Opinion: California bashers are missing the real story
By Peter Schrag, Sacramento Bee
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was only the latest to pile on California this week. The state, he told California GOP delegation at the party’s national convention, had given itself to “the masters of huge spending and huge government.” In electing Jerry Brown, it made “a bad choice with an old retread.”
A couple of weeks ago, Mitt Romney compared us to Italy, Greece and Spain. Sarah Palin, calling California “a cautionary tale” in a Facebook posting, warned that “Obama’s vision for America will make the rest of the country look like California, minus the beautiful scenery and warm weather.”
The Golden State, she said, “once boasted the entrepreneurial innovation of Silicon Valley – the American creative engine,” with the strong implication that it was no more.
And last week, state Sen. Mimi Walters of Irvine issued a handout headed “California Is Not Quite as Bad as Greece.” Her bill of particulars included “Taxes, Taxes, Taxes,” “3rd Highest Unemployment Rate in the Nation” and “Lowest Credit Rating in the Nation.” Translated in this election season: It’s all the Democrats’ fault.
Do any of them really know the place they’re talking about?
None of them seemed to know that the 365,000 jobs California gained in the 12 months ending in July meant that the state had grown jobs twice as fast as the nation – 2.6 percent vs. 1.3 percent. Professional, scientific, technical and information services added 60,000 jobs.
The Bay Area – meaning Silicon Valley, in case Palin doesn’t know – led the state in job gains. In the past year, the San Francisco metro area added nearly 41,000 jobs; the San Jose area gained more than 30,000; the East Bay gained nearly 20,000. Southern California and Sacramento also picked up jobs.
In the second quarter of 2012, more venture capital was invested in California-based companies than in the other 49 states combined. The state economy, said Steve Levy of the Center for the Continuing Study of the California Economy, “has its mojo back.”
Palin has never known what she is talking about, everybody knows that. Her rise on the Right purely show the idiocy of that platform.
…now excuse me while I tear up that CalFire tax form I just got in the mail…
It seems like one of the favorite pastimes of a large group of people from all 49 other states is that of bashing California. YET in the biggerpicture, often history proves that as California goes, so goes the rest of the nation!
CALIFORNIA ROCKS!
Everyone should just tear up the CalFire tax form.
I was going to tear up my fire tax form. Till I found out that for every month your payment is late, they will penalize you 20%. And the next 20% will be levied also on top of the last 20%. So if you don’t pay it, you are only hurting yourself.
You SHOULD, however, write “under protest” on the note line. That way, when the supreme court determines that this IS an illegal tax, you may get your money back.
Silly facts, they have no place in my worldview.
and when the big fire that is inevitable here in lake tahoe comes blowing towards your door step, dont whine and snivel when the fire fighters cant save your mcmansion because there is no funding to get them here. I was a wildland firefighter and I know from first hand experience that it costs tax dollars to fight wildfires. So if you dont pay your fair share than dont cry when the federal government cant help save your home.