane. Here are samples
of leftists' headlines: "Lawmakers Met With Psychiatrist About Trump's
Mental Health," "President Trump's Mental State An 'Enormous Present
Danger,'" "The Awkward Debate Around Trump's Mental Fitness,"
"The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 27 Psychiatrists Assess."
So what has Trump done to
convince leftists that he must be crazy? Unlike Republicans, Trump
fearlessly confronts fake news media, calling them out when they
lie. Unlike Obama's punish-evil-America-first presidency, Trump has
America's best interest at heart. Unlike leftists seeking to
dissolve our borders, Trump plans to build a wall to protect our people and our
economy. Insanely, leftists cheered when Obama allowed Ebola into America, claiming it was racist
and unfair for Americans not to be subjected to the disease. Unlike
Obama, Hillary, Democrats, and fake news media's war on Christianity (forcing a
100-year-old order of Catholic nuns to
fund contraception and forcing Christian businesses to service same-sex
ceremonies), Trump vows to defend religious liberty.
So I guess, according to
leftists' perverse way of thinking, that Trump must be crazy, along with the 63
million Americans who voted for him.
Governor Brown signed a
new law making California a sanctuary state, doubling down on his bizarre quest
to undermine American citizens. In essence, Brown gave federal law,
President Trump, and legal California residents his middle
finger. Numerous California families have suffered devastating
losses of family members killed by illegals with long felony records who have
been deported several times and welcomed back with open arms by
Brown. One mom whose son was killed by an illegal with two DUIs and
two felonies said Brown should
be arrested for treason. Isn't it reasonable to question
Brown's sanity?
Liberal
governing has transformed beautiful California into the poverty capital of America with
the worst quality of life. Crazy taxes, crazy high cost of living, and crazy overreaching
regulations have crushed the
middle class, forcing the middle class to exit the Sunshine
State. All that is left in California are illegals feeding at the
breast of the state, rapidly growing massive homeless
tent cities, and the
mega-rich. Would a sane governor take pride in causing this to
happen to his state?
Headline: "San Francisco Is A Literal [s-]hole, Public
Defecation Map Reveals." Can you imagine homeless
people pooping on the streets being so pervasive that an interactive map was created
to help citizens avoid the piles of poop? Human feces carries infectious diseases. What kind of
irrational logic deems posing such health risks to constituents an act of
compassion? Is Governor Brown crazy?
Insanely, three fourths
of California's taxpayer dollars – more than $30 billion – is spent on
illegal aliens. Meanwhile, despite the highest taxes in the nation,
California is $1.3 trillion in debt – unemployment is at a staggering 11%. California's
wacko giveaways to illegals include in-state tuition, amounting to $25 million
of financial aid. Nearly a million illegals have California driver's
licenses. L.A. County
has 144% more registered voters than there are residents of legal voting
age. Clearly, illegals are illegally voting.
Get this, folks: Americans are spending almost a billion
dollars a year on auto insurance for illegals. Brown is gifting
illegals billions in welfare and housing while his constituents cannot find a
place to live.
Ten years ago, a buddy of
mine excitedly moved his family from Maryland to California to accept the
highest-paying job of his career. Despite his lucrative salary, he
was forced to move back east due to the outrageously high cost of
living. My buddy said if he were an illegal, practically everything
would be free. His story inspired me to write and record a Beach
Boys-style song titled "Can't
Afford the Sunshine."
Once again, I ask you,
folks: would a rational governor do what Brown is doing to his
constituents? Is Governor Jerry Brown mentally ill?
California,
the Shithole State and Getting Worse by the Day.
By Wayne Allyn Root
Gateway Pundit,
California is Exhibit A. It’s filled with
immigrants. Ten million to be exact. Many of them illegal. Guess which state
has the highest poverty rate in the country? Not Mississippi, New Mexico, or
West Virginia, but California- where nearly one out of five residents is poor.
That’s according to the Census Bureau.
While California accounts for 12% of America’s population, it accounts for one third of America’s welfare checks. California leads the country in food stamp use. California has more people on welfare than most countries around the world.
. . .
If immigration is so great for our country and illegal aliens “contribute a net positive” to society…how do you explain what’s happening in California?
