California's Nightmare Revisited, By Roger Behra

SHORT COMMUNICATION 266

California's Nightmare Revisited

By

Roger Behra

It all began in the late 1970's in California when the Golden State began grow¬ing culturally by leaps and bounds. A new wave of international migration was taking place. The economy was changing to a post-industrial economy. There was a very new baby boom going on also. And the California voters elected a Catholic seminary school dropout as their governor: Jerry Brown became California's new governor, which proved to be a monumental mistake.

The results of the socioeconomic and cultural tsunami that hit California back then is strongly being felt in 2011 in a very negative way. And Jerry Brown back then played a big roll in what developed into today's negativity. His political thinking and decisions were crucial for California's future at a very critical time in its history. And now the past is coming home to haunt the present in a great big way.

In the late 1970's and early 1980's Gov. Brown signed many anti-crime bills. As a result judges began quickly raising the prison population from 20,000 men and women. And officials were begging for more prisons. Billions of dollars were then spent on more prisons. In 1991, the prison population tripled and passed 100,000 to leveling off at the 150,000 range. However, prison expansion greatly lagged be¬hind the inmate population for political and financial reasons. Now, California prisons are greatly overcrowded, and bankrupt California cannot afford any more prisons.

Bankruptcy has come home to roost because it is a result of many bad financial decisions Jerry Brown made during his first term as governor. The prison situa¬tion and bankruptcy are the haunting parts of the revisited nightmare.

On Monday, May 23, 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court entered the nightmare. lt ruled that California must release at least 30,000 inmates as soon as possible, and they have to do so because of overcrowding and by so many lawsuits brought about by the overcrowding. The nightmare is much more intense because California has no money to build more prisons. California residents are plenty worried. No one knows where the 30,000 inmates are going to end up. City jails cannot hold them either.

The prison system is not a failure. The real crux of the problem and dilemma is the political decisions Gov. Jerry Brown made in the late 1970's and early 1980's that have led to California's current state of bankruptcy, and inability to fi-nance the building of more prisons. Brown's loves for giving in to past union de-mands have caused the Golden State to become bankrupt. That's what you call a haunting nightmare. When the 30,000 inmates are released by court order, the very big results will have a firm grip on California's culture. It will be a disaster of great proportions. The prison system, the average citizen, and California's cul¬ture will be delt a severe blow. The taxpayers are going to become very irate. Thanks, Gov. J.B. Your ridiculous past thinking and actions are revisiting us and you during your second term as California's governor.

R. B.
6-4-11