by Dick Pilling | Sep 26, 2024 | 250 Words
by Dick Pilling
Those of a certain age – like old – may remember the Mamas and Papas, the 60’s rock group whose song “California Dreaming” became an anthem for many of that era.
At that time, California was my dream destination but, sadly, maturity reared its head, and I relocated to Washington State while still retaining wistful memories of my time living “ the dream”.
Now, however, my nostalgia is tinged with relief that I didn’t opt to “live the dream” because yesterday’s California Dream has morphed into a nightmare due to present-day management – mismanagement? – of Governor Newsom. Although, when you think about it, Newsom’s California is not much different from Governor Inslee’s Washington State.
Specifically, Newson enjoyed a $97.5 billion budget surplus in 2022 but, in just two years, turned the surplus into a $56 billion deficit.(1) Way more than Washington State’s shortfall of $26 billion (2) but Inslee is trying.
And California’s lamentable deficits also include water because its long-term water security is in question(3) due to controversial dam removals that threaten wells.(4) And Washington State seems to be moving in the same direction with similarly contentious dam removals.(5)
Sadly, not everything in California is in decline as retail stores “smash-and-grabs”, (6) and car jackings(7) continue to skyrocket and again, not to be left out, these crimes are on the increase in Washington(8)(9) ranking Washington among the most dangerous states in the country.(10)
There is a phrase “As California goes, so goes the nation” and, judging by today’s Washington, it may well be true.
Sadly…
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1. When budget season arrived in 2022, state lawmakers enjoyed the excitement and possibilities over how to spend a record $97.5 billion budget surplus, a shocking figure coming at the end of a bruising COVID-19 pandemic. But the two ensuing years have played out like a mirror universe as the state stares down a budget deficit yet again, estimated at $56 billion over the next two fiscal years.
https://calmatters.org/explainers/california-budget-whiplash/
2. In the fiscal year of 2022, Washington’s state debt stood at about 26.4 billion U.S. dollars. Comparatively, the state’s debt was approximately 11.73 billion U.S. dollars in 2000.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/305378/washington-state-debt/#:~:text=In%20the%20fiscal%20year%20of,Stated%20can%20be%20found%20here.
3. Heading into 2024, California’s long-term water security remains in question, with critical infrastructure projects and regulations still pending and climate change heightening the potential of extended drought. With additional conservation measures yet to take effect, the impact on water users also remains uncertain.
https://www.globalelr.com/2024/02/california-water-challenges-remain-despite-significant-precipitation-in-2023/#:~:text=Heading%20into%202024%2C%20California’s%20long,the%20potential%20of%20extended%20drought
4. Environmentalists and the State of California are celebrating the world’s largest dam removal on the Upper Klamath River, while their work kills endangered species, destroys roads, threatens homes with bank collapse and is already seeing drinking water wells go dry
https://californiaglobe.com/articles/klamath-dam-removal-its-an-environmental-disaster/#:~:text=Environmentalists%20and%20the%20State%20of,drinking%20water%20wells%20go%20dry.
5. The Columbia River and its tributaries— including the Snake River—impact nearly every resident of the Northwest in some way, providing hydroelectric power, recreation, navigation, water supply, flood risk management, and more (and) Those who call for removing the four dams on the lower Snake River believe salmon runs will be restored but may not consider the ramifications to other river operations.
The (EIS Report released in September 2020) concludes breaching dams is not the best alternative “due to the adverse impacts to other resources such as transportation, power reliability and affordability, and greenhouse gas emissions.”
https://www.nwascopud.org/news-releases/removing-snake-river-dams-deemed-a-bad-idea/
6. Where in the United States Do Smash-and-Grabs Happen? Once again, California comes out on top of a list that no one wants to win. Los Angeles was the city most affected by ORC in 2022. All told, California had three—L.A., San Francisco/Oakland, and Sacramento—in the top ten.
