Recall election trying to save civilization in California

Why left-wingers are the way they are is a distressing puzzle: supposedly compassionate, yes, but either irrational or selfish or both to the point of outright cruelty, and, over and over again, big-time winners, taking political control of California, for instance.

It is mountainously beautiful, the most populous, richest state in the union, but also a collection of impoverished, unsheltered, often alcoholic or drug-addicted, mentally ill, barefoot, emaciated Americans with next to no care.

Civilization calls for something better than vast numbers sprawled on San Francisco sidewalks next to their tents and garbage as if Hollywood movie producers were preparing a scene on the state’s imminent collapse.

The decadence is broader than this skid row tragedy, and so civilization also calls for the unlikely Tuesday recall of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who abets bad outcomes by following progressive paths with character sadly amiss. The crucial hope is that his ejection could begin the reshaping of essentially a one-party state into more nearly a two-party state in which debate is not ideologically enclosed and there’s compromise, adherence to essential principles and the possibility of honorable, reformist effectiveness.

A lieutenant governor who became governor in 2019, Newsom previously was traffic commissioner, a city supervisor and mayor in San Francisco. He is representative of some of California’s worst failings, and they go beyond his cavalier restaurant attendance in disregard of his own COVID-19 cautions. Here was a signal that this multimillionaire winery owner was above the common folks and didn’t really believe in his own rhetoric. The incident sent signatures on the kick-himout petition from 56,000 to about 500,000 in a week or so, we are informed.

But that’s not the whole story because many petition signers were first-off furious because they felt he ignored the rule of law in treating undocumented immigrants as if superior to citizens in their rights. While many immigrants contribute to society, Illegal entrants usually struggle to make a living, and the Democratic practice of embracing them with taxpayer billions can hurt others. Newsom didn’t fix things by removing National Guard troops from the border.

Wildfire is another top issue, and Newsom promised significant forest-management that only slightly transpired, as journalists and forest fires demonstrated. Thanks to political deeds mostly excluding GOP interference, California has the highest cost of living in the country, the highest poverty rate, some of the highest taxes the rich have ever met and, according to a 2018 U.S. News study, the lowest quality of life. Homicides went up 31% in 2020 with district attorneys debating whether to treat criminals as criminals.

California has as many homeless people as the rest of the states combined and has spent billions upon billions to cope with the havoc as homelessness has swelled. Newsom’s budget has set aside $12 billion for new housing over two years with one dubious analyst pointing to Los Angeles having had an ambition of 10,000 units. After three years, one had been finished. Newsom also has an expensive plan for personal care for the homeless with critics saying the resources aren’t there.

In the election, voters will vote “yes” or “no” on the recall, and then choose which of the 46 candidates they would prefer to replace Newsom if he loses. That would likely be Larry Elder, an attorney, author, California radio host and frequent Fox News guest. He is way ahead in the polls but is also a Black American targeted by leftist racists who believe real Black Americans are all leftists like them. They deride him despite his being superbly well-informed and on-target where it counts most, as, for instance, in favoring school choice so that disadvantaged California students learn to do math and read.

Elder could be an exceptional leader, adding appeal to the Republican Party just maybe beginning to balance things out a bit — except that 53% of those polled on Sept. 5 want to keep Newsom, whose billionaire friends have enabled whoopee advertising. Thousands of the less-well-to-do have been fleeing the state each year and may be packing bags.