Allen West (Screenshot)

This week I will return to Palm Desert California in the Coachella Valley to speak at a private town hall-type event. Yes, there are constitutional conservatives in the Golden State, and they want to restore California to greatness – a greatness that once elected Ronald Reagan as its Governor. However, the question that we must ask: Is it too late for California to recover, to be restored?

This past week, a report from the U.S. News and World Report may cause us to believe that California is a lost cause. The report cited that California is the worst state in our Republic for quality of life. Many of us would respond, “You certainly didn’t need a study, or a report, to give evidence to that fact.” There is no possible debate on the fact that California is a living example of the failure of progressive socialism. Yes, California’s economy, as per the report, is still #4 in the Country, but for how long? In the aftermath of the Tax Cut and Jobs Act, two California Assemblymen introduced a constitutional amendment that would tax 50 percent of any corporate profits of businesses resulting from the President Trump tax cuts. Nearly half of the personal income tax revenues for California come from the wealthiest one percent.

In case you did not know, one of the fundamental tenets of a socialist economic model is wealth redistribution. That principle can only get you so far. As Margaret Thatcher stated, “the inherent problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.” And unless you have not been paying attention to what has been happening in Venezuela, Hugo Chavez promised free for all, by taking from others. And now, under his successor Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela, once one of the richest countries in Latin America, has people eating from dumpsters. Also, the average weight loss in Venezuela amongst the citizens is nearly 20 pounds. I would say that the progressive socialist promises of Chavez and Maduro have resulted in an inferior quality of life.

And so it goes with the philosophy of governance called progressive socialism, which has been full-fledged adopted by the left in America. At the Democratic Party’s annual convention, the party declined to endorse Senator Dianne Feinstein. Apparently, she was not left enough.

California, a very beautiful state, is devolving into something unrecognizable in some areas. In Los Angeles homelessness has increased by 75 percent in the last six years, with 55,000 having an inferior quality of life. California has declared itself a sanctuary state for illegal immigrants. The Mayor of Oakland, California just sent out an alert to criminal illegal immigrants in her municipality. Across the bay area in San Francisco, a young American woman, Kate Steinle, was shot, gunned down and murdered by a criminal illegal immigrant. The sad thing was that the felony record of Kate’s murderer, along with his five to six deportations, was not allowed to be entered as evidence into the court. He was ultimately found innocent, and was released on time served for his felony federal weapons charge. San Francisco and the surrounding county remains a sanctuary for criminal illegal immigrants.

Perhaps you have seen the pictures and been told the stories about the rampant open drug use, needles on the streets, not to mention the human feces on the streets in San Francisco. I think that is a clear indicator of an inferior, poor, quality of life.

I reside in the Dallas-Ft. Worth metroplex and can attest to the numerous businesses that are relocating to the region. One is the headquarters of Toyota, and they are welcome to the Lone Star State. The problem is that those employees coming with these companies to Texas seem to forget why they left California.

California is not just exporting raisins, walnuts, and wine. It is also exporting the failed philosophy of progressive socialism. And rich entertainment elites from California are doing their best to fund political candidates in successful conservative-leaning states. But why?

When I hear leftists talk about their goal to “Turn Texas Blue,” I find it abjectly disconcerting, bordering on insanity. Why would anyone want to make anywhere else in America like California? You are not dreaming. You are delusional. But do not laugh. The folks in New Mexico, Colorado, and Nevada have seen it happen. Imagine when folks speak of the Capital of Texas, Austin, in the same sentence with San Francisco. There is reason for concern.

Let’s put emotions aside and be objective from a policy perspective. Why would anyone desire the policies that have made California the worse state for quality of life in America? Yet, from that state progressive socialism is being distributed throughout our land. After the Hollywood sex scandals that gave rise to the #MeToo movement, why would we entrust those individuals with the moral compass of America?

California dreaming has become a California nightmare. Yet, there are those who embrace the principles that are leading to the demise of this once magnificent state. The facts speak for themselves, and wanton disregard of our national sovereignty by way of sanctuary for illegal immigrants does not lead to success. The belief that you can tax your way into success and prosperity fails. Nationalizing production only decimates your business sector. Expanding a welfare state resulting in the rise of homelessness, poverty, and more dependence upon government is not opportunity. Those policies do not advance economic empowerment, but rather promote economic enslavement.

California, just like Venezuela, is a modern example of the failure of progressive socialism. It only creates two classes of individuals: the incredibly wealthy (the Soviets called it the Politburo) and the incredibly poor – folks who eat from garbage cans, defecate in the streets, and cannot afford a roof over their heads.

I would offer that this is not what we want for America, but the liberal progressive media will never tell you that.

Allen West is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army. Mr. West is a Senior Fellow at the Media Research Center to support its mission to expose and neutralize liberal media bias.

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