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This is the result of federal budget cuts, and most especially state cuts. Decades of community building in the 40′s and 50′s and 60′s have been neglected and sacrificed at the almighty altar of tax cuts for the wealthy, which began thirty years ago and has produced the result in the article. Most people didn’t originally move here because of low taxes – if they wanted that, they could live in the middle of the desert in Nevada – they moved here because of the infrastructure; schools, and world class universities, and road systems. They moved here, built, and maintained programs to build a beneficent society for all … which has been, and is, being destroyed and dismantled mainly because of a dysfunctional system and the manipulation of the system by the extortionists (Republicans)
Deep cuts push Californians to edge
By Rob Reynolds in Fresno, California
They call it Tortilla Flats – a haphazard cluster of tents and tarps sprawling across a sidewalk and a vacant lot smack in the middle of Fresno, a city of 500,000 in California’s Central valley.
The tent city, reminiscent of the Depression-era “Hoovervilles” depicted by author John Steinbeck in his classic novel The Grapes of Wrath, is home to a shifting population of about 70 homeless people.
That’s where I met a couple named Kerry and John. They asked me not to use their last names. They live in a cramped two-person tent strewn with blankets and clothes. Both are native to the Valley.
And both are now homeless for the first time in their lives.
Kerry was a preschool teacher until a year ago, when her world caved in. “I got sick,” she told me. “Ulcerative colitis. Ended up losing my job, and ended up here. Ran out of health insurance and money and this is what happened.”
John, a shy young man who used to work as a barber, told a rambling story about bad breaks, crooked employers and jobs that didn’t pan out. Now he passes the time playing with two pigeons he rescued and tamed as pets.
[...]
>>> Read the article <<<
36 Comments
Two GOP contenders for the governorship, Whitman and Poizner, are in Fresno today to speak to some group. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if they picked up this article or, even better, were made to visit Kerry and John?
Did you hear Poizner last week talking about solving the problems by pushing for more tax cuts?
F’ing political pandering moran [sic]
Poizner is a fucking jerk! He once had the audacity to try and canvass my neighborhood… I told him in no uncertain terms we would never support a Republican because the Republican party has never done anything to help John Q Public with anything. All they ever want is no taxes for the Rich and no services for the poor(“What my money going to a poor lazy person NO Plain Ass NO)I Told Poizner to get off my property and never come back..
But shit the ass is now Insurance Commissioner and is giving away everything to the Insurance Companies… Who wudda thunk??
Are your rates going up??? Ours have and continue to do so…
For an idea on how dysfunctional the state government is, and how the extortionists (Republicans) manipulate the system, click the youtube at the link here
Coincidentally enough I’m on my way to a dinner/townhall to see one of the sources in the story
L8r
California’s only hope may be the BIG ONE.
It sure isn’t in voting for different politicains. Like the federal government, their government doesn’t work either.
Arnold was going to save the day, and turned day into night. Proving that what’s happen’s in the Movies, is not real life.
“The Terminator,” finished terminating the State.
Thank you, John. Heartbreaking. When I was a child in the Big Depression there was a couple with a little girl about 4 years old, living in an old rattle trap car, pulling cotton on our sharecropper farm. The child had rotten teeth and chewed tobacco to dull the pain. Harvest ended, they were paid off (very little for such hard work) and they moved on West. That was about 1940.
Back then I used to see Westbound freight trains with lots of ‘tramps’ riding right out on top. This time there will be no “California” hope to go to, for this time California is ahead of the rest of the country in what I fear is in store for us all.
And Bernanke lends $2 Trillion to foreign banks and, ‘none of your dam business who got it’, just take on that tax load and shut up, you useless eaters. (he didn’t say it, but that’s what I heard).
Wasn’t Bernanke Greenspans understudy. The same crooks or bums will always be running things because we don’t have the power or the will to fix them.
They can’t spend a trillion over ten years to give us healthcare with our money, but this kind of shit is just fine.
