California: Fly-Through Country

It’s hard to believe that I once wanted to live in California. At that time, I was a Canadian resident, and the idea of moving to California was an ideal with so much to offer. The sunny Mediterranean climate of southern California, beautiful beaches, inland deserts and mountains, and the ability to lie on a beach and ski on the same day were enticing. Then there was the iconic San Francisco in the 1960s: picturesque and safe, with homelessness as only an occasional annoyance.

California, the home of Hollywood and the entertainment industry, was always a somewhat liberal place with some goofball movements springing up yearly, but that was part of the allure.

I even checked out property in San Jose in the early 70s. The house prices were much lower than in Canada. At the time, I could only get into the U.S. as a Canadian through a business investment permit. I was only new in practice, so I didn’t have a spare quarter of a million dollars.

Today, California is no longer appealing to me or many others. Flying from Australia, we usually have to pass through California, but that’s as much as I want to see of the state. We hear the term flyover country in America: states between the coasts such as Oklahoma, Kansas, Utah and Nebraska. The snobs of the east and west coastal enclaves would not be caught dead in these places. 

Today, I would not be caught visiting California, whose cities have become open sewers. California epitomizes the contradictory nature of its society. On the one hand, its home, Silicon Valley, is the birthplace of the modern tech age. On the other hand, it tolerates decadence worthy of Third World countries.

When I was last there just a few years ago, in Los Angeles, people were openly defecating and urinating in the streets and parks. In a recent debate between Governor DeSantis of Florida and Newsome of California, DeSantis spoke of the poop map in San Francisco which alerts people of areas to avoid. Also, in San Francisco, the smell of weed can be overwhelming in places.

Then, there is the policy of California being a sanctuary state for illegal immigrants who come in. They cannot be reported or arrested for a federal criminal offence—unlawful entry to the United States. What’s worse is this illegality is encouraged with illegals offered entitlements. Policies like this have real-world consequences. Most will remember this story.

Illegal immigrant cleared in Kate Steinle’s death gets time served for gun charge

Kate Steinle was shot while walking with her dad. The bullet came from a gun used by an illegal immigrant who supposedly didn’t know how to use a gun. He had already been deported five times. There have been many other illegals involved in crime. The point is, they should never have been there.

Instead of rectifying this situation, California is now rolling out the red carpet to illegal immigrants.

California becomes first state to offer health insurance to all undocumented immigrants

There are many Americans who can’t afford health coverage. Here, the state provides free, low-income health coverage for those who should not be there. California has a budget deficit of $68 billion, yet it proceeds with this insanity. Rationality left that state’s politicians long ago.

Now, if you’re a poor illegal or even a citizen in California, stealing or shoplifting up to $950 worth of goods from a store is not a big deal. It’s now deemed a misdemeanour––if they catch you. You won’t get jail time. It’s no wonder incidents like a bakery being ram-raided by young people are happening regularly. There is little price to be paid by criminals in California.

The craziness continues with a new law in 2024.

New CA law requires gender-neutral toy sections at large retail stores

This is all part of the indoctrination of children that there are a multitude of genders, and the California government is complicit in this fallacy.

More Californians who can afford to do so are voting with their feet and leaving for places like Texas, Florida, Utah and Idaho.

For the first time in living memory, California is losing population. It has been doing so for the past three years.

It's sad seeing a beautiful state like California go down this road. Many are seeing the writing on the wall. For a foreign traveller like myself, I may have to stop at an airport in California, but that's as far as it goes. I prefer to spend my time in flyover country.