California's Real Problems

By Dan Fernandes

The budget deficit is just a symptom.

But the chronic budget deficit is just a symptom of California's real problems. The political system is under control of the public employee unions, the regulatory bureaucracy, and the radical environmentalists. Taxpayers are treated more like milk cows than as people to be represented. California is rated the third worst state for business climate, has the fifth highest unemployment rate, and has the highest energy costs for business.

Tax increases are not an option. California is already the most taxed western state. Nationally, it ranks fourth or higher in several tax categories; we pay the most sales tax, the most gasoline tax, the third highest income tax, the fourth highest capital gains tax, and the fourth highest corporate tax.

Where does all the money go? Consider that our teachers and prison guards are the highest paid in the nation, new hiring flourishes, and public pensions are out of control.

Compounding our folly is something called the Western State Climate Initiative, and AB 32; these are intended to mitigate so-called "global warming" by reducing our use of carbon-based energy. These measures will do nothing to change the climate but will permanently mitigate our prosperity; they should be repealed, not merely delayed. Global warming is a false crisis based on false United Nations science.

Primarily, California needs to reduce the number of government employees, cut pay rates, control pensions, deregulate markets (especially energy), and cut taxes. Until then, our economic death spiral will continue.

My website at DanFernandes.com presents my views on many other issues. I am 100% pro-liberty on everything.

Please register and vote Libertarian so that the two main parties will start heeding our message of liberty.