We may have gallows humor, but forgot what the gallows are used for.
The GOP health care plan really is: die quickly. These people don’t give a shit about anyone but themselves. They buy their giant McMansions out here in CA for millions and then spend 100s of thousands of dollars more on “upgrading” them with top of the line this, that and the other gew-gaw, and then whine and bitch about how high their stupid taxes are.
Frankly, I don’t know where we’re headed anymore. Living in a gated community is not the answer, even if you can afford it. The level of denial and dysfunctionality is pretty out of control, and the level of contempt and disregard for other people’s lives is sad and sickening.
Believe me, if Meg Whitman or Carly Fiorina or whomever else other Republican was taken to a tent city in CA, they’d turn up their snotty noses and talk about how “these people” need to “pull themselves up by the bootstraps” and “get a job” and so on.
Their Republican voters would clap and cheer and scream: that’s right!
Recently, some Republican Assembly creep named Mike Duvall was busted for bragging on tape about have “nasty sex” with an energy industry lobbyist. Needless to say, Duvall’s portfolio included the energy industry.
Duvall quit in a sort of disgrace, but not really. He lost his job, but it’s all been more or less brushed aside, as all of these Republican scandals are. I don’t really care that he had adultrous sex (that’s between him and his wife), but it’s clear the lobbyist was little more than a paid prostitute out to get what she could for the energy company she works for. Talk about ripping taxpayers off. But: hey whatever; that’s the Republican (and Democratic) way, isn’t it??
Republicans in CA are giant obstructionists. We have this completely dysfunctional state gov’t where nothing can get done bc of the need for super-majority’s to pass the budget.
Our education system has gone from being top of the line to being a joke and close to the bottom. More and more communities have to lay off safety personnel – police and fire – bc of the need to maintain this gargantuan prison population, which is costing us all a huge amount – brought to you by Republicans who vote in 3 strikes & you’re in jail for years. Let’s just put everyone behind bars, pay zillions to incarcerate them, and excuse me while I send my child to private school.
It’s like some kind of science fiction doomsday novel, and it’s sure hard to decipher how it’s going to improve.
I’m not a big fan of Arnold, but I’ll give him his due: he did try, but he really didn’t know what he was getting into. People voted for him bc they’ve been brainwashed into thinking actors know what they’re doing.
Feh. Sorry for Sat night rant. Would like to feel more positive, but…
California is way too big and diverse to be governed effectively. It needs to be split up into at least 4 different states. Also, card carrying liberal here saying that if you think California’s problems stem from not collecting enough taxes, you are wrong. Between the state income tax, property taxes, high sales taxes, fees for everything and the lottery, there is plenty of money. The problem is CORRUPTION.
thanks, john. America’s war on empathy. There was a tipping point, maybe it seriously began with Reagan for this century.
When people slip beyond the tipping point of economic independence and survival, it is so hard to fight one’s way back to sea level, so to speak. It is heartbreaking. There is such pride even to reach out for help and such psychological trauma that paralyzes.
And in an America where family networks are more divided geographically as well as from social stresses and addictions and religious and political divisiveness, etc.
The lack of a social conscience for the common good. And a shallow media without conscience. And a corrupt majority in government. As a country we have hit bottom. And we have such dark karma from what the military has done in the world. And how betrayed our soldiers have been following corporate agendas of amoral politicians and militarists who treat human lives as game pawns and jingoistic authoritarian followers who get seduced by faux patriotism and religiosity.
This is SO True this war on empathy. I have been an activist for almost 20 years for low income women and the comments I have heard, even from CHURCH PEOPLE would make your hair curl. Large church non-profits refuse to believe that poverty is a man-made phenomena, their cold heartedness is beyond belief. I worked in transitional housing for a couple years and the church-run shelters were ~ and are ~ horrible. They do not open until almost 10:00 at night and you have to be out of them by 6:00 AM without any place to go but the park bench. TB is rampant and the women who depended on them were cramped and exposed it and other diseases like MRSA.
