SACRAMENTO – CALIFORNIA’S  CAPITOL

   HOMELESS UP 52% IN TWO YEARS

For the record:  All the following numbers are taken from Google.

The State of California under (failed) Governor Newsom is facing a $60 Billion Dollar or more deficit depending on what current numbers are being “floated” from the State Capitol. 

California’s State Capitol City of Sacramento is facing a $50 Million Dollar (or more) Budget deficit thanks in part to the $60 Million Dollar renovation last year of a dilapidated hotel to house 134 of the Cities multi-thousand homeless.

San Francisco, California’s once “Jewel” on the Pacific is facing a Budget deficit of $1.4 Billion Dollars with rampant crime and homelessness.

Los Angeles is staring at a $476 Million Dollar Budget deficit as it is inundated with crime, illegal immigrants, homeless encampments and a shrinking tax base.

The above four entities all have one thing in common.  They are all under proudly “Blue” mis-management, WOKE, wedded to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion principles in a race to the bottom.

Silly me.  I grew up thinking that government’s (City, County, State, Federal) Primary Mission and Responsibility was to provide we Taxpaying Citizens with a Safe and Clean environment and to spend the Taxpayers hard earned dollars in a way to accomplish this mission with restraint in a responsible manner just as a family has to live within a budget. 

Was I gullible or was I just wrong?

Turns out these, sometimes well meaning, folks too often turn into teen agers with keys to Mom & Dad’s new car, a credit card and a bottle of Jack Daniels finest.  Hello National Debt of  $34+ Trillion Dollars, invasion over open borders, rampant unchecked crime, mushrooming homeless encampments, heavily in debt students joining the cause of Terrorists, crippling inflation and loss of worldwide respect.

Some near 5 years ago (August 2019) I wrote a “spoof” article titled “Momma Tried”.  Over the years it has been one of the most commented on articles I have ever written.  Don’t have a counter on how many times it has been read and don’t keep track of more than a very small percentage of comments received but have gotten many, many thousands of comments submitted with 95% + being positive .  While the article was satirical in nature the underlying premise is that the homeless destruction of some of our cities could be stopped with a few simple, common sense steps rather than the mega-million dollar pork barrel projects government keeps implementing with little or no accountability of where the money is going.  Last year California State “lost track of” some $24 Billion Dollars “earmarked” for “Homeless solutions”.  The money has “vanished -poof” and there is no accountability for it.

A copy of my original article is printed below or you can find it anytime by typing Momma Tried in the search box and hitting enter.

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MOMMA TRIED

Recently while watching a documentary on prisons and prisoners, I saw a prisoner with “MOMMA TRIED” tattooed across his chest.

It got me to thinking. And, no I am not talking about the unfortunate homeless living on the streets.

I am talking about the City Administrators of these cities, like San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland and, yes, sadly Sacramento and too many others.

Yesterday, I heard on the news that San Francisco was going to provide elevator operators in buildings because the “homeless” have been using elevators as public toilets.

I am ashamed to admit that in a moment of anger I would like to take these so-called “Administrators” and “Guardians” of their citizenry, and have “MOMMA TRIED” tattooed across their foreheads.

Their first duty is to provide the citizens of their city with safety in a clean, healthy environment – not hold meetings and talk about grandiose plans which will cost a gazillion more taxpayer dollars and in the end not produce the desired result. I have heard on the news that the State of Washington has spent a Billion (with a “B”) Dollars on homeless plans and the situation on the streets of Seattle are, if anything, worse.

Here is a two step plan to clean the streets:

First, provide Charter Buses to relocate these poor, miserable people living in filth and degradation to new, clean and prosperous locales. May I suggest places like Marin County (home of Nancy Pelosi), Malibu, Brentwood, Beverly Hills, Hollywood and other places filled with those smart, politically connected folks who believe they have all the answers for all problems. Be sure they arrive with a nice box lunch, map of the area of their new “home” and a crisp new $100 bill.