https://www.deepsentinel.com/blogs/retail/the-epidemic-of-smash-and-grab-robberies/
7. Over that period, Chicago has seen a 115.7% increase in carjackings, Los Angeles has seen a 77.9% increase, San Francisco has seen a 70% increase, and Denver has seen a 61.7% increase. Last year’s rates per 100,000 people were 101.9 in Baltimore, 58.3 in Memphis and 48.3 in Chicago.Feb 5, 2024
w.google.com/search?q=is+carjacking+in+california+increasing+or+decreasing&sca_esv=9102e70e77a48ac0&rlz=1C1SQJL_enUS883US883&sxsrf=ADLYWIJMqplKKmjkvkJ9hMB5RQdfG7-Yuw%3A1725559833550&ei=GfTZZoumIfyT0PEPyK3qoAE&oq=is+carjacking+in+california+inc&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiH2lzIGNhcmphY2tpbmcgaW4gY2FsaWZvcm5pYSBpbmMqAggBMgUQIRigATIFECEYoAEyBRAhGKABMgUQIRigATIFECEYoAEyBRAhGJ8FSLeEAVCVPliQbHABeAGQAQCYAXmgAcYGqgEDMi42uAEByAEA-AEBmAIJoAKlB8ICChAAGLADGNYEGEfCAgcQABiABBgNwgIGEAAYBxgewgIKEAAYBxgIGB4YD8ICBhAAGA0YHsICCBAAGA0YHhgPwgIIEAAYCBgNGB7CAgoQABgIGA0YHhgPwgILEAAYgAQYhgMYigXCAggQABiABBiiBMICBBAAGB7CAggQABgIGB4YD8ICBhAAGBYYHsICCBAAGBYYHhgPwgIFECEYqwKYAwCIBgGQBgiSBwMyLjegB649&sclient=gws-wiz-serp
8. Seattle is number 5 in the USA in Organized Retail Crime (ORC)
- Los Angeles, CA
- San Francisco/Oakland, CA
- Houston, TX
- New York, NY
- Seattle, WA
- Atlanta, GA
https://www.deepsentinel.com/blogs/retail/the-epidemic-of-smash-and-grab-robberies/#:~:text=Where%20in%20the%20United%20States,Sacramento%E2%80%94in%20the%20top%20ten.
9. OLYMPIA, Wash. — Over the past year, KING 5 has reported extensively on smash-and-grabs in Western Washington. While dispensaries and vape shops are the primary targets, gun shops, convenience stores, and other small businesses have also been caught up in this ongoing problem, fueled in part by a social media trend.
https://www.google.com/search?q=Are+Smash+and+Grabs+on+the+rise+in+washington+state&sca_esv=9102e70e77a48ac0&rlz=1C1SQJL_enUS883US883&biw=1536&bih=751&sxsrf=ADLYWILja13xzUJEgTfM1C5algs9WaUwKg%3A1725561603965&ei=A_vZZurNOrSDm9cPoIaO0A8&ved=0ahUKEwiq28TzuayIAxW0weYEHSCDA_oQ4dUDCBA&uact=5&oq=Are+Smash+and+Grabs+on+the+rise+in+washington+state&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiM0FyZSBTbWFzaCBhbmQgR3JhYnMgb24gdGhlIHJpc2UgaW4gd2FzaGluZ3RvbiBzdGF0ZTIFECEYoAEyBRAhGKABMgUQIRigATIFECEYoAEyBRAhGKsCSJBzUPwWWKxrcAF4AZABAJgBhwGgAbwRqgEEOC4xM7gBA8gBAPgBAZgCFqACrRLCAgoQABiwAxjWBBhHwgIEECMYJ8ICBRAAGIAEwgIIEAAYgAQYogTCAgYQABgWGB7CAgUQIRiSA8ICCxAAGIAEGIYDGIoFwgIIEAAYogQYiQWYAwCIBgGQBgaSBwQ0LjE4oAeEUQ&sclient=gws-wiz-serp
- Seattle is one of seven cities across the nation to form new carjacking task forces as part of an expanded program started by the Department of Justice.
https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/seattle/carjacking-task-force-seattle/281-2a3be64f-e3d9-4cbf-a339-86c18e89386f
10.Washington ranked among the most dangerous states in the country, according to new study
As crime rates across the country seem to be decreasing, crime rates in the state of Washington have only increased, according to a Federal Bureau of Investigation crime data report. According to the FBI crime report, between 2020 and 2022, the rate of violent crime in the U.S. decreased from 398.5 incidents per 100,000 people to 380.7 incidents per 100,000 people, while the the rate of violent crime in Washington has increased from 293.7 incidents to 375.6 incidents, an 81.9 rate increase.
https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article287945530.html
by Dick Pilling | Sep 26, 2024 | 250 Words
by Dick Pilling
It’s time to play another fun game of “but then” featuring our favorite would-be President Kamala Harris.
Let’s remember that September 2019 town hall event where she said, “There is no question that I’m in favor of banning fracking” (1) but then, in August 2020, claimed that she “would not” (2) ban fracking thereby “frack-turing ” her own position.
