Our economy is in a shambles. We are spending too much money and the legislators think that the solution is more taxes. That false thinking has been proved false time and time again. Fewer taxes are what we need. A reduction in taxes increases economic activity and greater revenues, a smaller piece of a bigger pie. That combination, reduced taxes and reduced spending, is what is vitally needed, in fact, necessary in order for our state to remain solvent.

The strategy is one thing. The implementation is another. We do have the people in office controlling Sacramento who have the political will to implement what is needed. They are too beholden to labor and other special interests to do what is vital. The cuts can’t be done all at once. This problem was created over a number of years and will not be solved overnight, but we have to start now. The state has allowed whole generations of people to become accustomed to depending on the government for their very existence. There are families in our state where the children have no example of what it is to have a decent work ethic or understand that with a desire to succeed anyone can prosper in this country. Government has become a necessity to their lives, effectively putting them into bondage.

Everything should be on the table with the exception of public safety. Protection of the citizens is a state’s primary function and those departments should be funded to a level where they can do their jobs effectively and with overwhelming force. How we spend the people’s money needs to be revamped with an eye towards privatizing what can be, combining or eliminating departments and canceling programs.

Additionally, we can not afford to continue to support people who are not in this state legally. I believe in the words on the statue of liberty. “Give me your huddled masses yearning to breath free”. But we can not afford an out of control immigration situation where we don’t know who is here or how many are here. Unless someone has a valid green card or other evidence that they are here legally they should not get given any benefits past those needed to keep them alive. And they will given that aid only as the first step toward them being sent back to their own country. I believe in legal immigration not illegal.

We have to elect people who will look past the next election and do now what is needed for California 30 years from now. These sorts of decisions will not be popular with some but are needed to ensure our financial survival as a state.