"California’s descent to socialism"

GrundleStiltzkin

http://www.dailynews.com/opinion/20170611/californias-descent-to-socialism-joel-kotkin

California is widely celebrated as the fount of technical, cultural and political innovation. Now we seem primed to outdo even ourselves, creating a new kind of socialism that, in the end, more resembles feudalism than social democracy.

The new consensus is being pushed by, among others, hedge-fund-billionaire-turned-green-patriarch Tom Steyer. The financier now insists that, to reverse our worsening inequality, we must double down on environmental and land-use regulation, and make up for it by boosting subsidies for the struggling poor and middle class. This new progressive synthesis promises not upward mobility and independence, but rather the prospect of turning most Californians into either tax slaves or dependent serfs.

The oligarchs of the Bay Area have a problem: They must square their progressive worldview with their enormous wealth. They certainly are not socialists in the traditional sense. They see their riches not as a result of class advantages, but rather as reflective of their meritocratic superiority. As former TechCrunch reporter Gregory Ferenstein has observed, they embrace massive inequality as both a given and a logical outcome of the new economy.

The nerd estate is definitely not stupid, and like rulers everywhere, they worry about a revolt of the masses, and even the unionization of their companies. Their gambit is to expand the welfare state to keep the hoi polloi in line. Many, including Mark Zuckerberg, now favor an income stipend that could prevent mass homelessness and malnutrition.

PurpleJ

That's the plan for the entire world. Not just California.

RaceBannon

Good chit splitskin

Swaye

California sucks. Paradise lost. Thanks Obama.

YellowSnow

I hear it's a great place to be a renter!

YellowSnow

Swaye said:

California sucks. Paradise lost. Thanks Obama California State Legislature with massive donkey majorities for decades.</</b>blockquote>

Fixed

PurpleJ

I remember watching a video about a guy who built a bunch of tiny homes for the homeless in LA, but the city came and destroyed them all.

AZDuck

I don't know about you, but I'm totally in favor of mass homelessness and malnutrition. Keep the fucking proles in line.

PurpleJ

AZDuck said:

I don't know about you, but I'm totally in favor of mass homelessness and malnutrition. Keep the fucking proles in line.

Stabbing someone in the heart and putting a bandaid on it is always special.

Sledog

PurpleJ said:

That's the plan for the entire world. Not just California.

California leads the way!

dnc

I'm too upset about poor people shit in Idaho to give a fuck about this

BearsWiin

I felt especially miserable this morning as I stared out over the ocean from the row of ellipticals at the gym. Not because California is going to hell, but because the marine layer was moving in.

PurpleThrobber

Tie me up, spank me and call me a socialist.

bananasnblondes

Kansas already tried the "conservative utopia" experiment and it was a complete fucking disaster. Let's see what Cali can do batting from the other side of the plate.

RaceBannon

bananasnblondes said:

Kansas already tried the "conservative utopia" experiment and it was a complete fucking disaster. Let's see what Cali can do batting from the other side of the plate.

That's kind of like using the Mariners to judge the Yankees

Meanwhile I'll be forced to celebrate my birthday in crisp 100 degree heat here in Socialistland

Someone has to do it

PurpleThrobber

bananasnblondes said:

Kansas already tried the "conservative utopia" experiment and it was a complete fucking disaster. Let's see what Cali can do batting from the other side of the plate.

That needs a do-over because Kansans are inherently the dumbest motherfucking people on the planet.

I kid you not, I do business all over the country - and those fuckers are in an idiot class by themselves.

AZDuck

TRICKLE-DOWN ECONOMICS CAN NEVER FAIL

IT CAN ONLY BE FAILED

allpurpleallgold

This is what Alex Jones would sound like if he was a democrat.

dnc

bananasnblondes said:

Kansas already tried the "conservative utopia" experiment and it was a complete fucking disaster. Let's see what Cali can do batting from the other side of the plate.

Stop eating 'Member Berries.

Swaye

RaceBannon said:

bananasnblondes said:

Kansas already tried the "conservative utopia" experiment and it was a complete fucking disaster. Let's see what Cali can do batting from the other side of the plate.

That's kind of like using the Mariners to judge the Yankees

Meanwhile I'll be forced to celebrate my birthday in crisp 100 degree heat here in Socialistland

Someone has to do it

Added bonus that your age matches the temp.

Mosster47

Wait, so they want to end poverty by giving the poor more money? No no, this can't work. @Sledog told me they just need to go get a 3rd or 4th job instead.