THE LIBERALS JUST NOTICED THEY FUCKED UP THE WEST COAST
Many were shocked when Nicholas Kristof, the progressive communist democrat opinion columnist for The New York Times, openly opined about the visible decay and destruction in democrat-governed West Coast municipalities and the effect it might have on voters.
|
As Democrats make their case to voters around the country this fall, one challenge is that some of the bluest parts of the country — cities on the West Coast — are a mess. Centrist voters can reasonably ask: Why put liberals in charge nationally when the places where they have greatest control are plagued by homelessness, crime and dysfunction? I’ll try to answer that question in a moment, but liberals like me do need to face the painful fact that something has gone badly wrong where we’re in charge, from San Diego to Seattle. I’m an Oregonian who bores people at cocktail parties by singing the praises of the West, but the truth is that too often we offer a version of progressivism that doesn’t result in progress. We are more likely to believe that “housing is a human right” than conservatives in Florida or Texas, but less likely to actually get people housed. We accept a yawning gulf between our values and our outcomes. [OCS: With progressive communist democrats, it is all about progressive politics and political corruption—with payoffs to their elite supporters who keep them in power--individuals who are distanced from the consequences of their actions by wealth, power, position, and political connections.] Conservatives argue that the problem is simply the left. Michael Shellenberger wrote a tough book denouncing what he called “San Fransicko” with the subtitle “Why Progressives Ruin Cities.” Yet that doesn’t ring true to me. [OCS: Pretty much because you are blinded by your corrupt ideology and governed by peer pressure to conform to the party line.] Democratic states enjoy a life expectancy two years longer than Republican states. Per capita GDP in Democratic states is 29 percent higher than in GOP states, and child poverty is lower. Education is generally better in blue states, with more kids graduating from high school and college. The gulf in well-being between blue states and red states is growing wider, not narrower. [OCS: This is a lie! Education is not measured by the number of students passed by poor teaching by unionized teachers operating under restricted curricula and relaxed standards.] So my rejoinder to Republican critiques is: Yes, governance is flawed in some blue parts of America, but overall, liberal places have enjoyed faster economic growth and higher living standards than conservative places. That doesn’t look like failure. [OCS: Nicholas Kristof is so full of shit as he applies false political metrics to problems that have pragmatic solutions and hard-line metrics.] So the problem isn’t with liberalism. It’s with West Coast liberalism. [OCS: Again, I call bullshit! Marxist and communist ideologies have never worked over any length of time anywhere they have been tried—with political control eventually residing in elite oligarchs above the law and authoritarian systems designed more to keep the elite in power than help the people.] Why does Democratic Party governance seem less effective on the West Coast than on the East Coast? [OCS: I reject Kristof’s assertion. New York and numerous other cities like Chicago, Illinois; Detroit, Michigan; St. Louis, Missouri; Baltimore, Maryland; Memphis, Tennessee; New Orleans, Louisiana; Cleveland, Ohio; Kansas City, Missouri; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and others are equally deficient and decaying.] So my take is that the West Coast’s central problem is not so much that it’s unserious as that it’s infected with an ideological purity that is focused more on intentions than on oversight and outcomes. [OCS: This is bullshit. The communists have captured the democrat party and no longer represent America and Americans.] I ran for governor in Oregon two years ago (I was ousted from the ballot by Oregon’s then-secretary of state, who said I didn’t meet the residency requirement). While running, I’d meet groups of liberal donors in Portland, as the city’s problems cast a shadow over all of us; we’d all be wondering nervously if our catalytic converters were in the process of being stolen. The undercurrent in such a liberal gathering would be the failures of Republicans — but Portland was one mess we couldn’t blame on Republicans, because there simply aren’t many Republicans in Portland. This was our liberal mess. Politics always is part theater, but out West too often we settle for being performative rather than substantive. Yada. Yada. Yada <Source> |
The problem with political solutions to social issues is that political corruption, which is a cancer, undermines the effectiveness and trust in such solutions.
Political corruption is a pervasive force that corrodes the foundations of effective governance and erodes public trust. It manifests in various forms—from bribery and nepotism to cronyism and embezzlement—each undermining the principles of transparency, accountability, and fairness upon which democratic societies rely.
There is little doubt that politicians' directed payments to politically connected individuals and organizations, especially without strict accountability standards, are the prime cause of gross incompetence and inefficiency.
At its core, political corruption distorts decision-making processes. Instead of prioritizing public interest, decisions often cater to the agendas of a privileged few- consultants, lawyers, property developers, and unions who have their hand out—sometimes, knowing that a winning low bid can be enriched with full-priced design, change, and emergency orders. They ignore any follow-on money to complete projects because of the already “sunk investment” already disbursed.
There is no doubt that corruption breeds complacency and inefficiency. Projects and policies tainted by bribery or kickbacks are often poorly executed or fail to achieve their intended outcomes. Infrastructure projects may be overpriced and under-deliver, healthcare services may remain inaccessible despite purported investments, and educational opportunities may favor the affluent rather than the deserving.
A classic example of waste, fraud, and abuse can be found in California’s so-called High-Speed Rail project which is neither high-speed nor destined to gain break-even use. Even the destination stations are being politically selected, rather than by demand or usefulness.
In other words, California’s progressive communist Democrats are trying to kill private vehicle ownership and the freedom and mobility it provides to its citizens. Like good little communists, they want people to live in easily managed apartment projects, which will eventually come under state control with eligibility and rental restrictions.
Bottom line…
Kristof is full of shit. The progressive communist democrats are full of shit. And anyone who votes for a brain-dead puppet and another term of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton is full of shit.
We are so screwed.
-- Steve
“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words
“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw
“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”
“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS "The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius “A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell “Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar “Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS