Misdirection is not only a great strategy in sports and the military, it’s been the ploy of California Democrats and their supporters.

While we endure a never-ending barrage of President Donald Trump and the Russians, the only known and provable collusion in the last presidential election was between Hillary Clinton and the DNC in an effort to deny Bernie Sanders the Democratic nomination for president. While we focus on the Donald, the media virtually ignores and has failed to really explore the egregious political misdeeds in our own once great state.

I cite the following:

The state lottery was sold to the public as the panacea for budget shortfall in our schools. Obviously, not even close to true. Where is the accountability and where is the money?

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Contra Costa Times editorial: UC must fix its handling of sex harassment cases The University of California is a bloated, mismanaged mess. We taxpayers see continuous unjustified tuition increases for the students from a system that was once the pride of the state; over-compensated staff and faculty, slush funds in excess of $100 million, lavish spending by the regents. Where is the call for the resignation of Janet Napolitano and a thorough house cleaning?

BART is the most expensive public transit system in the country, yet it is perpetually cash strapped. The riders are continuously subjected to filthy cars, noise levels that exceed OSHA acceptable levels, delays, poor management and excess compensation at all levels. What happened to malfeasance in office?

The public utilities and their regulators have been living very high and yet have failed to provide for a rapidly and predictable increase in population and their need for water storage and grid capacity. The highest rates in the country, criminally high executive compensation and yet we are on the ragged edge of supply and demand.

The gas tax is supposed to be used to maintain our highways. Where is the money and where is the maintenance? Our roads and highways are a disgrace compared to other jurisdictions. Where is the state attorney general? Where is the FBI?

As a native Californian, I feel these issues and others are far more important to we who live here and pay the bills than an abstract theory on the effects of Russian hacking. Political interference, as distasteful as it may be, is not a new phenomenon.

This great state — with its wonderful weather, seaports, natural resources and especially energetic and entrepreneurial population — has had the benefit of a world-leading entertainment industry, petroleum production, aircraft design and manufacture, an agriculture and dairy breadbasket to feed the world, and in recent years the epicenter of high tech. Some of these leaders have fled to other states or have been outsourced offshore. All are under-appreciated, abused by regulators and continue to be squeezed and pushed to other more welcoming environments.

The recent Tesla expansion to Reno would have been a nice addition to one of our valley towns, as would have been the recent exodus of a large segment of Toyota employees to Texas. The fragile golden goose is not immune to the same fate as other supposed Utopian situations have enjoyed. Detroit was once the most prosperous cities in the country.

It once was rare to hear any locals talk about living anywhere else. In recent years, the talk of relocating is common. I know many people and small businesses that have folded their tents and fled to greener pastures. We have not been well served by those in a position of trust.

Bill Packwood is a resident of Pleasant Hill.