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By Thomas Gerard F. "Tom" Del Beccaro (Thomas Del Beccaro), Contributor
Forbes
APR 5, 2017 @ 12:49 PM
I try to place politics in perspective.
Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 22: U. S. House Minority Leader Rep.
Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) (right) speaks as California Governor Jerry Brown
(2nd R) listens during an event on health care at the House East Front
of the Capitol March 22, 2017 in Washington, DC.
House Democrats held the event to mark the seventh anniversary
of the Affordable Care Act. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
The 2016 election is in the books. President Trump won the vote that counts – the Electoral College vote. California went for Hillary and its governing politicians are fighting Trump tooth and nail. Indeed, rather than adjust to the rest of the nation, California is headed due left. Below is a list of just how far Left it is headed and how you – yes, you - are paying for it.
Before we get to the list, we should note how uniquely Left California really is. Plainly stated, of all the large states in America that regularly cast their Electoral College votes for Democrats, California is by far the most lopsided to the Left.
Washington State votes Democrat each Presidential Election – but it has no income tax. That is certainly a policy of the Right not the Left. Oregon reliably votes Left as well – but it regularly lands in the top 20% of states as a place to do business.
Even New York, quite the liberal state in most people’s eyes, is downright balanced compared to California. Not only is there a Conservative Party of New York that matters, the State Legislature is somewhat balanced. This year, although the Democrats dominate the New York Assembly, working with independent Democrats, according to the New York Times, “has allowed [Republicans] to control the chamber.” Before that, after the 2010 elections, Republicans had outright control of the Senate chamber.
California is anything but balanced. For two decades now, the Democrats have owned both chambers of the legislature – now with supermajorities in the Senate and the Assembly. That means they can pass any law they want, including higher taxes, without a single Republican vote.
Finally, keep in mind that California government, from the city council level to the state level, is over $1.3 trillion in debt – and growing because of pension and medical care promises made by those governments. Oh, and don’t forget that California’s highest income rate is 13.3% - 50% higher than New York’s top rate – and the nation’s highest poverty rate.
So how far Left is California headed? Let us count the ways:
1. Jerry Brown used to stand in the way. The Democrat members of the California legislature are so far Left that Governor Moonbeam regularly vetoed dozens upon dozens of the hundreds of laws passed each year. Yes, Jerry Brown is the adult in their legislative romper room. Previously, that has meant that Brown has vetoed such laws as universal health care and once promised no tax increases without a vote of the people.
No more. In March, Brown proposed a massive $52 billion over ten years to allegedly pay to fix roads. Keep in mind there is an existing gas tax that is dedicated to fixing roads. The Democrats in the legislature, however, took much of that money and spent it on other things. Now they want a new tax so they won’t feel guilty about raiding existing transportation taxes.
1. Brown’s High-Speed Rail. Jerry Brown didn’t put the brakes on High Speed Rail. Voters passed and Brown has pushed a $68 billion rail boondoggle, which some think would cost double that amount to really build. Even though the voters have soured on the project after finding out more about it, Brown and the legislature continue to fund the early stages of the program, which likely never will be completed. Brown could avoid any current tax increase for roads by using high speed rail funds for roads.
2. Gavin Newsom For Governor. Whatever brakes Brown applied in the past are about to come off. Gavin Newsom is the odds-on favorite to be Governor – he of the “whether you like it out not” squeal. He famously said just that as Mayor of San Francisco when he authorized same-sex marriages despite existing state law prohibiting it. Newsom deftly knew the courts would likely back his actions and change not only California law – but law throughout the country.
But you ain’t seen nothing yet. Newsom, according to the Sacramento Bee, “has long envisioned a universal health care model for California that includes a single-payer system.” Keep in mind, that Newsom is running for Governor so he can run for President.
3. Universal Health care. For years, each legislative session, a universal health care bill makes its way through the legislature. This year is no different – a bill will pass. Will Governor Brown sign it? Brown may change his mind this time around if Republicans in Washington undo ObamaCare. Even if Brown says no – because the massive tax increase it requires will conflict with his other tax increase – Newsom would sign that bill in 2019.
The existing bill promises “coverage for all medical care, including inpatient, outpatient, emergency care, dental, vision, mental health and nursing home care” – all without “co-pays or insurance deductibles,” according to the Santa Cruz Sentinel. It is downright Bernie Sanders-like.
Who will get those benefits? – well, likely everyone in the state without employer coverage. Everyone. All of which brings us to. . .
4. A Sanctuary State. Forget sanctuary cities – that is so yesterday. California Democrats in Sacramento are so intent on fighting Trump, they want to make California a Sanctuary state with benefits, such as in-state tuition for those here illegally, driver’s licenses and protection from deportation, etc. Those benefits were afforded to them with, as the LA Times called it, “relatively little political rancor.”
Of course, a Sanctuary State, would double down on California’s already permissive immigration policies that make it a magnet for illegal immigration – more than any other state in the Union.
5. Crime and Less Punishment. The left has long believed that many who commit crimes are victims themselves. Others are concerned with “mass incarceration” of minorities. So many people were in California prisons that prison overcrowding led to a Federal Court takeover of the prison system. Brown “solved” the overcrowding problem by pushing laws that have led to release of prisoners and the reduction in sentences. The result? A rise in crime that is going unpunished.
6. Ammunition Control. Forget gun control. That too is so yesterday. Gavin Newsom pushed and California voters overwhelmingly supported requiring permits to buy ammunition. Look for other Blue states to do the same.
