Eber: California: The Dying State—Cause of Death?  Suicide

California is in the DOOM LOOP.  Crime, economy, health care, education, all are government failures.

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California:  The Dying State—Cause of Death?  Suicide

Richard Eber, Exclusive to the California Political News and Views,  6/18/24  www.capoliticalnewsandviews.com

It is a well known fact that I am not a very good loser.  As a child, defeat of the 49ers was often accompanied by a suitable period of mourning. In my 20’s the sport of tennis was abandoned because of competition issues playing against  mediocre female players.

For me, sportsmanship has always been an acquired taste.

The same attitude  translates into politics.  For the last quarter century being a Republican has almost always meant defeat. This frustration continues to grow.  I desperately want the GOP to at least put in a respectable showing in California.

To do so  Republican candidates  might consider  taking on  a Bill Cintonesque “don’t ask don’t tell” strategy on dealing with morality laced social issues.

This can be manifested in such areas as:

Gay Marriage:  Many Republicans are troubled by this law where the California Supreme Court overruled the people’s will. Despite what transpired, legalized same sex unions  should be accepted.  Gay couples who tie the knot have every right to be as miserable as most of us straight folks..  

Opposing this institution that the majority of voters now accept, is a virtual political suicide mission.   In my mind there are more important issues to contend with. 

With point of information status, Gay Rights should be considered the law of the land for Republicans

Where conservatives can come out of the shadows  (or closet) is opposition to Progressives pushing  a transgender agenda  in schools, public restrooms, and legislating  unneeded hate crime laws.  It is fraudulent  to compare  this liberal  hysteria to the civil rights movement of the 1960’s.  

The transgender cause does not merit large public expenditures or legislative action to deal with such a small segment of society.

Smoking pot:  This is a wide ranging territory shaded in gray.  Much like alcohol and tobacco use, trying to keep these substances away from minors is priority #1.

Reality is pot consumption for adults is a habit that parallels drinking alcohol.  We no longer wish to reside in a world Phil Oaks described: 

Smoking marihuana is more fun than drinking beer,

But a friend of ours was captured and they gave him thirty years

It appears in the next decade, marjuana use will be legalized nationally. With such a  fact of life in place, GOP candidates can  avoid this issue  by taking  a  principled libertarian approach.  

Hard Drugs:  Public policy should concentrate their efforts towards thwarting consumption of Meth, cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl.   Prevention must be a constant theme, especially in public education.

Use of these substances leads to criminal activity and deadly overdoses.  They create difficult addiction problems for society to contend with. Rehab programs are not only expensive; but often don’t succeed.

Republicans need to take strong stands nationally and locally against use of these dangerous substances.  This involves:

• Lock-up dealers who continue to break the law:After allowing some leniency for first offenses, those who distribute hard drugs should be given significant time in prison. Forget about no bail, bad childhoods, and excuses for taking this horrendous path.
• Municipalities must inform lenient D.A.”s funded by George Sorus to take a hike.  At the same time Republican lawmakers need to pass legislation tightening up illegal immigration and curtailing distribution by Mexican Drug Cartels in the USA.
• Tell China to stop exporting  chemicals used in manufacturing these poisonous substances to Mexico.  Dire consequences should be imposed  for non-compliance  No more messing around.

Abortion:   This is perhaps the most controversial social issue conservatives need deal with.  Regardless of propaganda emanating from Planned Parenthood and legislators in Sacramento, the majority of the population holds  both a Pro Life and Choice  viewpoint.  

Despite this,  Democratic politicians and most of the news media have demonized the GOP for being against the rights of Women to make their own decisions on  child bearing. Such an image needs to be changed.

Donald Trump has successfully defused  abortion paranoia by supporting the repeal of Roe Vs. Wade. In his mind,  leaving it up to States to determine their own abortion policies has made  conservatives less vulnerable with middle of the road voters.

The Supreme Court allowing the sale of the key abortion pill Mifepristone throughout the 50 States, has further defused the controversy between Pro Choice and Pro Life factions. Let’s leave it that way in the Golden State.

GOP candidates should do their best to avoid discussing abortion. Failure  to do so threatens to makes Republicans  unelectable in Progressive California. In this case  “let sleeping dogs lie.”

The bottom line is that Republicans need to win legislative seats to help fix the mess caused by the administrations ofJerry Brown and Gavin Newsom.

Reducing crime, peeling back over-regulation, improving public schools, lowering energy costs, building much needed housing, and eliminating  hostility directed  to business, are the highest priorities.