| William Gladstone was quite the powerful man in British politics back in the 19th Century. Four times the prime minister, and hardly a screaming progressive, he was known for slashing government spending and his abhorrence of the income tax. (Update: As pointed out in the comments, liberals back then were laissez faire. So, Gladstone was a liberal, just not in any recognizable form today.) Yet, even he understood the importance of justice to a country's legitimacy and the fact that it must be swift.
Yesterday, the California Judicial Council voted to close all state courts on the third Wednesday of the month. Everything just stops for one day per month. Right in the middle of the week, perhaps to make a point, state courts simply will not function. No murder trials, no contract disputes, no family courts. Individual judges will likely remain on call for critical matters, but the system will grind to a halt. It's not a pretty result, but in the end, closing a $400+ million gap was simply too challenging without the closure.
This is an untenable result. What have we become? Does living within our means really mean sinking to 3rd world status? Clearly, this all-cuts budget will, sooner rather than later, result in a state that simply does not work for its citizens.
As we move forward, Californians are slowly realizing what just happened. This is the result of an all-cuts budget, and Arnold is now taking some of the political heat. But the question is will this cause a change in voting behavior. Listen, nobody in their right mind thinks John and Ken and their Zombie Followers are going to change their stripes. The question is whether that mushy middle will put 2 and 2 together.
But while electing more Democrats would be helpful, it is simply not enough. Even electing better Democrats will be insufficient to ultimately rectify our problems. The rot at the top has sunk so deeply into the system, the whole thing is collapsing. |
