Radical Avenue

California knows catastrophes. Preparing for emergencies is a way of life. Every year California has fires, earthquakes, floods and mudslides. We usually have several of these disasters a year. Right now, fires are ravaging southern California. But you won’t see a Hurricane Katrina style government response here. In California we plan for disasters and respond accordingly.

Thankfully, Grover Norquist and his Americans for Tax reform cronies have almost no influence on California politics. Grover is the guy who believes that when it comes to public services, we need to “Starve the Beast”. By that he means that we should slash public revenue to such an extent that legislatures will be forced to shut down government programs altogether. This would allow private sector organizations to handle the services now provided by public employees. Does Blackwater ring a bell?

Right now employees of “the beast” are saving lives in Southern California. Thousands of firefighters from around the region have poured into the area to battle the intense firestorm. Public employees at the California Office of Emergency Services are coordinating their efforts. And publicly employed National Guard troops are protecting citizens displaced by the fires. If the American Idiots for Tax Reform had their way, this would all be managed by private groups. Can you imagine the local fire captain pulling up to your place to say I’ll need 50 grand before I even consider saving your house from that fire headed in your direction? Most of us would consider that extortion, not reform.

Sadly, we still have many fiscally irresponsible politicians in California, led by the governator. California is facing record deficits and the ongoing catastrophes won’t help. Our leaders need to grow up and admit that our budget is seriously out of balance. We need to start paying our bills and stop attempting to pass all of our debts on to future generations.

catastrophes, natural disasters, fires, California fires, emergencies, emergency preparedness, California politics, Grover Norquist, Americans for Tax Reform, leadership, revenue, deficit spending