Second, using scrapers, loaders and dump trucks, remove the debris and trash from the streets. Then Fire Hose the remaining human waste and filth into a containment location (similar to the ones required on construction sites) and have it “sucked” up and disposed of in a sanitation facility. Preferably one in Marin County etc..

After completing these steps put up signs (in multiple languages) that henceforth the streets will be water-blasted on a regular basis for public health and safety reasons on an unannounced basis as needed. Then do it.

Problem solved at far less cost than all those “solutions” provided by those “Administrator” meetings.

Sorry about the “MOMMA TRIED” tattoo crack. Most of those Administrators foreheads are probably too narrow for it anyway.

Bob Bandy – (August 2019)

NASA maps California drought effects on Sierra trees. (Photo: climate.nasa.gov)

Shared photo from – California Globe

I am sharing a most informative and excellent article from the CALIFORNIA GLOBE – By Katy Grimes, May 13, 2024 2:55 am

My own comments and link follow the CALIFORNIA GLOBE article below

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‘NO Climate Crisis’ Says Coalition of 1,600 Actual Scientists

The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is ‘one of the worst sources of dangerous misinformation’

“There is ‘NO Climate Crisis’ says a coalition of 1,600 actual scientists” in a recent letter to the California Air Resources Board. In fact, the scientists find that “California is in no danger of unusual drought: The annual precipitation in California has fluctuated greatly over the last 150 years, with only a slight decrease.”

California also has record low levels of air pollution that are below the threshold of human health effects, James E. Enstrom, PhD, MPH has told us repeatedly for years. He’s also one of the 1,600 scientists signed onto the letter to CARB.

The scientists also insisted that carbon dioxide is beneficial to Earth.

The CO₂ Coalition’s letter is particularly timely with Gov. Gavin Newsom taking his climate change road show to the Vatican later this week where he was invited to speak by Pope Francis at a Summit of mayors and governors. The Summit, which will be held from May 15th to May 17th, will cover “the impact of rising temperatures” in local communities, and “climate resilience.”

This one-page summary letter begins with a link to a 16-page detailed report containing the strong evidence.

An open letter to the California Air Resources Board

Dear Sir or Madam:

Good news: There is NO climate crisis in California. This claim was verified by the scientific data that were compiled by the CO₂ Coalition, a nonprofit organization with the goal of determining and propagating the facts regarding carbon dioxide (CO₂) and the climate (CO₂ Coalition, 2024). The key findings provided below stand in contrast to the climate crisis claims made in the March 1, 2024, California Priority Climate Action Plan (Priority Climate Action Plan, 2024) and the California Climate Disclosure Rules (Senate Bills No. 253 and No. 261) (Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America, 2024). More details can be found in the attached letter and appendix.

• Modest warming of California is beneficial and not a cause for concern: Globally, more people have died from the cold than from the heat since 2000.
• Increase in agricultural production: The combination of lengthened growing seasons (from warming) and increased CO₂ concentrations has contributed to this increase.
• CO₂ is essential: Plants need CO₂, sunlight, water, and nutrients from the soil to produce food and oxygen, both of which are essential for human and animal lives.
• CO₂ is beneficial: Exposing plants to higher concentrations of CO₂ increases their growth, food production, and drought-resistance; and greens the Earth.
• California is in no danger of unusual drought: The annual precipitation in California has fluctuated greatly over the last 150 years, with only a slight decrease.
• Ski resorts are experiencing more snow: Most (21 of 22) ski resorts in California had increasing snowfall from 2012 to 2023.
• California is in no danger of drowning: North Spit, CA, has the highest rate of sea level rise of 0.005 meter/year, or 1.64 feet in 100 years, which is easily mitigated.
• Less natural disasters over the years: Significantly reduced number of wildfires and acres burned were reported in the United States and globally; California has infrequent tornadoes, no landfalling hurricane from 1851 to 2023, and no tropical depression from 1950 to 2023; and tropical storms are rare in California, with the last two reported in 2023 and 1997.
• Air quality in California keeps getting better: The concentrations of major pollutants have decreased over the years.

