Conservative anti-tax zealot Grover Norquist once famously said the goal of his movement was “to shrink government down to a size small enough that we can drown it in a bathtub.” Welcome to the dysfunctional state of California, where we are about to achieve that goal.
Pity the social safety net, certain to be left in tatters at the bottom of the basin, but perhaps the suffering and neglect of millions of needy Californians is what’s ultimately necessary. Maybe then the populace will recognize that it’s long past time to reform our state’s disastrously absurd financial framework. It’s long past time for someone in Sacramento to lead California into the 21st century.
— Jim Mallon – San Luis Obispo
This article appears in Jun 4-11, 2009.