Everyone, regardless of their political persuasion, will agree on one immutable fact: California state government is in a world of hurt. The state’s recession has walloped what once were sky-high tax revenues, and now the state has a massive budget shortfall. This tragic situation shaped much of the Governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger, and has completely dominated the first 100 days of Jerry Brown’s third term as Governor.
It is somewhat amazing that in the context of this crisis, that next week a group of California legislators are headed abroad to of all places – Ireland. The Los Angeles Times has reported that one of the purposes of this legislative international journey is, according to the Times, “ to study how to turn sewage and wind into energy.”
Seriously.
Democrat Assemblyman Steve Bradford (who along with his Democrat colleague Fiona Ma are the only two legislators named as going on this trip, though more are implied) told the Times, “I want to see what other countries including Ireland are doing to make this sustainable and affordable, and make sure the jobs are real."
Apparently Bradford, Ma and the others going on this junket haven’t taken the time to search the internet about the country they are about to visit – may I suggest they do so now – try typing in: “Ireland Financial Crisis.”
Ireland’s financial situation actually makes California look like we’re sitting pretty. Their government-owned Central Bank is desperately trying to keep a full scale implosion of the Irish economy from taking place. The projected budget deficit for the beleaguered island nation could be as high as €50 billion over time (the current exchange rate is about €.69 = $1). The budget deficit for the nation is a staggering 12% of its gross domestic product. To put that in context – California’s GDP in 2008 was $1.84 trillion (with a “t”) dollars. So you can quickly see that Ireland has quickly eclipsed Greece in terms of economic catastrophe within the European Union.
Ireland is in a massive recession (since September of 2008), unemployment rates are staggeringly high, banking scandals have roiled the country, and the Fine Gael party, which leads a fragile coalition government, is now in much disfavor. Massive protests (in excess of 100,000 people) have rocked Dublin. The Irish Stock Exchange, which peaked briefly at 10,000 points in April of 2007 and currently sits at 2,965.
So I guess during the trip over the pond, legislators can see first-hand the devastating impacts of over-regulation on an economy – on a nation.
State legislators will not have to pay one dime for this “public interest” journey to Ireland. The event is being paid for by the California Foundation on the Environment and The Economy. Translation: a bunch of big businesses and unions who depend on the good graces of the Governor and State Legislators (including Chevron, SCE, Sempra, and the State Building and Construction Trades Council, to name some) are paying for them to enjoy what is billed as an “educational opportunity…” The trip is scheduled to be ten days long. This same Foundation took seven tone-deaf legislators to Spain last year.
Take heart however. While one group of California legislature goes on their week-and-a-half trip to Ireland, yet another group of legislators (who will be joined by Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom) are headed to Texas for a couple of days to get an understanding what they are doing right over there, since business are moving from California, and are moving into Texas. The trip to Texas won’t be nearly as much fun for attendees as ten days in Ireland. As legislators leave to come home from Texas, you can just imagine Governor Rick Perry offering to help them relocate our state legislature to Texas, where is can be run more cost effectively. When the delegation returns from Ireland, you may hear about visiting the Cliffs of Moher or kissing the Blarney Stone – but you will not hear them talking about having California take anything out of the economic playbook of Ireland.