Posted by
Terry Paulson on Wednesday, November 03, 2010 9:49:07 AM
Watching
the late election returns from California, 92-year-old conservative Harold
Wilder Jr. sent an email message to his friends under the heading, “Oh My God.”
He wrote what many conservatives feel, “I am embarrassed and ashamed to be
considered a Californian, who apparently would rather be cared for than care
for himself.
California,
the state in which I reside, remains in fiscal denial and disconnected from the
center-right country in which it resides. I, too, am saddened by the election results
in California. With control of the governor’s office, majorities in both the Assembly
and the Senate, and passage of Proposition 25 which allows budgets to be passed
with a simple majority, Democrats will have unchecked control of the state.
It’s
clear that in New York and California, the unions have a lock on political
power. They are willing to mobilize their member and fund almost unlimited
campaign ads to keep control. Now, they will have nothing to stop them from
imposing their vision of the future for the state. But they do so in a
different political environment.
Unlike
Washington, state politicians do not have the power to print money. If they
hoped to be bailed out by Washington as a state “too big to fail,” they will be
facing a Republican controlled House of Representatives. The House is
responsible for the budget and controls the purse strings in Washington. They
will not get funds from a country that is crying for smaller government, less
spending and lower deficits.
Sadly,
this could translate into even more CA budget shortfalls, more companies
leaving the state for business-friendly incentives, lower bond ratings, and
continued unemployment problems for the Golden State.
The
battle is not over. The soap opera continues for another season. It will get much
worse here before California voters wake up to the consequences of their
election choices.
I want to end by applauding the loyal and out-numbered conservatives, Tea Party members and Republican faithful who have fought hard for change. I have every confidence that, though disappointed, we will press on to take a stand again to impact our next election. America and California are too important to leave the fight for conservative principles and fiscal sanity.