The American Spectator

Reader Mail

(Page 3 of 4)

Since Governor Schwarzenegger has been calling for new thinking and "blowing up the boxes," allow me to suggest an untried approach: outsourcing. Outsource California, together with all of its problems.

That's right, EXPEL California from the Union. The advantages are obvious.

Leaving California outside the USA would improve America's social health. It would mean immediate and substantial reductions in the national rates of drug abuse, drug smuggling, illegal immigration and violent crime, to name just a few. The state of national public education will immediately improve, as average test scores would soar once divorced from California's edu-politics racket. Wonder how important gay marriage will be to California, once there's no chance of forcing it on America at large?

Forced separation will mean fewer demands on the U.S. economy. California is forever gassing about being the world's sixth or seventh largest economic entity -- OK, take them at their word. Let them make it on their own. It will be interesting to see how golden the Golden State remains without one lifeline to the Federal Treasury and another to Wall Street. Federal welfare payments to California -- personal, governmental, agricultural and corporate -- are well into the hundreds of billions every year, and over half the toxic mortgages were written here. Eliminating California would halve the cost of the national bailout, right off the bat.

And let's not forget the environment. Kicking California loose will save Uncle Sam the tremendous bill that must come due the day this state splits in half along the San Andreas fault. If L.A. is geologically fated to become part of Tahiti, who are we, in this earth-friendly age, to oppose it? And why should ratepayers in Peoria bear the burden for millionaires who build trophy homes amid dry brush piles in Santa Barbara and Topanga Canyon? Once California is free to chart its own course, Those That Know Best can save the whales, save the wolves, taboo every tree -- but it'll be on their own dime for once.

Finally, expulsion would finally make honest women (so to speak) out of our ruling class. Anti-Americanism is such a conditioned reflex  among the activists, academics and actors who decide our fate here, it is clear that the poor dears would be much happier under a system like Cuba's or Nicaragua's. They say so themselves, after all. They speak for everyone -- just ask 'em.

I've even got a catchy slogan for showing California the door: "Forty-nine? Mighty fine!"
-- Martin Owens
Sacramento, California

Gosh, it looks like the golden goose has no more eggs to lay. And the state seems to be facing problems similar to the car companies who gave the unions everything they wanted in years past. Well, it looks like payback time has finally arrived, but what are all those getting their entitlement checks to do?

What are the politicians who haven't a brain cell in their heads to do? I really can't believe the voters voted to cut themselves off from the entitlements spigot.

I guess it was that or watch the state go bankrupt, then who would buy the state's bonds? Answer no one. The fact is there is no money; not in California nor in many states such as Washington state that is over its eyeballs in red ink. There is no money from the feds either because they are teetering on near bankruptcy as well, except they can print more paper; something the states can not do.

This is really a turning point in U.S. history: we are no longer the great wealthy country of years past and our standard of living is eroding right before our eyes.
-- Karl E. Wahl
Bellevue, Washington  

PEOPLE ARE ANIMALS TOO
Re: Ken Blackwell's The Blood Libel of the New York Times:

I had a epiphany reading this article. Suppose a veterinarian were to open a clinic to provide abortions on dogs and cats? Video streamed live on the Internet as puppies and kittens were pulled from the womb squirming and killed, then put in a plastic bag and disposed of? While
humans don't seem to have a problem with killing 48 million Americans, they would scream like crazy about aborting pets. The idea would eventually sink in that killing unborn children is just as horrible and even worse.
-- Davis Johnn
Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Dear Sir: You and the people that are reporters are responsible for the murder of Dr. Tiller whether you admit it or not. It's all going to come out when the guy who murdered the doctor is questioned by the police.
-- Barbara Neely

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