I haven’t even gotten to the taxes. The income taxes, business taxes, sales taxes and gas taxes are all the highest in the nation. Why do you think that is? To pay the enormous costs of illegal immigration. To pay for the education costs, healthcare costs, police, courts, lawyers, prisons, and hundreds of different welfare programs for millions of California’s illegal aliens and struggling legal immigrants too.
But you haven’t heard the worst yet. California- the immigrant capital of America- is filthy. Perhaps the filthiest place on earth. Filthier than the slums of Calcutta. Filthier than the poorest slums of Brazil and Africa.
NBC journalists recently conducted a survey of San Francisco. They found piles of smelly garbage on the streets, used needles, gallons of urine and piles of feces- all near famous tourist attractions, fancy hotels, government buildings and children’s playgrounds.
While California accounts for 12% of America’s population, it accounts for one third of America’s welfare checks. California leads the country in food stamp use. California has more people on welfare than most countries around the world.
. . .
If immigration is so great for our country and illegal aliens “contribute a net positive” to society…how do you explain what’s happening in California?
I haven’t even gotten to the taxes. The income taxes, business taxes, sales taxes and gas taxes are all the highest in the nation. Why do you think that is? To pay the enormous costs of illegal immigration. To pay for the education costs, healthcare costs, police, courts, lawyers, prisons, and hundreds of different welfare programs for millions of California’s illegal aliens and struggling legal immigrants too.
But you haven’t heard the worst yet. California- the immigrant capital of America- is filthy. Perhaps the filthiest place on earth. Filthier than the slums of Calcutta. Filthier than the poorest slums of Brazil and Africa.
NBC journalists recently conducted a survey of San Francisco. They found piles of smelly garbage on the streets, used needles, gallons of urine and piles of feces- all near famous tourist attractions, fancy hotels, government buildings and children’s playgrounds.
California
Passes UK to
Become World’s 5th Largest
Economy
California zipped
past the United Kingdom to become the 5th largest economy in the world in 2017.
The
U.S. Commerce Department reported that California with a population of 39.54
million has a larger Gross State Product at $2.75 trillion, versus the United Kingdom
with a population of 65.64 million and a Gross Domestic Product of $2.62
trillion.
A
big advantage California enjoys is having a surface area of 163,696 square
miles, compared to the UK with just 93,628 square miles of area. Although
almost a third of California is uninhabited, about the
same one-third of the UK is uninhabited.
Setting
a new all-time highest ranking versus the world is a huge change from 2012 when
huge swaths of California real estate was getting foreclosed and thousands of
cars were getting repossessed. This knocked the not-so-golden state to a world
economic ranking of #10.
But
California’s Gross State Product jump by $700 billion and created 2 million
jobs in the last six years. A huge piece of that recovery has been due to
globalism, with the U.S. Commerce Department reporting that California
exported $171.9 billion to 229 foreign economies in 2017.
Outstanding
performing export sectors were Silicon Valley which passed $30 billion, Hollywood
entertainment hitting about $16
billion, and the state’s agricultural sector
recording a near-record $20 billion in exports.
The
chief economist at the California Department of Finance Irena Asmundson told the Associated Press that
California’s economy since the lows in 2012 hit new highs in 2017 that included
$26 billion for financial services and real estate; $20 billion for the
information sector; and a decade-high $10 billion in manufacturing.
Asmundson
added that during the five-year period, California with 12 percent of the U.S.
population created 16 percent of all new domestic jobs and the state’s share of
U.S. Gross Domestic Product grew from 12.8 percent to 14.2 percent.
California’s
unemployment rate was at a 17-year low of 4.8
percent in 2017 and has steadily declined to 4.3 percent at the
end of March to set a 38-year low, according to the state’s Employment
Development Department.
But
not everything is great for all Californians,
with Breitbart News reporting
that Silicon Valley
as the worst state for “quality of life,” due to the
high cost of living.
If
California was a nation, the only countries left to pass
would be Germany with
a GDP of $3.69 trillion, Japan with a
GDP of $4.87 trillion and China with a
GDP of $12.02
trillion. Then the Golden State could try to pass United States
that has a GDP of $16.64 trillion, without California.
Adios, Sanctuary
La Raza Welfare State of California
A fifth-generation Californian laments his state’s ongoing economic collapse.
