Not So Golden State of Affairs!

By William L. Garvin

Things are not so golden in our Golden State nor throughout the rest of our country.  Despite rhetoric and repeated promises, many can’t keep their doctor and many more will see health insurance costs go up.  Dave Jones, the California State Insurance Commissioner ( D) reported the states four largest insurance companies have raised their premiums between 22 and 88 percent with more increases to come next year!  Naturally he wants more regulatory power as if California didn’t have enough regulatory issues.  Does he think that more government “oversight” will attract insurance providers to this state? 

United Health Group, the nation’s largest provider of health insurance coverage declined to participate in the California exchange as did Aetna.  Anthem Blue Cross reduced their California participation and Aetna will no longer even sell policies to individuals in California in or out of the exchange!

In other health news, California has added a million new people to the Medi-Cal rolls under expanded definitions of Obama’s Affordable Care Act.  Unfortunately for them, nearly 25% fewer doctors are now participating in the program.  In the spring of 2013, there were 109,000 doctors participating in Medi-Cal, but in the spring of 2014, only 82,605 physicians are willing to assist.  Some relief may be on the way as Marilyn Tavenner of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced that as many as 310,000 “enrollees” in Obamacare may lose coverage over their failure to resolve their “immigration status.”  As to how many of these “legitimate” new enrollees have actually paid premiums, those numbers are as elusive as Lois Lerner emails!  Wouldn’t you think that after spending nearly $80 million on a website, this basic information could be provided to American taxpayers?

Meanwhile, California’s Democrat legislature and governor continue to pick private sector winners and losers by doling out special favors to favored enterprises rather than uniformly reducing red tape and confiscatory tax rates as “equal justice for all.”  For instance, they generously bestowed a $420 million tax break package for Lockheed Martin and “battery manufacturers.”  Obviously, the latter is an attempt to sweeten the pot for Elon Musk, Tesla, and their “giga-factory.”  Musk recently announced he would build an $85 million spaceport in Texas, not in California, for his SpaceX business.  Who’s playing hardball?  Another bill headed to the Senate floor will grant $400 million in tax breaks to California’s movie industry.  Isn’t this all reminiscent of the “crony capitalism” that liberals in Hollywood, the legislature, and other Democrats decry when it’s done by Republicans?  Politics is so situational, isn’t it?!

The California legislature is also scrambling to find a way to keep gasoline and fuel from coming under its scheduled carbon tax requirements of January, 2015. A 2010 study by the California Air Resources Board said that it could add as much as 76 cents per gallon to the price of each gallon of gasoline.  Today they see the cost as “no discernible increase.”  Maybe Californians should ask why Australia recently repealed their carbon tax.  It was estimated that it cost Aussie economy $15.4 billion and added $11 million to household power bills every day.

Naturally, fuel and energy increases impact low and middle income families in California the most.  California has approximately 12 percent of the U.S. population but still has 34 percent of the nation’s welfare recipients.  Obviously they will be hurt hardest by projected increases but the cost to business and industry will also be reflected in a lack of jobs.  As of last month, California’s unemployment rate was still 7.4 percent and we’re tied as the 44th highest unemployment rate in the fifty states.

California also has over 100,000 illegal aliens housed within its prison system which brings us to a final note that is not California specific.  Based on the tragic shooting in Ferguson, Missouri, it is popular among racial agitators to speak of police “executions” and to say that police “gun down” young African-American boys every day.  While African-Americans represent 13% of our population, they unfortunately represent 50% of the homicide victims.  However, ninety percent of those murders are committed by other blacks!  In comparison, police officer fatalities by firearms are up 61% over last year.  This isn’t to say the Ferguson shooting was justified, but please reserve judgment until the facts are in and the investigations are complete.  In a similar non-pc vein, stop referring to mobs that are burning and looting stores as “militant protestors.”  Stop making excuses for criminals, whether police or protestor.  Don’t gild your partisan lily!