In conclusion, there is NO climate crisis in California and CO₂ is essential for all life on Earth. If you need additional details, the CO₂ Coalition will be happy to respond to any inquiries you may have, and the members of the CO₂ Coalition will be happy to meet with you for further discussions. Several members of the CO₂ Coalition have signed the No Climate Emergency Declaration (CO₂ Coalition, 2023).

The letter is signed by Gregory Wrightstone, Executive Director of the CO₂ Coalition.

The summary letter contains a link to the September 2023 “NO Climate Emergency” declaration signed by the 1,600 scientists, including long-time scientist and epidemiologist Dr. James Enstrom: https://co2coalition.org/news/over-1600-scientists-sign-no-climate-emergency-declaration/.

Dr. Enstrom says one of the most prominent signers is 2022 Nobel Laureate John Clauser, who described the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as “one of the worst sources of dangerous misinformation,” and was disinvited to speak before the U.N.’s International Monetary Fund (IMF) on July 25, 2023.

“The physicist believes that objective science on climate has been sacrificed to politics. The preeminence of politics is all the worse, he said, because so much money has already gone to climate,” the CO2 Coalition said.

“We’re talking about trillions of dollars,” he said, adding that powerful people don’t want to hear that they’ve made “trillion-dollar mistakes.”

end quote from article which can be seen at the California Globe.com website

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I would add only that I have written on the Climate Hoax Scam a number of times and for a view of my thoughts on the subject I will refer you only to one such article which I wrote back in November 2019 which you can see at:

JUNK SCIENCE ALA CARTE

– https://www.stoppullingthewagon.com/junk-science-ala-carte/ –

Or, you can simply type Climate Change in the search box, hit enter and it will take you to a series of articles.

Bob Bandy – May 2024

P.S.  The California Globe is a well written, respected on line publication which you can find at California Globe.com

Sun Tzu was a Chinese military general, strategist, philosopher, and writer who lived during the Eastern Zhou period.

The sad truth is I believe we are living in the near end stages of just such a time as spelled out above.  I must hasten to say that I don’t believe this is the goal of just one man.  True, the current resident of our most high office is a man who is ego driven but he also mostly an “Empty Suit” doing the bidding of those “behind the scenes”.  A mere puppet of the Progressive Wing of the Ruling Party and appears indebted to and beholden to a foreign power who is not an American friend.   

However, the threat to our Democracy and Republic has deeper roots than just the oval office.

The ruling “Junta” in Washington D.C. has done everything possible to insure continued power.  They have politicized the Justice Depart, the Military Hierarchy, the Internal Revenue Service, the Department of Education, the Environmental Protection Agency and innumerable other Federal Departments and Agencies. They will willingly do whatever it takes to remain in power, even if it means destroying the personal liberty American’s have enjoyed and counted on for more than 200 years.  Power is everything.

In so many ways the so-called “Deep State” has become a malignant “Cancer” inasmuch that it now holds unelected regulatory power to pass laws and regulations to control our lives in ways that we do not choose without ever being considered in, or passed by congress.  A very small example would be to announce that you will not, after a certain date, be able to buy a gas range for your kitchen. There are literally thousands of rules and regulations that are imposed on us that were never voted on by we mere citizens, just the result of a “pregnant idea” in the heart of an unelected Bureaucrat with their own agenda.

Ronald Reagan once said:

“No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size.  Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we’ll ever see on this earth!”

The total problem runs much deeper even than the above.  The “Deep State” has become a law unto itself and is driven not only by a thirst for power but also avarice and greed.  

Sixty+ years ago, U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower delivered his farewell address.  One of the points in his speech spelled out:

“In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex.  The potential for disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.”

The profit potential for the “Military Industrial Complex” in the United States is almost without measure whether our own military is directly involved or Congress votes large foreign aid military packages to foreign governments engaged in war.  The money flows from the aid package to those who produce the implements of war.

