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ALPERN AT LARGE - California is broke and with a budget shortfall. Los Angeles is broke and with a budget shortfall. Los Angeles is supposed to be having a world-renowned Olympics in 2028, and California is supposed to have one of the biggest economics in the world.
But we’re broke. Anyone who proclaims that we’ve got a handle on crime, illegal immigration, our economy, and homelessness may have a few good points, but they look ridiculous.
I very much WANT California to succeed, because in many ways as California goes, so does the nation.
But it’s to be remembered that New Yorkers and Californians are fleeing to Texas and Florida (some go back, but the bigger picture…right?). Idaho is telling Californians to go back. Most of the other 49 states in our nation want to be LESS like California, and not more.
So let’s get real—Memorial Day is the day we celebrate those who’ve given everything for our nation, for our descendants, and for what we stand for.
We owe our fallen heroes the decency to ask ourselves if we’ve become a state, city, nation, community, etc. worth them giving their lives. Don’t let the party, gender, age, or ethnicity thing get in the way…we owe our fallen the dignity of asking ourselves as human beings—and American human beings—the following questions:
- California grew when it was red, and more so when it was purple. There’s nothing wrong with blue if it retains a twinge of purple (and ditto for any red states), but aren’t we better off if our state is TRULY inclusive and encourages a two-party system for best outcomes?
- We’re 12 billion in our state budget…but we’re not the only blue state in the nation. When we do stop blaming Washington (and the Orange Man in the White House), and start questioning our own fiscal policies?
- Governor Gavin Newsom (and, by extension, Sacramento and all governmental entities) have some serious responsibilities to fulfill to address this $12 billion budget shortfall (LINK: Here is how California Gov. Gavin Newsom plans to address a $12 billion budget shortfall). Are we brave enough to do what’s necessary?
- We’re pulling back a bit on health care funding for illegal immigrants…but did we ever vote for their health care and other benefits, and is it fair to the taxpaying base who’ve paid into our state for generations to have OUR benefits threatened by those who we have no legal responsibility to pay for?
- Are we being cost-effective in how we pay for the homelessness crisis, or are we just rewarding both those not playing by the rules and funding those who are making some major coin and career enhancements exploiting this crisis because they do NOT want it to be fixed?
- AGAIN IT’S THE TRAIN—how much can we afford a project that’s likely to cost $150 billion or more (much more, maybe) to build at the suffering of all our other rail, road, and infrastructure needs? (I’ll again suggest we sell part of its construction and operations to Native American tribes for gambling/funding)
- Do we really hold our educational institutions’ collective feet to the fire when it comes to how they construct and operate our schools, colleges, and universities, or do we need to change our constitution to get a better accounting on how we’re spending such a high fraction of our tax dollars?
- Do we make it too difficult for small and large businesses to thrive and fund health insurance and other benefits with private funding, or are we forcing and fighting our economy to reach some dystopian dream of “public, socialized health care”.
- Are the greatest risks to our environment revolving around electric cars, fossil fuel vs. solar/wind vs. nuclear energy, outcomes-based environmental practices…or are the environment’s greatest risks caused by those who know NOTHING of science but are imposing their unproven and unfounded beliefs on the rest of us?
- Finally: When it comes to “taxation without representation” and “serving the citizenry”, does Sacramento value the public sector and their own financial benefit over the voters who are supposed to employ them (not the other way around) and treat the citizenry like servants in what should be a free state in a free nation?
(Kenneth S. Alpern, M.D, is a dermatologist who has served in clinics in Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside Counties, and is a proud husband and father. He was active for 20 years on the Mar Vista Community Council (MVCC) as a Board Member focused on Planning and Transportation, and helped lead the grassroots efforts of the Expo Line as well as connecting LAX to MetroRail. His latest project is his fictional online book entitled The Unforgotten Tales of Middle-Earth, and can be reached at [email protected]. The views expressed in this article are solely those of Dr. Alpern.)