And some of the “bigger” religious organizations (mostly christians) take literally millions of dollars and keep most of it themselves. In WI Goodwill has actually been caught by their state for committed fraud ~ and they are still on the books. They spent over $60,000 per client after getting over $35,000,000 and serving less than 1000 people. Then clients said this entity was so mean and punitive they were indimidated into even telling them about the needs they desperately had for their kids.
If we really want to do something about poverty in this country first they need to listen to suggestions from people who have lived there. thousands are around and have some insight and ideas. There are some immediate and inexpensive things that could be done right now that would improve things 100%. We need to do some rsearch on how poverty money is spent, there has been hardly any research or accountability fom the benefactors ~ except because of a few activists who’ve taken their own time to study results. Other suggestions too, but suffice it to say it would be a beginning.
Poverty IS an institutionalized phenomena. If we want to believe this phenomena is just in othr parts of the world and not here in the U.S. then dream on. WalMart alone reaps billions off the backs of the poor as workers and then as consumers. The difference now and the attentions being given is because the middle class is now falling into this class and they are shocked. Low income people have been trying to tell upper class people this for years, but they’ve been ignored.
Perhaps at least now those who are so shocked will listen and maybe they will get better results …
Cat In Seattle
Cat, so well said and God Bless you for your service and your eye witness feedback. We need to hear more up close and personal stories. Thanks to the corporate media, like that scene in the play the Fantastiks, they give us magic glasses and have us look the other way at the pretty lights.
Kelsey Grammer’s new show, Hank, about the plight of a rich exec having to retrench … to a VERY comfortable life. The struggling American viewer is being asked to empathize or enjoy the downshifting when one man’s floor is a few stories above another man or woman’s ceiling.
All the taxpayer money going out to other countries to rotten regimes who don’t share it with the people, but it probably helps us get our oil and do we really care about human rights.
The old documentary, the Corporation, talking about the personality of the legal person label for a corporation and its rights .. translating into the profile of a “pscyhopath”. Ruthless and narcissistic to the nth degree.
And the people on the Right who pop off with their supercilious faux religiosity — really shrieking out such bloodcurdling xenophobia. Lessons of Christ getting lost in translation from their authoritarian-following.
People who used to volunteer with food banks, etc., are now showing up as the needy ones.
The bonus stuff is awesome. And the denial of the execs. One guy at Goldman said, “We work hard for our bonuses.” As if GS is not the cronyiest of all corporations in America right now, and has nothing to do with the plight of the country. And by the way, when AIG paid off GS its $13 billion was it from the TARP, did GS even get levied a windfall profits tax from that exchange. Les Leopold on a book salon said NOT!!!
Gotta go, but thanks for the comment!
Thank you mntleo2. Powerful statements! Since you have worked with low income women all those years I guess you know all about the US Dept of Ag Food and Nutrition Program (part of which is the old-time “Commodities” program). As a child of the Depression I probably owe my life to those Commodities.
I have been long retired now, but my career was in the public service field. The big problem was connecting the people in need with services for which their impoverished state qualified them. The next big problem was filling out the forms – that just stumped most people.
I’ve been out of it so long that I have no idea about the current situation. What is your opinion of the AG food programs? What do you think are the main problems the needy face in getting these foods?
The crash has not yet hit us here, but I think it is coming for the whole country. I guess maybe my days of public service are not over after all. Maybe I can be a bridge over the gap between the needy and the services available.
Libby Liberal, I really enjoy reading your posts, and your poetic writing style.
Not saying things are good, but saying this is like the great depression is a serious exaggeration.
For instance, I Don’t think there were many problems with obesity among the migrants described in “The Grapes of Wrath”, or the poor and unemployed of the dirty thirties.
One was more likely to starve to death, than get diabetes, in those days.