Then, in June 2020, she wanted to defund the police, (3) calling for a re-direction of resources from police departments and re-imagining public safety, but then, in August 2024, her spokesman “walked it back” (4) on her behalf. Perhaps the appropriate footwear for “walking back” may be flip-flops
Not to mention her unbridled support for Electric Vehicle mandates which would require two thirds of all cars and trucks to be electric by 2032, (5) but then, in August 2024, she announced that she is now opposed to such mandates. (6) No longer needing to “walk back” her ideas, she can now “drive ‘em back” and driving a gas-powered vehicle if she wishes.
Lastly, don’t forget her shifting stance on gun “buy back” programs whereby she said “It’s mandatory” (7A) but then said “We’re not taking anybody’s guns away. So, stop with the continuous lying about this stuff.” (7B) Looks like she simultaneously shot down her own position while shooting herself in the foot.
You gotta’ admire the thoroughness and thoughtfulness Kamala brings to bear when developing her positions.
She looks at both sides of a question, evaluates both viewpoints, and then speaks out of both sides of her mouth.
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1. Presidential candidate Kamala Harris said Wednesday that she supports banning the technique of fracking for natural gas to combat climate change. “There is no question I am in favor of banning fracking,” Harris said during an all-night CNN town hall event focused on climate change
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/1426990/kamala-harris-no-question-i-would-ban-fracking/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Pmax_USA_Magazine_21-June-Intent-Audience-Signals&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw6JS3BhBAEiwAO9waF2VwjIkewNsgLWd7jW-ZeJ5UuPQQlmo5SL7E0NWjXJs6UEYkY14F6BoCIZgQAvD_BwE
2. WASHINGTON, Aug 29 (Reuters) – Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris told CNN on Thursday that she would not ban fracking if elected president. “No, and I made that clear on the debate stage in 2020 that I would not WASHINGTON, Aug 29 (Reuters) – Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris told CNN on Thursday that she would not ban fracking if elected president. “No, and I made that clear on the debate stage in 2020 that I would not ban fracking, as vice president, I did not ban fracking. As president, I will not ban fracking,” Harris said in an interview aired on Thursday evening.
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/kamala-harris-says-she-will-not-ban-fracking-president-2024-08-30/
3. Vice President Kamala Harris voiced support for “defund the police” in a radio interview in June 2020 amid nationwide protests for police reform, just months before denouncing the movement after she had joined the Biden presidential campaign. CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski reports.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/26/politics/video/kfile-defund-police-harris-campaign-election-kaczynski-lead-digvid
4. The Harris campaign has also walked back the “defund the police” sentiment that Harris voiced in 2020. What she meant is she supports being “tough and smart on crime,” Mitch Landrieu, national co-chair for the Harris campaign and former mayor of New Orleans, told CNN’s Pamela Brown in late July.
https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2024/08/politics/kamala-harris-key-issues-dg/
5. For years, Vice President Kamala Harris has supported some of the most extreme electric vehicle (EV) mandates proposed by her Party. She consistently supported EV mandates as U.S. Senator for California and as a presidential candidate in 2020. For three and a half years, the Biden-Harris Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has pushed an EV mandate that would require up to two-thirds of cars and trucks to be electric by 2032. Despite Harris’ record, just months before an election, the Harris campaign is lying about her beliefs. The campaign now claims the Vice President doesn’t support EV mandates. It’s a pathetic, transparent attempt to distance her from the unpopular mandates she has long supported. That lie should not go unchallenged.
https://alliancetimes.com/an-ev-mandate-lie-from-vp-kamala-harris/
6. Despite Vice President Kamala Harris championing outlawing gasoline-powered cars in her Senate days, her campaign claimed Tuesday she’s now opposed to electric vehicle mandates — yet another walkback on behalf of the California Democrat and possibly the biggest one of them all.
https://www.allsides.com/news/2024-08-27-1615/general-news-harris-campaign-now-says-vp-does-not-support-electric-vehicle
7. (A) On October 31, 2019, Harris called for gun confiscation at a public television candidates forum in Ankeny, Iowa. Responding to a question about gun control, Harris answered, “I support buybacks.” The forum moderator then asked Harris, “How mandatory is your gun buyback program?” Harris made clear, “It’s mandatory.”
(B) During the September 10 presidential debate, President Donald Trump correctly highlighted Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’s support for gun confiscation. A visibly defensive Harris claimed, “We’re not taking anybody’s guns away. So stop with the continuous lying about this stuff.”
https://www.nraila.org/articles/20240916/kamala-for-gun-confiscation-in-her-own-words
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