California’s Losses and Gains in 2023

Commentary Common sense Americans are all too aware of the losses that impacted California and the rest of the nation last year. The state and federal government ramped up their respective debt and deficit spending on dubious programs that primarily benefited crony capitalist elites. Energy autonomy has been rejected over the last three years, inflation is persistent, the Southern border is lawless, and wokeness is infecting society, while crime and homelessness have escalated due to soft-on-crime district attorneys. On the foreign front, which affects us here at home, our adversaries have increased their muscle flexing, illustrated by the aggression displayed by China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Venezuela. Speaking loudly while carrying a small stick (opposite of Teddy Roosevelt), President Joe Biden has emboldened China’s global ambitions, Iran’s proxy warfare, Kim Jong Un’s missile activity, and Moscow’s Ukraine quagmire. These actions are losses for directly impacted nations as well as for the principles of liberty, prosperity, and the rule of law....