Amidst the Republican wave on Tuesday evening, one state stood conspicuously apart from the others: California. By embracing the politicians responsible for the state's dire economic straits and rejecting policies that might alleviate that economic misery, California proved itself to be monumentally mistaken. The state that once stood as the pioneer of America's future is now a decaying wreck that stubbornly refuses to save itself.
California not only re-elected Sen. Barbara Boxer but also restored Jerry Brown to the governor's office, 30 years after his first term in that office. As the largest state in the nation, it is surprising that only one House seat will change hands - and by the thinnest of margins. Additionally, its state senate remains as it did before the election and the state assembly will see only two blue-to-red switches. Californians passed legislation to make it easier for the state assembly to raise taxes, to maintain expensive carbon emissions regulations and to keep marijuana illegal. The state even earned the title of the worst state for business by Chief Executive Magazine.
This is not a partisan criticism of California: Meg Whitman was a mediocre gubernatorial candidate and Carly Fiorina, Boxer's opponent, was a poor ideological fit for the state. The lack of Republican gains in the House and state assembly is primarily attributed to gerrymandering cravenly agreed to by the state Republican Party rather than the candidates presented. This is a criticism of California for returning unrepentant incompetents to office and for voting for policies seemingly designed to accelerate the pace of economic destruction.
It was then-Governor Jerry Brown who in 1977 passed the Dills Act legalizing public-sector collective bargaining in California. For a state facing bankruptcy driven by public-sector pension obligations, the restoration of Brown seems either a cruel joke or a bizarre exercise in collective masochism. Brown's reputation for hippie-ish disconnection from reality, which earned him the nickname "Governor Moonbeam," is a reputation this state should run from, not embrace.
But it is not only Brown who should have been rejected: Those in power in California, from State Controller John Chiang to the members of the statehouse, have overseen the substitution of magical economics for common sense. These statesmen have encouraged the people of the state to believe in free lunches through pension obligations, stealth taxes and expensive infrastructure projects. These happen to be Democratic incumbents. What matters is that they are incompetent, destructive incumbents. And as bad as one may consider their opponents to be, at least the state Republicans lack the corrupt dependence on interest groups like "green" businesses and public-sector unions that characterize the Democratic powers-that-be.
The most revealing - and condemning - results in the election were those of contested public initiatives. These have no partisan tilt to sway voters and no personality to alienate voters. Proposition 25 would allow tax increases to pass the statehouse with a simple majority. It passed. Proposition 23 would have suspended carbon emissions regulations until unemployment, presently at 13 percent, reached 5.5 percent - what the figure was when the regulations were adopted. It failed. And, of course, Proposition 19 would have legalized marijuana. It failed. Three choices, and California chose wrong on all three.
One might suspect that willingness to raise taxes signaled a new seriousness on the part of Californians. The problem is Californians do not really see it as raising their taxes: "the rich" will pay. California already has the second-highest taxes in the nation, which drive businesses from the state. Californians see taxes as a free lunch; they are unwilling to acknowledge that massive spending and ambitious emissions projects are luxuries. In a recession, you have to give up luxuries or pay for them in a way that does not make your situation worse.
Keeping marijuana illegal is a luxury, too. Marijuana prohibition costs the state criminal justice system at least $156 million annually and the potential for revenues of up to $1 billion annually from taxation. Regardless of the significant problems of legal marijuana, these are not ordinary times. California, with its present quasi-legalization through medical marijuana, cannot afford to have it both ways anymore.
Why is this relevant? California was once the vanguard of the "American dream." Its Democrats once believed in using public works and education to build the future; they now see those projects as feathered beds for favored interest groups. Republicans once believed in unleashing the creativity and drive of the state; now they conspire to secure their own low position, never hoping to win again. With this election, the people blessed these transformations, from building the future to managing decline. As Alexis de Tocqueville said, in a democracy, the people get the government they deserve. California has made its choice: unreality.
Roraig Finney is a Viewpoint writer for The Cavalier Daily.
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