In the year 2000 California’s economy was the 5th largest in the World. That statistic is staggering when someone tries to put the economic power of that State into perspective. While it is true that the State’s Governor has an “R” behind his name and ran for office on “conservative” (fiscal) ideals he is anything but.
For instance, the Governor had initially bucked the Senate and even went as far as labeling them “girly men”. This soon gave way to appeasement of Democrat budgets and spending increases that he was adamantly oppose to (during his campaign).
He has also created a “stem cell” (Proposition 71) research center that was diametrically opposed by Conservatives at the national level arguing that with the billions of dollars the State would be investing would lead to “medical breakthroughs” that would see the “Christopher Reeves” walk again or the “Michael J. Fox’s” cured of their Parkinson symptoms.
After 5 years and at a cost to California taxpayers the program has realized “no cures, no therapies and little progress” according to the “Genetics and Society” report.
In fact, the word “failure” is prominent in the article title. According to the report (also see Investors.com):
“California's Proposition 71 was intended to create a $3 billion West Coast counterpart to the National Institutes of Health, empowered to go where the NIH could not - either because of federal policy or funding restraints on biomedical research centered on human embryonic stem cells.
Supporters of the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative, passed in 2004, held out hopes of imminent medical miracles that were being held up only by President Bush's policy of not allowing federal funding of embryonic stem cell research (ESCR) beyond existing stem cell lines and which involved the destruction of embryos created for that purpose.
Five years later, ESCR has failed to deliver and backers of Prop 71 are admitting failure. The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the state agency created to, as some have put it, restore science to its rightful place, is diverting funds from ESCR to research that has produced actual therapies and treatments: adult stem cell research. It not only has treated real people with real results; it also does not come with the moral baggage ESCR does.”
The State Assembly and the State Senate have been controlled by Democrats for a very long time. The Democrats have always boasted that they are the champions of the poor and downtrodden as well as the disabled and ethnic groups. That is, unless, it comes to money. You will remember last year when the State of California was staring at a wide gap in their Budget and the shortfall that was looming. Since the Legislature could not find alternative sources to fill this budget shortfall they decided to issues IOU’s.
We are learning that the recipients of the IOU’s are the very ones who need help the most while Universities and Unions receive the cash. Here is the breakdown for those receiving IOU instead of cash and those receiving cash instead of IOU’s”:
People who get California IOUs
Grants to aged, blind or disabled persons
People needing temporary assistance for basic family needs
People in drug prevention, treatment, and recovery services
Persons with developmental disablities
People in mental health treatment
Small Business Vendors
People California pays in cash
University of California
Public Employees’ Retirement System
Legislators, legislative employees, and appointees
Judges
Department of Corrections
Health Care Services payments to Institutional Providers
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