Thanks, mafr. Yeah, I know I tend to be emotional and hyperbolic in my moralizing and I am working on reining myself in better at times. FDL I can count on to call me on that tendency. Sometimes trying to express my feeling wins out over being as objective as I probably should be. :)
But I have been concerned about the homeless crisis for years. And rampant addictions. (I think there is a “power and control addiction” that in this patriarchal society is celebrated as “success” but is dangerous when it slides into fraud and decisions that cause misery physically or economically. I think of Arthur Miller’s play, All My Sons.) Anyway, I think we are on a slippery slope to a Great Depression. And with 45,000 people dying a year because they are not insured, that is pretty dire.
Reagan, whose war on empathy cleared out mental health hospitalizations so widely and began the rampant rise of the homeless, for one thing.
And I watched Clinton, and forget Bush, but then Obama focus on the middle class and its welfare, in fear of too much focus on the lower class and God forbid the homeless strata in this country, I remember feeling so sorry for the untouchables in India long ago, how could the Indians let that happen, and now look at this country — anyway, Clinton and Obama are afraid the anti-empathy conservatives will FREAK OUT if they acknowledge the existence of the classes below the middle class. I kept paying attention during Obama’s campaigning…. I liked Edwards’ populism.
God forbid we care for our fellow citizens with taxpaying support. God forbid immigrants receive health care. It chills me to hear and see the anger in people on the topic, too.
I appreciated, say, Edwards talking about vets living under bridges. And I don’t like politicians including presidents keeping their eyes on potential polling results and not showing some heart and trying to reform and do something seriously humanitarian so as not to jeopardize their next term or their backing from the big boys.
Single Payer Medicare for All would save so much money in the short and long run, but as a moral issue and a human right for all Americans, that … doesn’t even make the debate … too much I want mine and even more I don’t want the other guy to get anything spirit in this country. Really convenient for the oligarchs. And the corporatists beat the drum to enhance such anger and divide up and conquer the country and take the tax dollars, etc. for themselves.
So it is not the Great Depression. No. But the ice is cracking beneath many of our feet. And to those who have lost their homes and jobs, as opposed to those like me hanging by my fingernails, they might give you an argument.
If you’re on top, you’re still doing fine, of course, and the misery in the streets is little or no concern of yours, it never has been. You can live behind your gates and walls protected by your electronic gizmos, your armed security services, and as in some Third World countries, you can helicopter over the masses below if you need to get from place to place to look after your many interests.
Reagan became governor of California over 40 years ago. We’re now very far down the path he and Nancy’s father dreamed we would be one day when the whole Progressive experiment lay in tatters.
Republicans have been very blunt about it: “If you can’t afford to live in California, you need to leave.”
The middle class is becoming a memory here. The working class is being transformed into peonage, suffered so long as they are useful, dispensed with whenever they become inconvenient, but always out of sight and out of mind to the Masters and Rulers. Not treated as well as pets. It’s almost as if they were a much lower species. Insects? We’re all braceros now.
The collapse of California’s public infrastructure has been noted with a yawn or two for decades. Those who run things are happy enough with deplorable transportation and roads, crumbling public schools, deteriorating utilities, overloaded public ERs, inadequate welfare and provisions for the disabled, and on and on and on. It’s what they want, after all.
And the kicker is they’re refusing to be taxed to ameliorate any of this. “No.” They won’t pay. Try to make them. They’ll up and leave, yes they will, as they threaten every day. They’ll go somewhere where they’re wanted, but don’t think that’ll be any relief for you. Because it won’t be. They’ll still own everything here worth owning. Hah. Punks.
Tumbrils and guillotines might serve to focus their minds on the Public Interest once again, but there is no sign whatsoever that the People of California will do anything to take control of their government away from their Masters and Rulers. So long as that’s the case, what you see is what you’re going to continue to get.
More’s the pity.
Here is the YouTube clip of Bernie Sanders in his “too big to fail” speech before the senate. The clip was posted 03/19/2008, just about the date Paulson presented his stick-up demand for $700 Billion to bail out the banks.