When Congress and the Administration passes a 60 Billion Dollar “Aid Package” to Ukraine (just one example) some generous portion of those dollars end up in the pockets or Swiss/Caribbean Bank accounts of corrupt administrators and bureaucrats on both sides of the water and the rest in the cash registers of the producers of the bombs, bullets, tanks and other materials of war.  The bill for all this largesse is added to our National Debt which currently stands at more the 34 Trillion Dollars and a debt on which our government does not have the resources to pay the interest without further borrowing.

The corruption of “Deep State Cancer” has spread beyond the Federal level and metastized to many state and local governments who now mismanage large deficits in crime ridden and homeless plagued environments.   

For example:

From the California Globe – Katy Grimes April 30, 2024

Gov. Newsom and the Democrat supermajority Legislature will be searching in every crevice and corner of the Capitol, under every couch cushion, and coat pocket in order to backfill the $73 billion budget deficit. And they won’t stop at the billionaires.

The State of California also owes the federal government more than $21 Billion after borrowing billions to pay unemployment benefits during the Covid pandemic. And while California already has paid more than $650 Million  in interest on the loan, there is another $550 million due Sept. 30, 2024, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Adding to the pain, The California Employment Development Department admits that $55 billion was lost in the pandemic, the Globe reported.”

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This is not to say there are not good people working in government.  There are, but often they find themselves alone “dog paddling” around to stay afloat in a Cesspool of corruption and greed. Most of our leaders and decision makers have so corrupted  the system it is likely beyond repair without some monumental monetary suffering on the part of most of its citizen taxpayers.

Too many of our leaders suffer from the thirst for “Power That Totally Corrupts”.

Bob Bandy – May 2024

P.S. Long ago I issued a challenge asking why do we have a Federal Department of Education with a budget of some $100 Billion Dollars?  What useful purpose does it serve other than meddle in what should be a State function?  I’m still waiting. 

IN CALIFORNIA THE MOST VULNERABLE MUST RUN A GAUNTLET

THE ABORTION OPTION GAUNTLET

In California pre-born infants in the womb can be aborted up through the ninth month, in fact, up to the moment of live birth.  Following a live birth the new born can be subject to a Peri-natal “termination of pregnancy” “loophole” signed into law by California’s Governor Gavin Newsom in 2022.  Not wanting to call it “live birth abortion” California passed into law the following:

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In California, in many situations you can be sued, lose your job, even be arrested if you do not address someone with the proper pro-noun.  Just stating the fact that at a scientific, biological and DNA level there are two, and only two genders can get you accused of a “Hate Crime”.   Citizens must not only accept and properly honor all these without question or face serious consequences, even sued in court. 

For those of us who cherish established values, the rule of law and protection of the family and church we must take whatever steps we can, to do everything still possible to protect the most vulnerable among us.  See/read also from October 2022: 

https://www.stoppullingthewagon.com/protecting-the-most-vulnerable/

A SAFE PLACE TO BE IN CALIFORNIA

The only place that I know of,  in California, where you can be assured of safety and a long well cared for life, is on Death Row in California’s prison system.  There California’s Taxpayers will provide for all your needs, including “Gender Care” should you feel inclined,  and it’s Governor will commute your death sentence and provide for your safety and protection no matter how many innocent lives you destroyed.  You see, California’s Governor does not condone the death sentence except on the pre-born and in the narrow 28 day window of the peri-natal period.  Two of the most vulnerable periods in life.

Bob Bandy – April, 2024

California Roads

photo – Google

California is a state filled with “Good Intentions”.  It’s two largest Cities, Los Angeles and San Francisco, as well as it’s State Capitol, Sacramento, are entrenched “Feel Good” Liberal Bastions offering Sanctuary to “undocumented” (illegal) “no questions asked or permitted of immigrants”.  In fact, the whole state is a proud “Sanctuary” and you can face prosecution in court if you ask to see proof of citizenship.