By Steve Baldwin
American Spectator, October 19, 2017
What’s clear is that the producers are leaving the state and the takers are coming in. Many of the takers are illegal aliens, now estimated to number over 2.6 million. The Federation for American Immigration Reform estimates that California spends $22 billion on government services for illegal aliens, including welfare, education, Medicaid, and criminal justice system costs.
A fifth-generation Californian laments his state’s ongoing economic collapse.
By Steve Baldwin
American Spectator, October 19, 2017
What’s clear is that the producers are leaving the state and the takers are coming in. Many of the takers are illegal aliens, now estimated to number over 2.6 million. The Federation for American Immigration Reform estimates that California spends $22 billion on government services for illegal aliens, including welfare, education, Medicaid, and criminal justice system costs.
BLOG: MANY DISPUTE CALIFORNIA’S
EXPENDITURES FOR THE LA RAZA WELFARE STATE IN MEXIFORNIA JUST AS THEY DISPUTE
THE NUMBER OF ILLEGALS. APPROXIMATELY HALF THE POPULATION OF CA IS NOW MEXICAN
AND BREEDING ANCHOR BABIES FOR WELFARE LIKE BUNNIES. THE $22 BILLION IS STATE
EXPENDITURE ONLY. COUNTIES PAY OUT MORE WITH LOS ANGELES COUNTY LEADING AT OVER
A BILLION DOLLARS PAID OUT YEARLY TO MEXICO’S ANCHOR BABY BREEDERS. NOW
MULTIPLY THAT BY THE NUMBER OF COUNTIES IN CA AND YOU START TO GET AN IDEA OF
THE STAGGERING WELFARE STATE MEXICO AND THE DEMOCRAT PARTY HAVE ERECTED SANS
ANY LEGALS VOTES. ADD TO THIS THE FREE ENTERPRISE HOSPITAL AND CLINIC COST FOR
LA RAZA’S “FREE” MEDICAL WHICH IS ESTIMATED TO BE ABOUT $1.5 BILLION PER YEAR.
Liberals claim they more than make that up
with taxes paid, but that’s simply not true. It’s not even close. FAIR
estimates illegal aliens in California contribute only $1.21 billion in tax
revenue, which means they cost California $20.6 billion, or at least $1,800 per
household.
Nonetheless, open border advocates, such as Facebook Chairman Mark Zuckerberg, claim illegal aliens are a net benefit to California with little evidence to support such an assertion. As the Center for Immigration Studies has documented, the vast majority of illegals are poor, uneducated, and with few skills. How does accepting millions of illegal aliens and then granting them access to dozens of welfare programs benefit California’s economy? If illegal aliens were contributing to the economy in any meaningful way, California, with its 2.6 million illegal aliens, would be booming.
Furthermore, the complexion of illegal aliens has changed with far more on welfare and committing crimes than those who entered the country in the 1980s. Heather Mac Donald of the Manhattan Institute has testified before a Congressional committee that in 2004, 95% of all outstanding warrants for murder in Los Angeles were for illegal aliens; in 2000, 23% of all Los Angeles County jail inmates were illegal aliens and that in 1995, 60% of Los Angeles’s largest street gang, the 18th Street gang, were illegal aliens. Granted, those statistics are old, but if you talk to any California law enforcement officer, they will tell you it’s much worse today. The problem is that the Brown administration will not release any statewide data on illegal alien crimes. That would be insensitive. And now that California has declared itself a “sanctuary state,” there is little doubt this sends a message south of the border that will further escalate illegal immigration into the state.
Nonetheless, open border advocates, such as Facebook Chairman Mark Zuckerberg, claim illegal aliens are a net benefit to California with little evidence to support such an assertion. As the Center for Immigration Studies has documented, the vast majority of illegals are poor, uneducated, and with few skills. How does accepting millions of illegal aliens and then granting them access to dozens of welfare programs benefit California’s economy? If illegal aliens were contributing to the economy in any meaningful way, California, with its 2.6 million illegal aliens, would be booming.