Sen. Sanders strongly emphasizes that it is the duty of congress to represent all the people of the US, not just look out for the health of the Wall Street banksters and giant corporations. We need a congress full of men and women like Sen. Sanders and Alan Grayson who are taking on the Fed and banksters and trying to bring about needed change in congress.
And who/what is the biggest private entity in the whole world? The Fed !! And yet, now Obama has asked that the Fed be granted more authority!!
acquarius, thank you!!!
John and all commentators above: I’m going off-topic on this particular diary because you (all) are exceptionally intelligent, cool-headed, clear-eyed, no BS people. I have stumbled upon a truly terrifying technological invention: the shape-shifting robot that can flatten itself down in an elongated shape and squeeze through holes smaller than itself. And who is interested in such an invention??? DARPA – it wants it to carry chemical payloads (isn’t chemical warfare outlawed and a war crime? or is that ancient history?). DARPA even calls them “chembots”.
This subject is out of my league, but hopefully not that of some of you younger, brighter, more educated readers here.
How do you think about this thing? Please don’t hold back. Thanks.
Rats. I composed a long comment this morning, quoting the lyrics of this terrific song and thinking back to when I first moved to California, just about a year after Prop 13 passed, but when I hit “submit” it went poof. I blame the people in the Prop 13 movement for playing a large role in the social movement of taxes from a moral obligation to a dirty word. That seems the first step in the dismantling of our culture as we know it.
Today, we are all Tom Joad.
Nice, Jim. Thanks. I got to hear BS sing this live. Very moving.
Taxes, a moral obligation?
Help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Poposition 13 was insidious. It gave an incentive to folks who stay in their homes (been in mine for 43 years) to support it. But the real intent, of course, was to let businesses keep their taxes low. The creativity of big money in finding ways to divide and milk us is dazzling. And the political theater they produce to make us think our misrepresentatives are working for the people is masterful. We gleefully line up with team R or team D and fight each other while team Big Bucks rakes in a vastly disproportionate share of our resources. will enough of us realize this to take charge of our own governance? Not likely.
Nice blogname. I opposed Prop 13 when it was on the ballot, and I still think it is a crappy law. It was a meataxe approach to a problem that needed a scalpel. Still, people WERE being taxed out of their homes. Appeals to the legislature went absolutely unheeded because pols were delirious over all this increased revenue due to insanely rising property values. Yes, Howard Jarvis took advantage of the moment to push his agenda of lower property taxes for apartment owners and businesses. But it would not have happened if the legislature had been doing its job. They refused. They were corrupt, incompetent bunglers then and they are no different now, perhaps worse. I have never voted Republican and never will but this IS why people DO vote Republican because they see folks sleepwalking into the notion that you just tax without limit and spend without limit and all these social problems will start to heal. Oh how I wish it were that easy!
“the notion that you just tax without limit and spend without limit and all these social problems will start to heal”
That notion is trumpeted often here, but how often do you hear anyone mention all the business that has left CA to take advantage of tax breaks offered in other states? We’re trying to lure the movie industry back to Hollywood, what does that tell you?
Here’s a new and fun one: a directive to state departments to award government contracts NOT to the lowest responsible bidder, but to the lowest responsible bidder subcontracting 15 percent of the work to minority-owned businesses and five percent to female-owned businesses.
CA is so broke we can’t afford essential social services, but we’ll pay extra on our contracts in order to enjoy the PC rush of reverse discrimination.
The blog ate my response to GDC707
What the ef?
I’m on battery power outside the library and zippppppp. Just wasted 30% of my power
I repeat: WTF?