California had, and I believe still has, the highest Gasoline Taxes in the nation and despite the fact that those taxes, on paper, are supposed to be used for road maintenance and repair, it has some of the worst, if not worst, potholes and poor maintenance in the nation.  Good intentions do not fill potholes.  Many/most of those Gasoline Tax Dollars through “slight of hand” and “smoke and mirrors” end up being redirected/spent on other “pet projects” of the “Ruling Junta” on things like “Free College” for “undocumented” migrants, “Free Healthcare” for “undocumented migrants” and “dog and pony show” special projects that sound soooo good and accomplish little or nothing other than put taxpayer Dollars into the pockets of political supporters and their ilk.  

All to often public tax revenue is allocated out for political agendas.

See: CONRAD BLOWHARD STRIKES AGAIN  

https://www.stoppullingthewagon.com/conrad-blowhard-strikes-again/ 

SPENDING PLANS SUCH AS

Homeless Housing for the states number one in the nation homeless population.  Things like $41,000 tents on pallets,  $400,000 two hundred square foot remodeled hotel rooms for the drug and alcohol addicted homeless and other “Blue Sky” projects..  On a recent news broadcast it was reported that California spent last year $43,000,000,000 ($43 Billion Dollars) on “Homeless Housing” projects and now has more Homeless than before they spent the money.  Note: News Reports that California has “no data” on $24,000,000,000($24 Billion) of those dollars…  the money is gone… “Poof”.

AND

https://www.stoppullingthewagon.com/?s=California+High+Speed+Rail+2.0

California High Speed Rail 2.0

Nine Billion Dollars Later (March 2019)

Its “never will be completed”, now estimated to cost in excess of $100,000,000,000 (that’s One Hundred Billion Dollars) High Speed Rail System which after some 10+ years of construction and numerous projections, has never hauled a single passenger a single mile. 

AND

Removing smaller dams, reservoirs and even hydro-electric plants.  US regulators have approved the largest dam removal project in the country’s history, which is slated to take place on the Klamath River in California.  A $500 million Dollar proposal to demolish four dams on the Klamath River has been approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. (Associated Press). “Some people might ask in this time of great need for zero emissions, ‘Why are we removing the dams?’  The project has been a priority for environmental activists and Native American tribes for years.

Government is not so much intentionally “evil” as it is just addicted to programs that sound good without being thought through to possible unintentional outcomes, corruption, fraud, waste, graft, mismanagement, lack of accountability and poor judgement.  Government has a history of “solving problems” by throwing money at them and when that doesn’t work reaching a conclusion that the problem wasn’t solved because they didn’t throw enough money at it sooooo…..  lets increase spending.  But money and good Intentions don’t solve problems and they don’t fill potholes in the states roads.

Programs like these and many others are why California has a 70+ BILLION DOLLAR BUDGET DEFICIT, its State Capitol City – Sacramento has a 60+MILLION DOLLAR BUDGET DEFICIT and other major cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles have similar fiscal woes.  Mind you, most or all of the above were/are the product of the “Good Intentions” in the mind and agenda of some Bureaucrat at some point in time.  But…..

California Potholes – Google

GOOD INTENTIONS DON’T FILL POTHOLES

Late News Update – 4-10-24 – KCRA News: Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration announced a new directive on Wednesday that will require state employees to work in the office at least two days a week.  “Talk about your ‘Sweatshop’ working environment!” “Way to run a tight ship Governor!”

Bob Bandy – April 2024

I grew up in an era where I used to hear folks say that they lived for the day they would make their last mortgage payment, burn their mortgage and own their home “free and clear”.  Not quite.

My great grandfather was a Texas Ranger and his brother, John, was a (the first?) Tax Collector in Bandera County, Texas.  This I have documentation on and so, I can trace Property Taxes at least back to the circa 1880’s and feel sure they precede that by several decades.  Perhaps in early “Frontier” days on territorial lands you could “Homestead” a piece of land with no “Revenuer” knocking on your door and demanding you pay a fee to live on your own land.  Not today.  In today’s world you never really “own” your land and home, more like, rent it from the “Government”.  Try not paying your property taxes for a while and see what happens to “your” home.

Governments are “Taxaholics” and continue to find new ways to tax you, sometimes in not so obvious, subtle ways that go on “Till the Twelfth of Never”.

