Today we learned that our Arrogant Lazy Authoritarian (ALA) Newsom claims that “California can’t cope with its budget deficit without federal help.”
My advice to the feds: Don’t do give us the help. I don’t want to have to launder my taxes through the federal government to bail ALA Newsom out of his ill-considered orders, and his continuing arrogance.
California state government must now pay the price for the order issued by ALA Newsom, just like hundreds of thousands of Californians have. Hundreds of thousands of Californians were forcibly laid off from their jobs because of the totally unnecessary statewide lock down order, and now that it is clear that it was totally unnecessary, ALA Newsom still refuses to lift the order, choosing what he calls a “phased in” restoration of liberty to the people of California. What that means is, if you are not one of the favored few, large businesses, politically connected groups, or supporters of Democrats in Sacramento, you will continue to starve, and you might get some kind of government bail out at some time in the future (READ: when we feel like getting around to it). If you work for the government, you are allowed to stay home, continue to get paid, and if you don’t get around to doing your job, to help those who have really suffered from ALA Newsom’s authoritarian order, well, that’s ok. You’re essential.
So, our hospitals are empty (because the projected emergency, which was supposed to overburden our hospital’s ability to care for the sick never occurred), our business owners have been forced to shut their doors, state workers threaten the livelihood of anyone who wants to open their doors to give them employees income, by taking their licenses (bars and barbers are being threatened right now), and ALA Newsom gets mad at anyone who defies his order, then pleads with the federal government to save him from the consequences of his order.
This was his fault. He caused the deficit, he imposed an order, based on faulty “scientific” data and “expert” opinions. He thought the state government, and state government workers (whose dues contributed greatly to his election in 2018), were immune from the consequences of that order. He didn’t think about the fact that a vibrant economy, which is sustained by a strong and vibrant private sector, is the necessary prerequisite for revenue to the state and federal government. Now, the chickens are coming home to roost, and he realizes that his government is going to be faced with massive layoffs of state employees.
My suggestions: lay off the “experts” that give you the bad advice first. Second lay off all the employees of the Unemployment Agency who have simply failed to process the applications they received, causing enormous financial hardship to millions of Californians. Lay off the people in the Barbering and Cosmetology division and the Alcohol Control board, who are threatening to shut down the very people who pay their salaries. Lay off the thousands of state employees that stayed home, collecting their paychecks, while the rest of us were forced to shut down without being able to earn a living.
You have threatened to arrest normal people, living their lives. You have shut down churches, businesses, and recreational areas. You have hijacked hotels and other properties to give free stuff to people who are not working. You have let dangerous people out of prison, threatened to put honest people in prison, and now you want to avoid having to pay the price for these crazy policies.
Sorry, you were wrong, and you are continuing to be wrong. Whatever economic consequences the rest of us are facing, you should face as well. That means you need to lay off your campaign donors. That means you need to be as austere as you forced the rest of us to be. And, you need to do it without complaint.
You caused this problem. You should give up your paycheck, just like you forced us to do, until the state pulls out of the economic malaise you caused. Don’t tell me you need my money, laundered through a different government process (that means the feds, instead of higher state taxes). If you want more money, ask the people you put out of work for it. See what they think is more important. Maybe next time you won’t be so arrogant when people wish to exercise their political and economic liberty.
If we are to learn from ALA Newsom’s foolish actions, then no one, not the federal government, and especially not you and me, can bail him out. Make him suffer the economic pain from COVID-19 that he inflicted on us. That is the way to avoid this in the future.