Furthermore, the complexion of illegal aliens has changed with far more on welfare and committing crimes than those who entered the country in the 1980s. Heather Mac Donald of the Manhattan Institute has testified before a Congressional committee that in 2004, 95% of all outstanding warrants for murder in Los Angeles were for illegal aliens; in 2000, 23% of all Los Angeles County jail inmates were illegal aliens and that in 1995, 60% of Los Angeles’s largest street gang, the 18th Street gang, were illegal aliens. Granted, those statistics are old, but if you talk to any California law enforcement officer, they will tell you it’s much worse today. The problem is that the Brown administration will not release any statewide data on illegal alien crimes. That would be insensitive. And now that California has declared itself a “sanctuary state,” there is little doubt this sends a message south of the border that will further escalate illegal immigration into the state.
"If the racist
"Sensenbrenner Legislation" passes the US Senate, there is no doubt
that a massive civil disobedience movement will emerge. Eventually labor union
power can merge with the immigrant civil rights and "Immigrant
Sanctuary" movements to enable us to either form a new political
party or to do heavy duty reforming of the existing Democratic Party. The next
and final steps would follow and that is to elect our own governors of all the
states within Aztlan."
Indeed, California goes out of its way to attract illegal aliens. The state has even created government programs that cater exclusively to illegal aliens. For example, the State Department of Motor Vehicles has offices that only process driver licenses for illegal aliens. With over a million illegal aliens now driving in California, the state felt compelled to help them avoid the long lines the rest of us must endure at the DMV. And just recently, the state-funded University of California system announced it will spend $27 million on financial aid for illegal aliens. They’ve even taken out radio spots on stations all along the border, just to make sure other potential illegal border crossers hear about this program. I can’t afford college education for all my four sons, but my taxes will pay for illegals to get a college education.
Indeed, California goes out of its way to attract illegal aliens. The state has even created government programs that cater exclusively to illegal aliens. For example, the State Department of Motor Vehicles has offices that only process driver licenses for illegal aliens. With over a million illegal aliens now driving in California, the state felt compelled to help them avoid the long lines the rest of us must endure at the DMV. And just recently, the state-funded University of California system announced it will spend $27 million on financial aid for illegal aliens. They’ve even taken out radio spots on stations all along the border, just to make sure other potential illegal border crossers hear about this program. I can’t afford college education for all my four sons, but my taxes will pay for illegals to get a college education.
If
Immigration Creates Wealth, Why Is California America's Poverty Capital?
California
used to be home to America's largest and most affluent middle
class. Today, it is America's poverty
capital. What went wrong? In a word:
immigration. According to the U.S. Census Bureau'...: The Golden
State is peddling fool's gold lately.
California used to be home to America's largest and most
affluent middle class. Today, it is America's poverty
capital. What went wrong? In a word: immigration.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau's Official Poverty Measure, California's poverty rate hovers
around 15 percent. But this figure is misleading: the Census Bureau
measures poverty relative to a uniform national standard, which doesn't account
for differences in living costs between states – the cost of taxes, housing,
and health care are higher in California than in Oklahoma, for
example. Accounting for these differences reveals that California's real poverty rate is 20.6 percent – the highest in America, and nearly twice the national
average of 12.7 percent.
Likewise, income inequality in California is the second-highest in America, behind only New York. In fact, if California were an
independent country, it would be the 17th most unequal country on Earth,
nestled comfortably between Honduras and Guatemala. Mexico is
slightly more egalitarian. California is far more unequal than the
"social democracies" it emulates: Canada is the 111th most
unequal nation, while Norway is far down the list at number 153 (out of 176
countries). In terms of income inequality, California has more in
common with banana republics than other "social democracies."
More Government, More Poverty
High taxes, excessive regulations, and a lavish welfare state – these are
the standard explanations for California's poverty epidemic. They
have some merit. For example, California has both the highest
personal income tax rate and the highest sales tax in America, according
to Politifact.
Not only are California's taxes high, but successive
"progressive" governments have swamped the state in a sea of red
tape. Onerous regulations cripple small businesses and retard
economic growth. Kerry Jackson, a fellow with the Pacific Research
Institute, gives a few specific examples of how excessive government regulation
hurts California's poor. He writes in a recent op-ed for the Los Angeles Times:
Extensive environmental regulations aimed at reducing carbon dioxide
emissions make energy more expensive, also hurting the poor. By some
estimates, California energy costs are as much as 50% higher than the national
average. Jonathan A. Lesser of Continental Economics ... found that
"in 2012, nearly 1 million California households faced ... energy
expenditures exceeding 10% of household income."