Hi John, I’m sorry your reply didn’t go through. I have noticed over the years as I travel and work around the country that many states tax their citizens less than CA and yet seem to provide an adequate level of services. These states manage to remain in the black or at least hold a manageable level of debt. I’m a lifelong Californian and if I really thought that raising taxes would improve things for the poor or improve the schools or clean up the environment etc., I would say “sure lets’s get it done!” But I honestly do not believe that pouring yet more money in to the incredibly corrupt sinkhole that is Sacramento will improve things for anybody except the politically well connected. I am a private medical contractor who has worked for and within the CA state system and I know whatof I speak. HUGE waste. Repeat. HUGE. The more you pour in, the HUGER the waste. Sorry, I know that’s not very PC, but I’ve just seen too much.
Gonna keep this short because I don’t know if it’ll get eaten
Lots of good comments guys, thanks
You always give great. big. meaty. food for thought, whether it’s in the links you provide or the personal stories you tell
I’m humbled again
John, I realized I had not recommended your diary, so did so and now you’re in that box and you’ll be shown on the FDL page listing the recommended diaries at Seminal. More people will read those. Hope you get a flood of responses.
Here is the link to a list of the commodities (food) distributed by the US Dept AG to those people who qualify as needy. I learned that we do have a distribution center in my town, so I’m going to go ask some questions.
John, great post, great vid, and as always at The Lake, great comments.
Thanks to all, just now getting to read this one, so I’m a few days late!
Just had to thank John and all, though.
Well done.
Dean Stansel explains the obvious by examining state and local taxes as a percent of personal income for 381 metropolitan areas.
In the 50 lowest-tax metro areas versus the 50 highest-tax metro areas between 2000 and 2006:
Employment growth was 54 percent higher.
Personal income growth was 80 percent higher.
Population growth was over 300% higher.
If you want to dispute the results, please cite statistical studies.
Been away from the pc for a few days and glad to see there are a lot more great comments
Just my opinion, but the people who comment here are among the most astute, intelligent, and wise commenters anywhere
Don’t know how long the comments will remain open so I’m going to hit a few points in a scatter shot way
Grumpy and GDC707
I take your points and much of what you say I agree with … but not all of it.
I agree California is bloated and in many things clunky and hard to govern but if you’ve ever worked in a large company you would also know that they are also very clunky, wasteful and hard to govern. I have some experience with this as I explained in a comment to Senator Dorgan here
I’ve done post after post of links to articles and studies supporting what I’ve said but because of a software upgrade to our DFA/PDA website much of it is unavailable, but I’ve found a few of the links through google cache
But, first go to my link at comment 2 and watch the video.
Now, watch this video.
Read this California State Budget Crisis Not Caused by the Recession
My argument is not that there aren’t enough taxes – my argument is the distribution of where those taxes come from. There’s far too much of a burden on individuals and not enough on corporations. Now before you say that will drive them out – I’ll say good riddance, we don’t want bad corporate citizens; leading edge companies look for, and need well educated and skilled employees in order to flourish.
Now, ask yourself this rhetorical question: where do they find them?
What we don’t want or need are the Goldman Sach’s of the world leaching off of us.
Texas for example doesn’t have income tax but what’s left out is they have a higher property tax; they have an oil extraction tax (which we don’t have); they have sales taxes (which are very regressive)
If you don’t believe what I’m saying, perhaps you’ll believe Adam Smith
Our parents or grandparents or our friends and neighbors parents and grandparents and invested in and built a nation-state which became a world top ten economy.
But YMMV
Hello, John,
My remarks concerning taxes were addressed less to you than to commenters suggesting that we can tax our way out of trouble. I agree with you about the waste in the system: there are several areas that need to be addressed, including tax structure, waste, corruption, and business climate. And of course Prop 13 is a weird one and should be revisited.
As for saying “good riddance, we don’t want bad corporate citizens” I have to point out that a hostile business climate drives out the good with the bad. We’ve lost a ton of film and TV business which not only lowers corporate tax revenues but also puts people (many of them union) out of work. Where did that business go? To States that offered them tax breaks.
BTW: An oil extraction tax is currently being proposed.