Recalls a huge waste of resources

I have to hand it to all the right-wing, conspiracy theorypromoting, election fraud-clamoring, would-be insurrectionists in California. They are pretty clever.

In the absence of a Republican-controlled legislature that would pass voter suppression legislation to undermine the democratic process if it could, here in California — including Shasta County supervisorial districts and the Chico Union School District — Qanonlike agitators are resorting to an outrageous strategy of “governing by recall.” These wingnuts believe all you need to do is latch onto and promote some narcissistic, self-serving rationale as a pretext to overthrow the outcome of an election. Here’s the reason it’s clever: if successful, they don’t even have to wait for the next election cycle to remove duly elected, dedicated public servants from office.

Never mind these recalls will waste hundreds of thousands to multi-millions of taxpayer dollars.

All this sure looks like democracy at work and money well spent, doesn’t it?

None of us enjoy—or under normal conditions would ever choose to undertake—the measures necessary to prevent unimaginable levels of disease and tens of thousands of deaths in California. To say these measures have been demoralizing and disruptive in every respect is an understatement. They require an enormous amount of self-discipline and self-sacrifice. But desperate times call for desperate measures. Fact is, thanks to medical science, bold leadership, and the ensuing precautions, California now has the lowest infection and hospitalization rates in the entire nation.

The end is in sight, but let’s forge ahead with these idiotic recalls, anyway.

— James Aram, Chico