Leaders must learn from California crisis

The California fires are horrific and the heart-breaking impact on human lives will be long lasting. My prayers go out to all of those impacted. Hundreds of thousands of lives have been totally disrupted, while state leaders are blaming everyone but themselves for the horrific damage that has taken place. The lack of government accountability and the finger-pointing, is breathtaking.

If we’re looking for reasons for why Los Angeles is burning, we must consider how their state and local government has performed its duties. To be blunt, infrastructure needs were long ignored and public safety took a back seat to other, less critical, public needs.

Their state government is massively complex. It’s a costly bureaucratic mess. Leaders have unwisely allocated the money entrusted to them. The administration is bloated with too many employees in non-critical roles. Employee salaries, benefits and pension plans are unreasonably high, relative to the free market. There are too many unnecessary and ill-conceived regulations that slow down the economy. Resources are allocated away from the most critical public safety needs.

Many California leaders say their problem is a lack of money, even though their citizens pay the highest taxes in the country. Let’s be honest. It’s not for lack of money. It’s money that has been poorly managed, unwisely allocated, or foolishly spent.

If you wonder why people have been leaving states like California, Illinois and New York, it’s because they see greater value and safer living conditions in other states. It’s a free country and they’re voting with their feet. I sincerely hope that California leaders can learn from this nightmare and find better and more efficient ways to protect their citizens.

RJ Young

Inverness