Some government regulation is necessary and desirable, but most of
California's is not. There is virtue in governing with a "light
touch."
Finally, California's welfare state is, perhaps paradoxically, a source
of poverty in the state. The Orange Country Register reports that California's
social safety net is comparable in scale to those found in Europe:
In California a mother with two children under the age of 5
who participates in these major welfare programs – Temporary Assistance for
Needy Families, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps),
housing assistance, home energy assistance, Special Supplemental Nutrition
Program for Women, Infants and Children – would receive a benefits package
worth $30,828 per year.
... [Similar] benefits in Europe ranged from $38,588 per
year in Denmark to just $1,112 in Romania. The California benefits
package is higher than in well-known welfare states as France ($17,324),
Germany ($23,257) and even Sweden ($22,111).
Although welfare states ideally help
the poor, reality is messy. There are three main problems with the
welfare state. First, it incentivizes poverty by rewardingthe poor with government
handouts that are often far more valuable than a job. This can be
ameliorated to some degree by imposing work requirements on welfare recipients,
but in practice, such requirements are rarely imposed. Second,
welfare states are expensive. This means
higher taxes and therefore slower economic growth and fewer job opportunities
for everyone – including the poor.
Finally, welfare states are magnets for the poor. Whether
through domestic migration or foreign immigration, poor people flock to places
with generous welfare states. This is logical from the immigrant's
perspective, but it makes little sense from the taxpayer's. This
fact is why socialism and open borders arefundamentally incompatible.
Why Big Government?
Since 1960, California's population
exploded from 15.9 to 39 million people. The growth
was almost entirely due to immigration – many people came from other states,
but the majority came from abroad. The Public Policy
Institute of California estimates that 10 million immigrants
currently reside in California. This works out to 26 percent of the
state's population.
This figure includes 2.4 million illegal aliens, although
a recent study from Yale University suggests that the true number of aliens is at least
double that. Modifying the initial
figure implies that nearly one in three Californians is
an immigrant. This is not to disparage California's
immigrant population, but it is madness to deny that such a large influx of
people has changed California's society and economy.
Importantly, immigrants vote
Democrat by a ratio higher than 2:1, according to a report from the Center
for Immigration Studies. In California, immigration has
increased the pool of likely Democrat voters by nearly 5 million people,
compared to just 2.4 million additional likely Republican
voters. Not only does this almost guarantee Democratic victories,
but it also shifts California's political midpoint to the left. This
means that to remain competitive in elections, the Republicans must abandon or soften many
conservative positions so as to cater to the center.
California became a
Democratic stronghold not because Californians became socialists, but because
millions of socialists moved there. Immigration turned California
blue, and immigration is ultimately to blame for California's high poverty
level.
Kim Basinger of 9 1/2 Weeks fame loses her home to Malibu fire, reveals daughter Ireland Baldwin
Kim Basinger is one of the many stars who has lost her home in the Malibu area fire in California, joining Miley Cyrus, Camille Grammer and Gerard Butler.
The 64-year-old star's daughter Ireland Baldwin revealed the news on Twitter.
'So many friends and friends and family of friends are losing everything they own in these fires,' shared the cover girl. 'My mom and her partner lost their Malibu home in #Woolseyfire and thankfully, they are both safe.'
Sad loss: Kim Basinger is one of the many stars who has lost her home in a California fire. Her daughter Ireland Baldwin revealed the news on Twitter. Seen here in 2017
She broke the news: Ireland Baldwin shared the information on Twitter; her dad is Alec Baldwin
Her note: 'So many friends and friends and family of friends are losing everything they own in these fires,' shared the cover girl. 'My mom and her partner lost their Malibu home in #Woolseyfire and thankfully, they are both safe'
Out of control: A stock image of a firefighter as he keeps watch when a home near Malibu Lake burns down
Kim's partner is hair dresser Mitch Stone.
Basinger had Ireland with SNL star Alec Baldwin who is now wed to Hilaria Baldwin; together they have four children.
Ireland - who is a model - was the only child of Alec and Kim, who co-starred in the comedy The Marrying Man in 1991.
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Kim started out as a model and her acting career took off in the 1980s when she played a Bond girl opposite Sean Connery in 1983's Never Say Never Again.
