California, the Lindsay Lohan of states?
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California, that twinge of pain you felt Monday was the Wall Street Journal editorial page sticking the knife in -- and twisting it.
Allysia Finley, an OpinionJournal.com assistant editor, wrote in an op-ed piece that the Golden State has become “the Lindsay Lohan of states: a prima donna who once showed some talent but is now too wasted to do anything with it.”
Cueing off the state’s perennially dismal budget picture, Finley wrote:
After enjoying ephemeral highs and spending binges, you suffer crashes that culminate in brief, unsuccessful stints in rehab. This cycle repeats itself every five to 10 years, as the rest of the country looks on with a mixture of horror and amusement. We’d feel sorry for you if you didn’t constantly flip us the bird. Instead, we’re making bets on how long it will be before your next meltdown. Oh, wait -- you’re already melting down. Your government’s run by a brothel of environmentalists, lawyers, public-sector unions and legislative bums. When they’re not taxing or spending, they’re creating regulations and commissions like the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology and the California Blueberry Commission. Many businesses would leave if it weren’t for your sunny climate. You appropriately give your government low marks -- 28% approval for outgoing Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, 16% for the legislature -- yet you continue to re-elect the politicians who got you into this mess. Not a single incumbent state legislator lost re-election this year, including one Democrat who died a month ago (no joke). What’s scarier is that you’ve just given almost all of the keys to statewide offices to Democrats.
Finley’s final twist of the knife: She suggests that California voters’ collective decision to buck the nationwide tilt toward the GOP in the elections will seal the state’s doom in its next financial crisis:
So here’s our final warning: When you inevitably crash and burn, don’t count on us to bail you out.
-- Tom Petruno