What's Wrong with California is Wrong with America

George Will explains in great detail some of the key reasons why California is bankrupt: in a sentence, public sector greed and corruption is destroying the state. And where goes California, so goes America. :-(

Update: Amy Alkon shares her own personal story of the insanity in California schools.

A Wake-Up Call For the Left

Scott Mintz = Everything That's Wrong With Liberal Yuppies in Obamanation

Scott Mintz is a chiropractor in Los Angeles who bought 4 homes, renting out 3 of them. He is now up to his ears in debt. Rather than declaring bankruptcy, he instead wants the taxpayers of America to bail him out. What a greedy yuppie asshole! You can read the full story and see a video of him here.

Many people had a lot to say about this jerk. The best of the lot was this one:

From Kate I.: "This story amazes me...As a former realtor, I get so angry I have to turn off CNBC when I hear them talking about the housing crisis...What a bunch of baloney. I would venture to guess as much as 40-50 percent of the foreclosures are people just like him. I know several personally who are losing 2 or 3 "investment" (i.e. get rich quick) houses...not their primary residences mind you...the ones they bought because the stupid, greedy, irresponsible lenders let them lie about income, lie about occupying the house as primary residence, and buy with no or little down payment. I sat in many, many closings where everyone around the table, including the mortgage broker, knew exactly what was going on...my fellow realtors were just as greedy, raking in the commissions and hoping to ride the gravy train for as long as it lasted...knowing it would come to a screeching halt! OK, thanks for letting me vent...my blood pressure is getting too high so better end my rant!"

California: A Warning for All Other States & Provinces

More California Dreaming [Victor Davis Hanson]

One of the strangest things about the current California meltdown is how no one in state government here ever pauses to ask simple questions like: Why do we have the largest annual deficit with one of the highest sales tax and income tax rates in the country?

Anyone who charted the annual state budget increases over the last 10 years and adjusted for population and inflation rises would conclude that the state has decided to take over all sorts of previously private responsibilities and to ensure state employees and various dependents a level of compensation that is not sustainable.

It is not as if California decided about 10 years ago to invest to ensure we had state of the art freeways, university campuses, ports, airports, dams, canals, and power infrastructure. Instead, it was too often redistribution rather than investment. It is not like we can get out of the mess by simply stopping all construction when a vast public work force with pension and salary claims, along with entitlements and welfare, take the lion's share of the budget.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands whom we used to count on to pay our nearly 10% state income rates continue to flee the state. All the past sleight-of-hand borrowing, reliance on inflated real estate, lotteries, bonds, etc. have already been tried. Now we hit the wall of reality, whose iron-clad law — when you have no money, you really have no money — cannot be so easily demagogued away.

12/18 01:55 PM

Another View of the Automakers Bailout

Click on the image to go to the actual story by Michelle Malkin. And near the bottom, be sure to read how Toyota is managing to survive and prosper without getting government help.

The Recession Proof Public Sector

Anyone working in the private sector, about to walk into a very scary 2009, will not enjoy reading this editorial about Canada's public sector. But it's an important read nevertheless.

Baby Shower Pandemonium

Dear Prudie is an online "advice" column I subscribe to. Some of the letters get my head spinning. Here's a new example:

Dear Prudie,
My husband and I are expecting our first child in June. I will have at least five showers. I was wondering if it would be acceptable to ask that one of my showers be a "gift card shower" from a particular store. We have picked out baby furniture from a store, and we know that furniture is not an item that an individual can go out and buy alone. We also know the possibilities of duplicate gifts from five showers. Should I just tell the people hosting the shower that if anyone asks what to get, to suggest a gift card from the store, or would it be acceptable to have the theme of the shower be "Babies 'R Us Gift Card Shower"?

—Mother-To-Be

Dear Mother,
If it hasn't been long since the wedding, I assume your friends are still recovering financially from your five bridal showers. To ease your burden of coming up with a theme for each of your "at least" five baby showers, cancel at least four of them. (How is it that someone ends up having five baby showers, anyway?) The theme of your baby shower (singular) is that you are starting a happy new part of your life and your friends want to help you with that transition. The theme is not scoring enough stuff to start your own baby-goods store. As for how to let people know what you'd like—it's customary for the hostess to tell the guests where the mother-to-be is registered.

—Prudie