First off, before I vent, let me say that I love Southern California.

Moving from Schamburg, Illinois to San Diego, California in the same month and year that Patty Hurst was kidnapped – February of 1974 – it was love at first sight.

One of America’s most beautiful cities, San Diego neighbors Mexico to the south, the Pacific Ocean to the west and, about eighty miles to the north, Los Angeles.

Having the countries most temperate year-round temperatures, what, I ask, is not to love about San Diego.

Also, guess what? No mosquitoes!

Unfortunately, the business I paid money for, the business that I bought into that brought my family of six to San Diego turned out to be fraudulent and, being a military town, jobs being rather hard to find for a,  then, forty year old man with four children, having a job offer in the Los Angeles area, after a year in San Diego, sadly we moved further north.

Now, thirty-five years later, believing I live in – within the limits of what I can afford – feeling blessed, I truly believe that Southern California is paradise and I love it here!

This being “The Golden State,” people continually flocked to California seeking the same things I did... A pleasant, comfortable life.

However, now, in years 2008-2009 more people are leaving “The Golden State” then are  moving here. Why?

Venting time!!!

Please understand the following is as I perceive the tarnishing of The Golden State:

Once again the state of California is considering the legalization of marijuana.

Let me state that the legalization of Marijuana does not bother me, not in the least,  because, in my opinion, alcohol is far more destructive and, what the hell, if people are going to smoke pot and as pot is actually California’s largest – legal or illegal – crop accounting for billions of dollars in non taxable money. And as California is in desperate need of money? So, if an ounce of marijuana cost a hundred and fifty dollars with fifty going into our treasury, it sure couldn’t hurt.

Let me make a bit of a confession here: I smoked marijuana. Not a huge amount, but I did smoke marijuana and truly enjoyed it. Matter of fact, my first two novels originally were written in that period of time.

Something else about Marijuana, I found it a hundred times harder to kick the tobacco habit than pot. 

Actually, the only bad thing about pot for me was that I became addicted to Nabisco Wheat Thins and gained about twenty pounds while smoking the stuff.

The California Lottery:

Let me state that the conception and legalization of the California lottery, which began on  11/6/84, does not bother me, not in the least, because the conception of the lottery was based on the fact that all profits, all of the billions upon billions of lottery money would go into the California school system.

Let me state that California has had legalized, “Nevada style” gambling for the last twenty years which, in California, is a 300 billion dollar a year industry. And, as gambling is not an important thing in my life, legalized gambling does not bother me, not in the least.

As I no longer smoke, the continual taxing and re-taxing of tobacco products does not bother me.

As I am a very moderate drinker, the continue taxing and re-taxing of alcoholic beverages does not bother me,

What does bother me, though, is  the raising of our sales tax from 8&1/4 % to 9&3/4%. That bothers me... a lot!

The doubling of automotive registration bothers me... a lot!

The raising of gasoline tax bothers me... a lot!

The fact that each and every election brings another school bond bothers me... a lot!

So now The Golden State is bankrupt.

So now, The Golden State’s school system ranks in the lowest ten percent in the country.

Where the hell are the billions upon billions of dollars from the California lottery?

Where the hell are the billions upon billions of tax dollars from legalized, Nevada style gambling?

Where the hell are the billions of dollars from the raising and re-taxing of tobacco?

Where the hell are the billions of dollars from the raising and re-taxing of  Alcohol?                                                                        

Where the hell are the billions of dollars coming from the raising of gasoline taxs.

Where the hell are the billions upon billions of dollars that Californians pay in taxes?

Where the hell are the trillions of dollars from tariffs and trade and industry?

Why in the hell does our school system rank in the lowest 10% in the country?

Why, and how in the hell has our “Golden State” become tarnished with bankruptcy and our state workers, in lieu of checks, are being issued I.O.U’s, that, as of this week, are not being accepted by many financial institutions. 

Why and how in the hell did The Golden State – if a separate country – go from ranking among the top ten economies in the world sink to handing out I.O.U’s?

As of this morning 7/11/09 my tarnished state has handed out 350 million in I.O.U's, that banks are no longer accepting.

Again, let me state that the below written is strictly my insight and of my opinion.

California is a “Democratic” state.

California , therefor, is a “welfare state.”

Top heavy with “illegals” and “political correctness,” our hospitals, jails and schools are being financially strangled by the cost of treating, jailing and educating “illegals.”

The Democrats who control the State Legislature just don’t get it.

The Democrats have proposed dialing back suggested cuts and replacing the lost savings with taxes on oil and tobacco as well as surcharges on vehicles and home insurance premiums and anything else they can think of other, of course, than upsetting the illegals of today who – with a future amnesty that we know this president will grant – will be their Democratic constituents of tomorrow.

So once again the State of California is considering the legalization of marijuana and the billions of tax dollars will probably help our schools and economy about as much as the California State Lottery because the added income of  today will become the welfare money to buy tomorrow’s Democrats.