7. Driving out Farmers. Some of California’s Leftist politicians believe farming harms the environment. They have made farming an increasingly more expensive enterprise, through wage and environmental regulations, to the point that they are driving farmers out of business - thereby reducing the capacity of California to produce food. Of course, that raises the price of food across the Country. Another result of that is the increased importation of foods from Mexico and China – two places that use far more pesticides and pollute the world to a much greater degree in the process.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (R) hugs
California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom (L) during a rally
in San Jose, California on May 26, 2016. AFP/ JOSH EDELSON
(Photo credit should read JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images)
8. California Regulations Are Polluting The World. As I mentioned in my last article, California continually increases the costs of manufacturing to the point of driving manufacturing out of the state. It also results in increased pollution worldwide as jobs go to China and India – two places with limited environmental laws.
So, what does all of this mean to you? The answer is much more than just increased pollution and higher food prices.
First, keep in mind that California has long set the agenda in America. It remains true to a significant degree that “as California goes, so goes the nation.” The legalization of gay marriage is recent proof of that. Also, don’t forget that the San Francisco was ground zero for the sanctuary city movement that grips the Left and affects the whole country.
Beyond those items, California’s high taxes, high poverty rate and poor job prospects have led many Californians to leave the state for other states. For those too poor to leave and those in poverty because of a lack of jobs brought on bad California policies, they are reliant on federal dollars for welfare, Medicare and the like. All combined, California has a disproportionately high number of welfare recipients – and you pay for that.
The list goes on. For years, Brown and the Democrats have refused to spend money on the upkeep of infrastructure in favor of their social justice plans. The recent storms wreaked havoc that should not have been but for deferred maintenance. Now federal dollars, your tax dollars, are paying for the repair.
All of the above is why you should care about California’s current drive to the Left. It is not just a political temper tantrum – it affects your state and your wallet. In other words, the Left Coast is not just a state of mind, it has a hefty price tag as well - and YOU are paying for it ever day.
Tom Del Beccaro
About author:
1. Tom Del Beccaro is the Author of The Divided Era
2. Thomas Gerard F. "Tom" Del Beccaro (born August 28, 1961 in Glen Cove, New York) is an American author and lawyer who served as the chairman of the California Republican Party from March 22, 2011 to March 3, 2013. On April 26, 2015, Del Beccaro announced his candidacy for U.S. Senate in a bid to succeed Democrat Barbara Boxer. On May 26, 2015, Del Beccaro launched his new book, The Divided Era, which discusses how our government system creates political division.
Del Beccaro is currently a Forbes columnist who writes frequently about tax policy and national politics. He has also contributed articles to Investor’s Business Daily, Rasmussen Reports, USA Today, National Review, Politico, The Washington Times and several daily newspapers in California. Del Beccaro is also a frequent talk radio and television commentator with regular appearances on FOX, ABC, CBS and NBC affiliates in California discussing current events in politics.
Biography: Prior to being elected chairman of the CRP, Del Beccaro served as the chairman of the Contra Costa Republican Party and was elected vice chairman of the CRP in 2007, then reelected in 2009.
Del Beccaro is the author of "The New Conservative Paradigm" published in 2007, which analyzes the role of tax policy in American presidential and congressional politics from the 1950s to 2010. The book was updated for the 2008 and 2010 elections. Del Beccaro is also the founder and publisher of Political Vanguard, an online magazine established in 2002.
During his tenure as CRP chairman, Del Beccaro’s goal was to increase the organization’s membership and communicate with more minority voters. He did so by organizing a series of open meetings throughout the state where he invited Democrats, Republicans and Independents to discuss critical issues and open the lines of communication. The town-hall-style meetings aimed to reach Latino and Asian voters, and in a first-time partnership, he collaborated with Univision, the Spanish-language television network, to broadcast the 2012 Fall California Republican Party convention. The Los Angeles Times credited Del Beccaro for his efforts to take the California Republican Party outside its "comfort zone" based on such meetings.
Due to a shift in the political landscape, including a move during the 2012 Fall California Republican Convention held in Burbank, California to limit the strength of the CRP chairman and the size of the office, Del Beccaro struggled to effectively raise money, which later resulted in a budget shortfall and staffing reductions. However, Del Beccaro states that candidate funding was largely unaffected, and that it was necessary to spend money earlier on to guarantee ballot access for Republican candidates due to Proposition 14, a decision defended by former chair Ron Nehring. Before taking over as the current CRP chairman, Jim Brulte demanded the strength of the chairman’s office be restored and its ability to raise funds.
Outside politics Del Beccaro is a business attorney based in the San Francisco Bay area. In 2000, he became a partner of the full-service business firm now known as Del Beccaro, Hornsby & Blake located in Walnut Creek, California. (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
3. I am the former Chairman of the CA Republican Party and I am a former candidate for the U.S. Senate seat in California. I am the Publisher of PoliticalVanguard.com, author of The New Conservative Paradigm and frequent talk radio and television commentator. I am considered to be the most Heard Voice in CA Republican Politics and was heralded by Mona Charen as a writer that “Not since Newt Gingrich in the 90s has a Republican activist so clearly analyzed what has gone right and wrong for the party and the Conservative movement. Human Events called me – “One of the GOP’s most effective communicators.” The Economist Magazine said “Republican spines are . . . stiffened by conservative bloggers such as Tom Del Beccaro." Outside of politics, I am a business attorney based in the San Francisco Bay area.
My latest book, The Divided Era, can be found on Amazon. Pls follow me on Twitter @tomdelbeccaro. (From author)
The author is a Forbes contributor. The opinions expressed are those of the writer.
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