Monday, October 5, 2009

ARTICLE: Will California Become America's First Failed State?

But it is no laughing matter. One in four American mortgages that are "under water", meaning they are worth more than the home itself, are in California. In the Central Valley town of Merced, house prices have crashed by 70%. Two Democrat[ic] politicians have asked for their districts to be declared disaster zones, because of the poor economic conditions caused by foreclosures. In one city near Riverside, a squatter's camp of newly homeless labourers sleeping in their vehicles has grown up in a supermarket car park – the local government has provided toilets and a mobile shower. In the Los Angeles suburb of Pacoima, one in nine homeowners are now in default on their mortgage, and the local priest, the Rev John Lasseigne, has garnered national headlines – swapping saving souls to saving houses, by negotiating directly with banks on behalf of his parishioners.

READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE...

4 comments:

  1. I enjoy your blog, El Bee, but please spare us the use of "Democrat" as an adjective. It is a "DemocratIC politician," not as you listed it with the improper use of the noun. I understand that Republican flamethrower Frank Lunz (sp?) currently does this as did Joseph McCarthy in the 1950's. It's a prejorative use of language against Democrats, and such use does not fool anyone except the uneducated.

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  2. The best advice to any young people (say, under 35) who are starting their careers, looking to settle down, start a family, and generally get on with their life is RUN from California. The business climate stinks, the cost of living is outrageous, the tax burden is onerous, and you have the privelege of living in areas with $1 million homes and you can't send your kids to public school (Wilson High anyone?). Yes, I still live here with my family, my wife and I are both professionals who have made very good livings for the past 20 years, and we just can't believe what's happened to this state. Sure, we like to do a night out in San Diego or Santa Monica, but the daily dysfunctionality of living here is mind boggling.

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  3. BJ,

    As I'm sure you know, I didn't write that article. The author appears to be a Brit--likely unfamiliar with the distinction. But, at least in the U.S., there IS a distinction, and I have changed the post to reflect that.

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  4. Isn't California already failed? :)

    At what point do we, as Californians, decide that we have had enough of the populist experiment of Direct Democracy? We have voted for a 2/3 vote requirement for a budget and for any tax increases. We have also voted to MANDATE the 40% of our general funds go to education. We voted for Stem Cell Research and a High Speed Rail.

    We, the voters of California, can not vote for less taxes and more spending. It doesn't work.

    This is, by far, one of the greatest places in the world to live. However, it is time to start over. It is time for a new state constitution, as this state is ungovernable.

    After the debacle post-recall, I do hope that more people are beginning to realize it.

    Our founder had it right (mostly) with a representative democracy.

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