The Death of California | Newsbusters

In “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” Victor Hugo informed the story of Esmerelda, a gypsy dancer falsely accused of tried homicide, set to be hanged by an unjust state. Quasimodo, the titular hunchback, swings down from the cathedral of Notre Dame and saves her, carrying her off whereas crying “Sanctuary!” In reality, all through European historical past, church buildings offered locations of protected haven for accused criminals; the declare of “sanctuary” is made to at the present time by folks in search of refuge from the regulation.

It’s unusual, nevertheless, to see the language of sanctuary adopted to guard exactly the form of exercise abhorred by anybody of spiritual bent: abortion. The secular sacrament of abortion has turn into so sacred, nevertheless, that the governor of California, Gavin Newsom, just lately introduced his intent to make his state the primary abortion sanctuary within the nation. “We’ll be a sanctuary,” Newsom introduced. “We’re taking a look at methods to help that inevitability and taking a look at methods to broaden our protections.”

The state of California, in accordance with Newsom’s Democratic legislative allies, may present journey bills together with gasoline, lodging, transportation and baby take care of these in search of to kill their unborn youngsters. Already, some 15% of America’s abortions happen in California, in accordance with the Guttmacher Institute. That quantity would skyrocket if the state started subsidizing abortions throughout the land.

None of that is significantly stunning. It’s telling, nevertheless, that as California sinks into the mire, it embraces ever extra radical social coverage. This can be a state that at the moment homes — no pun meant — some 162,000 homeless folks, a quantity that elevated roughly 24% from 2018 to 2020. A couple of quarter of all homeless folks in america at the moment reside in California.

In the meantime, crime in California has turn into endemic, with smash-and-grabs roiling main cities and even rich residents murdered of their properties. This week, the top of the Los Angeles police union, Jamie McBride, warned folks to remain out of town, explaining, “We won’t assure your security. It’s actually, actually uncontrolled.” Even former LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa laments, “Rome is burning.”

And California’s financial system trails the nation’s, too. In keeping with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, California is tied for the worst unemployment price within the nation, at 7.3%. And whereas California is at the moment experiencing a seven-day rolling common of simply 67 COVID-19 deaths — in contrast with 550 on the peak of the pandemic — Newsom just lately reimposed one other monthlong statewide indoor masks mandate.

So why does California maintain embracing ever-more-radical coverage? As a result of the radicalism is itself the ethical justification for coverage failure. Positive, Democrats can argue, crime and homelessness are uncontrolled, the financial system is stagnating, and companies are leaving. However that is morally excusable, as a result of California seeks a better objective: the aim of Leftist utopianism. Thus, Newsom has little to say about California’s stagnation, however a lot to say about how California will push new legal guidelines concentrating on gun possession.

For years, Democrats have claimed that California leads the nation. We will solely hope they’re fallacious.