California – Failed and Federalized

George Rebane

About two years ago in these pages I introduced the notion of California rapidly becoming federalized (here) because it was successfully pursuing many concurrent avenues to failure.  A federalized state must first be a failed state, and that we have become as William Russell Mead explains in a tightly written piece on his American Interest blog.  The following is the introduction to Mead’s essay.

The controversial US Supreme Court decision that could ultimately force California to release tens of thousands of prison inmates is more than a shockingly broad exercise of judicial power.  It is also an official declaration by the highest constitutional authority in the land that California meets the strict test of state failure: it can no longer enforce the law within its frontiers.

Let there be no mistake: when you produce so many criminals that you can’t afford to lock them up, you are a failed state.  Virtually every important civil institution in society has to fail to get you to this point.  Your homes and houses of worship are failing to build law abiding citizens, much less responsible and informed voters.  Your schools aren’t educating enough of your kids to make an honest living.  Your taxes and policies are so bad that you are driving thousands of businesses away.  Your management systems must be fouled and confused to the max for you to create something so dysfunctional, so wildly beyond your means, that the Supreme Court of the United States (wisely or foolishly is another question) starts to micromanage your jails.

California used to be the glory of this country, the dream by the sea, the magic state.  Now it produces so many criminals it can’t pay to keep them locked up.

Please read the entire essay ‘SCOTUS Makes It Official: California A Failed State’.  H/T to regular RR reader for alerting us to this.

Comments

[Mikey McD]

99% of the political spectrum (progressives thru Libertarians) believe that one of (if not THE) purpose of government in a free society is to establish and enforce the law. Decades of piss poor central planning in Sacramento has culminated in CA begging for federal $ (Schwarzenegger) and the feds micromanaging daily operations (enforcing rule of law).

When can we all agree that more regulations, more taxes, more entitlements, excessive public employee benefits are not the ingredients of economic health?

William Russell Mead's piece is very well written.

Oh ya, I did not miss his "hope" of a great divide:
"The only hope I can see is to break it up."

[Dixon Cruickshank]

Don't forget that the Feds just told you guys you can't close those parks - cause the Feds are paying for them and they must stay open. So you also have to much land set aside to take care of as well.

[George Rebane]

Thanks a lot for the reminder Dixon, you're a lot of fun.