I am now a “Senior Citizen” that has worked his whole life.  I can remember some 40 to 50 years ago working as a carpenter and contractor building houses for folks in the Sacramento and Sierra Foothills area.  In those days if someone wanted a house built they would bring their blueprints to either one of the contactors I worked with or to me and we would go to the County Offices and secure a “Building Permit”.  My memory is not perfect but as I remember the total permit cost for a typical house would run in the $200 to $400 range.  Since then, Cities and Counties have seized the opportunity to raise money by not only increasing the cost of  building permits but the “secret” source of revenue with added on fees for all sorts of things to provide them an increased property tax revenue.  More in a moment.

It is tempting and would be easy at this point to launch into one of my tirades on all of the taxes, overt and covert, that we all pay on a day to day basis ad nauseum, but for the sake of this little essay, I want to focus attention on just this one area of onerous taxation that is somewhat subtle and NEVER goes away.

What used to be a $200-$400 building permit fee for most cities and counties in California has turned into a tens of thousands of dollars “Taxmageddon”  that has driven the cost of housing and living in California to the brink of meltdown and created a homeless nightmare statewide.  What used to be a $200-$400 fee has now morphed into a “Fee” generating income source for Cities, Counties and the State and a de-facto forever “surtax” on private real estate property.  As examples: a good friend of mine tells me that to get a building permit for a home in Roseville, California with fees now costs some $70,000 for the permit.  Another friend tells me that a building permit with fees in El Dorado County, California can cost as much as $100,000 just for them to permit you to build a home on “your” land.

An example of just one such fee:  For new home construction in El Dorado Hills they imposed a “Traffic Impact Fee” (effective thru June 2023 which may have since been raised).  On a new home of 1500 – 1999 square feet, the fee is $32,687.  In other words they are going to charge you $32,687 to drive on “their” roads to “your” land – and silly you,  you thought roads were paid for with your Gasoline Tax Dollars. (Their fee schedule is available on line) That is just one of a “laundry list” of fees for all kinds of things.  The point of this being that this fee cost is added to the cost of the home you are buying and will be paying mortgage rates on for some 30 years.  In addition, once you pay off your mortgage you will be paying property taxes based on the property value which is assessed on what you paid for the home which includes all the fees added at the time of construction.  So you will be paying forever a tax on all of the “Fees”.  To the Taxing Authorities this is a gift that keeps on giving.  As an added bonus,  new housing that costs more has raised the value of existing properties which as they are sold are now taxed at the inflated value in part caused by the fees on new construction.  The “Tax and Fee People” win again!

IN SIMPLE PLAIN ENGLISH – ALL THOSE FEES END UP IN THE TAX APPRAISED VALUE OF ‘YOUR’ HOME AND YOU WILL PAY PROPERTY TAX ON THOSE FEES ‘FOREVER’.

This inflation cycle goes on and on and the result is home ownership becomes more and more expensive and less and less affordable.  Hello “homelessness”.  So where does all this extra “Fee” revenue go?  Unfortunately too much of it ends up indirectly in the pockets of Bureaucrats and directly in the pockets of sycophant political supporters like “Consultants”, “Contractors”, “Advisors” etc. etc. for bloated “Public Works” contracts and the public sees:

  $44,000 (each) tents for the Homeless 

https://www.stoppullingthewagon.com/?s=44%2C000+tents+for+the+homeless

AND

$478,000 Tiny Homeless apartments from a “remodeled” old run-down hotel at $1,707 per square foot.

https://www.stoppullingthewagon.com/?s=conrad+blowhard+strikes+again

OR

California’s High Speed Rail 

Now estimated to cost another $100 Billion Dollars or more on completion

https://www.stoppullingthewagon.com/?s=another+6+Billion+Dollar+rathole

At least you can take comfort in knowing your hard earned dollars are being spent wisely!

To paraphrase the “Johnny Mathis song – the “Twelfth Of Never” – (1956) 

“Until the twelfth of never – I’ll still be taxing you”.

Bob Bandy – March 2024