“The greatest threat to liberty is the concentration of economic and political power”. Milton Friedman’s words have never more accurately described the reality of a situation as when this truth references the Government in California. Years of big government power grabs, shifting control over every aspect of life from the sovereign citizens to Washington and Sacramento bureaucracies, have left our beloved state and nation in an economic ruin and crises in confidence. Even when the people of a region send responsive representatives to the Legislature, they fight a loosing battle unless that battle is fundamentally shaped by the basic self government principle that economic and political power should be sent back to the people.
This should be our reform message to the people of California and our nation!
Across the state and nation, the people are rising up and demanding that Government return their God given liberties that Sacramento and Washington has stolen through excessive taxation and overregulation. The people’s cries are getting louder and rightfully so; Sacramento bureaucrats are getting more brazen and shameless. But demands for change are not enough. The answer to our problems, the tangible action behind out message is simple: Decentralize California.
Now is the time to shift economic and political power away from Sacramento to counties, cities and families. The more localized the control, the more likely the voice of the people affected will be translated into real and tangible results. When Sacramento unties the hands of local leader, they are freed to make decisions that are in the best interest of their community. And consequently are more accountable for their actions. They truly are, boots on the ground.
One-size fits all solutions for localized problems are the rule, rather than the exception in Sacramento. California is as diverse as it is large. North and South are like night and day. Agricultural valleys bear little in common with coastal shorelines. California is not per se ungovernable, but it is ungovernable from a central location that treats Lassen and Los Angeles problems with the same solution. Restoring local control means regaining the ability for government to function. It needs to be fluid and responsive not draconian in nature.
When California is decentralized, cities and counties will compete for industries and business which will in return, lower the costs of business and will enable us to grow out of this recession… Jobs are fleeing California for Nevada because hyper taxation and overregulation in this state are not shared by our neighbor state. President Reagan started the movement of power away from Washington to the states; the problem is that after he left office, we stopped. The end goal is not for Sacramento to replace Washington DC as Big Brother, the goal is for individuals and families to grab hold of as much liberty as possible.
We’ve seen the state overreach, with its costly and grand scheme quick fixes, but we’ve also seen the people rise up and restrain government. Proposition 218 and Prop. 13’s limits on taxation are great examples of what a passionate and organized people can accomplish when they set out to protect their liberty. Props 13 and 218 must be maintained as a maximum threshold of taxation, but cities and counties must be allowed to charge less. They should be allowed to lower impact fees and streamline permitting requirements so that their neighborhoods can be revitalized with jobs and prosperity. The California economy will not rebound until we end the hostility toward private sector job creators. Competition brought about through decentralizing California will put us on the road to recovery.
Unfortunately, “decentralizing Sacramento” and restoring both power and primacy to local governments will not occur overnight. It will only be achieved one difficult step at a time.
If the California Legislature put as much effort into restoring the principles and prerogatives of local government as it has into promoting dependency upon state government and increasing funding for state entitlements, the cost of state government could be significantly reduced, helping to balance the state budget while reducing our tax burden. Government would become leaner, more accountable, and individual freedom would expand.
California should shift direction and give local government more control over our tax dollars, law enforcement, land use decisions, and our local schools while simultaneously relieving pressure on the state budget. There is no way a legislator from Malibu understands the need of Red Bluff. Local control, together with strong taxpayer protections like Propositions 13 and 218 – the “Right to Vote on Taxes Act” – are the certain prescription for our ailing state government.
“We the people “ was based on trust. It’s time we start doing this.
This is what Thomas Jefferson and James Madison had in mind all along.