A Dream Dies

There is a fact about me which I generally keep to myself. It is largely irrelevant so it is seldom spoken of. The truth of the matter is that I, like tens of thousands of fellow Oregonians and millions across America, was born in the state of California. Or should I say the late great state of California.

I was born in San Diego in 1984, but my family did not stay long. Like so many others in the late 1980s our family fled north, settling in Oregon, just east of Salem. My uncle and one of our neighbors ended up in Washington, my cousin and one of our former pastors in Newberg, a family from our church wound up in Silverton as well. It was a mass exodus it seemed, but it was just beginning. The population of California has continued to grow. Swelling by about 9 million since 1990, however during that span an estimated 4 million more people have moved out of the state than have moved in from other states! The states growth has slowed dramatically since the recession began, with natural increase and foreign immigration being the only reason the state has continued to grow.

Some hail the incredible success of certain industries, such as high-tech, as proof that the California Dream still exists. However, those who choose to focus on the success of one small area in Northern California are either choosing to ignore or are ignorant of huge sections of the rest of this vast and diverse state. The laundry list of issues facing our nations most populous state is extensive, but here are a few. First of all an incredibly dysfunctional political system reigns. The nation saw this first hand when the pathetic governor Gray Davis was removed via recall election in 2003 and the "Governator" Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected in his place.

Schwarzenegger came in with grand plans, but was soon bogged down by the minutia of Sacramento and the perpetual do nothing legislature. Soon he was picking fights with the legislature, the status quo prevailed, and he was every bit as unpopular as the man he had replaced. When faced with real and pressing challenges those in Sacramento and across the state at all levels of government have chosen to pass the buck and kick the can on down the road. Unfortunately there is only so much passing and kicking they can do and their problems are beginning to catch up with them.

The issue California faces is that not only are their challenges huge, unpleasant, and costly. But they are a decay to the very core and foundation of the state. They are structural problems so massive that they threaten the very solvency of not only the state, but countless counties and local municipalities as well. At every level governments are saddled by enormous unfunded pension liabilities and politicians from city hall to the state house are beholden to incredibly powerful and unflinching public employee unions which have negotiated embarrassingly generous contracts and pensions for their members. Apparently the question of who will pay for all this is being passed along for another day.

However, that day will come and little by little governments across California are facing their day of reckoning and still the answers do not come easy. The state has an unemployment rate well above the national average, a toxic business climate, politicians addicted to spending, citizens addicted to the government cheese, and public employee unions with an insatiable appetite for more. And still no one can step in and say enough is enough. The politicians in Sacramento cannot see past the end of their own noses and are too worried about their own electoral chances (And perhaps getting laid.) to try and actually tackle the catastrophic issues looming above their heads.

There was a time when California was viewed as promised land. From as long ago as the mid-19th century people dreamed of the Golden State. The state had intrigue, it was romanticized by Hollywood, it was seen as cool, and most of all it was seen as a microcosm of America. Where anything was possible and where a mountain of opportunity was just sitting, there for the taking. There was a reason my family moved three thousand miles to Southern California in the 1960s (And we are talking entire extended family as well, it was a complete familial migration on my mothers side.). There was opportunity in California and the promise of a better life. It was a place where one could raise a family, enjoy the beautiful climate, and experience a relatively high standard of living. However, the flood of families and small business owners we see fleeing the state today says it all.

The California Dream is now spoken of in the past tense. No longer are young families who aspire to upward mobility moving to California, but instead they are fleeing it as fast as possible. California is a fine place for the wealthy or someone living on a hefty public employee pension. It is arguably the most beautiful state in the nation, with the most scenic coastline in America and some of the most majestic mountains found anywhere. The amenities and entertainment options for a Californian of means are also practically endless. But for a family trying to find their piece of the American dream and move into the middle class, California does not hold the dazzling allure it once did. From deteriorating services, to high taxes, and an outrageous cost of living California is becoming a land of haves and have nots as those in the middle head for more fertile pastures. Here's to hoping the so called leaders in the Golden State wake up and reverse their statist ways before it is to late. But sadly, there are no signs that the leaders of California will awaken from their statist and debaucherous coma before it is to late and all we have is a memory of the great Golden Bear that was California.