She went on to star with Mickey Rourke in 9 1/2 Weeks and has also worked with Russell Crowe on LA Confidential and with Eminem on 8 Mile.
He moved on: Basinger had Ireland with SNL star Alec Baldwin who is now wed to Hilaria Baldwin. Ireland - who is a model - was their only child
Her most recent film work is the Fifty Shades Of Grey film series.
Ireland also revealed that her Malibu home has been caught up in the Woolsey Fire.
The model spoke about the drama of trying to reach her home on Instagram on Monday.
Ireland complained that a cop guarding Kanan Dume Road, one of the main streets leading into Malibu had blocked her and a friend from getting in while accusing them of being looters.
Ireland said the officer was guarding one of the main roads into Malibu but refused to let her past without proof of address
She then launched into a foul-mouthed tirade against President Trump after he blamed the fires on poor forest management in California and threatened to withdraw federal funding.
In a series of posts, Ireland explained that she arrived in Malibu to rescue any possessions she could from her own home and try to help others escape.
Despite not having proof of address on her - because her ID and passport are registered to her business address - she claims multiple police officers along the way assure her she would be able to get into Malibu if she filled out a few forms.
However, she wrote: 'The officer by Kanan [the street leading into Malibu] was a complete and total a**hole.
'When I told him I could pull up proof of water bills or whatever I could find, he didn't even look at me and just told us to turn around.
'He assumed we were looters trying to get into Malibu to steal. He didn't say he wasn't letting us into Malibu because of looting, he LITERALLY called us looters.
She lashed out at the cop, calling him an 'a**hole' because of the way she was treated
Ireland said the cop assumed that she and her companion were looters and refused to allow them through to collect their belongings
'He told us to turn around an cooperate or we were getting arrested.'
Ireland went to to compliment the other officers she spoke to, saying they acted calmly and professionally without making accusations.
She also thanked firefighters and police for helping to put out fires and keep people safe, before branding the one officer who offended her 'a d**k.'
As for her house, she said she has no idea whether it is still standing but revealed all of her pets and her boyfriend were out of harm's way.
Then, Ireland turned her rage on Donald Trump and a pair of tweets that the President issued over the weekend, attempting to turn the fires into a political issue.
The first, on Saturday, read: 'There is no reason for these massive, deadly and costly forest fires in California except that forest management is so poor.
'Billions of dollars are given each year, with so many lives lost, all because of gross mismanagement of the forests. Remedy now, or no more Fed payments!'
Ireland also lashed out at President Trump after he blamed the fires on poor forest management and threatened to withdraw funding
The extent of the destruction in Malibu became evident on Monday morning as swimming pools were surrounded by ash and debris
Decking burns along Harvester Road in Malibu on Monday as firefighters struggle to control the blaze which has torn through the neighborhood
A second, issued after a backlash, added: 'With proper Forest Management, we can stop the devastation constantly going on in California. Get smart!'
Ireland retorted: 'At this point, calling Donald Trump an a**hole or being surprised by his reaction to any of these fires is a waste of energy. All you really can do is feel sorry for him.
'He's a sad, disgusting, classless, angry, inhumane, vile, abusive, atrocious, dull, vain, patronizing, thoughtless, unintelligent, Jabba-the-Hutt-looking excuse of a creature from the depths of hell.
'What do you expect from someone like that?'
Ireland was not the only celebrity to be affected by the fires, as Robin Thicke, Gerard Butler and Miley Cyrus revealed that their mansions were all destroyed in the fire.
Gerard Butler was among the celebrities to have their homes destroyed, posing in front of the burned-out remains of his house
In total 170,000 people have been evacuated from near the Woolsey Fire, which has destroyed 370 buildings and is threatening another 57,000
Meanwhile Simon Cowell was evacuating on Sunday night as strong winds fanned the flames towards his $23million home.
Kim Kardashian, Kanye West, Will Smith, Caitlyn Jenner and Lady Gaga were also forced to flee as the flames approached, though it is thought all of their homes are intact at this point.
The Woolsey Fire was burning largely out of control on Monday morning, having ripped through 90,000 acres and destroyed 370 buildings.
Two people have also died in the blaze after their bodies were found inside a burned-out car stranded on a long driveway.
In total, 170,000 people have been evacuated with a further 57,000 buildings under threat, Cal Fire reported.
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