The California Catastrophe from 1,000 Feet
EmailTonight, Charlie Gibson anchors World News from California, which has been on the front lines of the recession. ABC’s Stu Schutzman reports from Los Angeles:
From 1,000 feet above Southern California’s so called Inland Empire, you can see the ravages of this recession first hand. Town after town, Pomona, Covina, West Covina, Ontario and on to San Bernardino, the evidence is stunning. Empty parking lots at the local Ikea or Target. People who flocked here believing it was the land of ultimate opportunity are now packing up the pick-up in the front yard heading somewhere — anywhere there’s a job they’ll tell you.
But the most striking scenes from the air are the backyard swimming pools. In some neighborhoods, pool after pool on street after street are the same danky, dark green hue; a sure sign of foreclosure. State officials periodically fly over, as we did this morning, cataloging the areas of high concentration. Teams of exterminators and fumigators are then dispatched to prevent these once thriving neighborhoods from turning into public health hazards. It’s a measure of where this place was and how far down it has gone.
People here blame incompetent government, greed and some even blame themselves for believing the bubble would never burst. We talked to a group of Californians today all facing hard times. What some of them have to say could be quite instructive for the rest of us. Tune in.
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Here is the problem, California doesn’t have a plan, the country doesn’t have a plan, and Obama doesn’t have a plan. He says, here, throw some taxpayer’s money into that policy or this fund, perhaps that will work, as we slide further down the economic scale to financial oblivion. I listen every day to the news here in San Diego, how thousands of illegal aliens cross over our California border to invade our land, and nobody has has the political will to stop the flood of criminals coming into out country. That’s right, I said criminals, not Sacramento, not Washington. They are all out of touch with reality. Welcome to the new world order, of no order whatsoever…Even the new Attorney General says we are a nation of cowards, instead of the Home of the Brave. We have a government of Benedict Arnold’s, one and all… Now comes my voice, “I Want My Country Back.” George E. Buttner
Posted by: George E. Buttner | March 2, 2009, 5:57 pm 5:57 pm
I saw the story on the people in CA applying for jobs at a stadium. The interviewer spoke to a lady who was crying because 4,500 people were applying for 500 jobs. She said the competition was alot younger than her and she was afraid she might not get a job. Is there a way we can get in touch with this woman? I think some of your viewers including myself would like to help her financially.
Maybe we can set up a fund to help her??
Posted by: Emily | March 2, 2009, 7:13 pm 7:13 pm
Corporate campaign contributions that flow to our elected officials to buy their votes have taken down the world’s strongest economy along with the global economy – that’s how corrupt Washington, D.C. is. The same can be said of California. Yet, Americans continue to vote for the same idiots time and time again.
Voting all of our elected officials out of office would certainly send them the needed message about change!
Posted by: Pat | March 3, 2009, 1:44 am 1:44 am
Someone should examine the negative impact of Proposition 13 on California.
Posted by: Cheri | March 3, 2009, 3:23 am 3:23 am
Tell us more about the 1.3 billion in new estimated taxes California will recieve by taxing pot. Will this plan work in other states to generate taxes on an untaxed commodity?
Posted by: c | March 3, 2009, 6:53 am 6:53 am
My husband and I moved our family to Washington state two years ago, and another family we know moved with us. The four of us adults all have master’s degrees and work in professional jobs. CA state taxes were killing us financially – and WA has no state income tax. WA sales tax is high compared to some states – but is the same as where we lived in CA. Property taxes are high in the area of WA where we live – but are the same as where we lived in CA. Many of our new neighbors, colleagues at work, and friends made the same move and for the same reasons – and we all question what CA did with all of our tax money when we were there. We are happy to pay our share, but grew tired of paying more than our share.
Posted by: Michelle | March 4, 2009, 12:03 am 12:03 am