|
I grew up in California but left in 2019 because of desertification (increasing wildfires and droughts) and the tone-deaf, utopian absurdity not directed at traditional liberalism, problem-solving, healing social problems, or long-term sustainability. Recently, on CBSN LA, they made the usual ("If it bleeds, it leads") big deal when a pretty young white chick working in a store alone was violently murdered by some criminal jackass with a lengthy record. Fodder for the middle class and upper classes to demand "law and order" at any cost, while of course the upper classes enjoy preferential protection and treatment. Even if all cops were suddenly idealistic, professional "Boy Scouts" independent of political concerns, they aren't and can't be everywhere at once. But, in California, honest citizens aren't legally allowed to defend themselves or their families. And, most cops have given-up and many DAs aren't prosecuting crimes. Sounds like a recipe for a swing to totalitarianism if you ask me, not building a social safety net, a mental healthcare system, and universal healthcare (which Medicare is not). The most important question is: Are you familiar with Skid Row or what Venice looks like? How about SF, San Jose, or Sacramento? In 2018, I saw a homeless dude proudly relieving himself in the middle of Sac's main library front lawn in front of rush hour traffic. Also, it's not limited to California. Austin had a visible homelessness issue until outdoor living/poverty was criminalized, but now it's out-of-sight, out-of-mind with a quick "fix". The two hotels (e.g., literal concentration camps rather than death camps) the city owns for the homeless quickly filled up and the remaining people had to scurry to hide anywhere else less visible. LA also criminalized poverty for a while through an ordinance that was struck-down in federal court. Overall, in the US, there's a sense that there is a risk of civil war around 2024-2025 due to a number of colliding factors. Matters that are forbidden from being discussed here because respectful debates and dialogue are often impossible, and also a certain kind of ideological/academic fascism and reality warping and isolation that exists in two camps. Don't dare speak heresy against either camp or be instantly "cancelled" if belonging, or attacked if outside, for daring to challenge tribal dogma. Most people are divided-and-conquered, and there's a certain group who feels they're losing their entitled power. Another issue is the widening bifurcation between the real impoverishment of the majority and the recent doubling of the wealth at the top. |