The Great Wall of California-Keeping Taxpayers In
federicoelimponente
Resolving State's Problems of Huge
Revenue
Shortfalls & Tax Payer Resistance
Photo of Great Wall of California on home page of http://www.penetratingmindflame.com
By F. Jesse James Kiel
Fresh from the yearlong deadlock of California’s budget crisis, Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger unveiled his grand strategy today to restore the
state’s solvency, saying that it involved a building project that
would last longer than the pyramids of Egypt or the craters on the
Moon, befitting the Golden State’s extraordinary status.
He added the plan would be so appealing that it would also end the
awkward flight of the state’s highest earning workers, which he called
"practically immoral" and "certainly unjustifiable."
"What I am proposing is something only a state so unique, creative and
powerful as California can undertake ... with 90% federal funding,"
Schwarzenegger said in a speech at the state house in Sacramento. "It
also shows how we Californians can compromise, by taking ideas from
two of our most contentious interest groups, the ‘close-the-border’
opponents of illegal immigrants, and the ‘spread-the-wealth’
proponents of high taxes on the rich."
The reporters leaned forward in anticipation as Schwarzenegger used
his classical actor training to stretch out the tension.
The Governator then turned to a large screen behind him and nodded to
a technician to get ready to turn on the presentation software.
"We are going to build the Great Wall of California!" Schwarzenegger
said in a tone that built in intensity with each syllable, ending with
a shouted final ‘Ya!’"
A large map of California popped up on the screen behind
Schwarzenegger, who half-turned towards it and raised is right hand as
if he himself were calling up the wall that then grew along the
borders of the state.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the media, I present to you the Eighth Wonder
of the World!" he said in proud tones. "Twenty feet and fifteen feet
thick, topped with carbon-neutral barbed wire and recycled jagged
glass, the gentle upward and backward slopes are esthetically
pleasing, as well as designed to prevent climbing."
"Uh, governor ... that wall ... ," a reporter stumbled.
"This 20-year project will $19 billion and will provide job for
500,000 state residents, since we will import technology in China to
avoid using carbon-offensive diesel machines," Schwarzenegger said.
"We have patented Chinese designs for what are called ‘shovels’ and
‘picks’ and will build these high-tech devices here in California for
the first stage of the project, digging the ditch from Oregon to the
Mexican border."
He explained to the reporters that the using the imported designs
would allow the hundreds of miles of 70-feet ditch line to be dug
without any greenhouse gas to the atmosphere.
"The method will also bring together all of the rainbow races and
culture of beautiful California," he added. "Since the pay will be
minimum wage, the plan envisions adapting the system of levees that
pharaohs used to gather workers to build the pyramids."
"Isn’t that forced labor," one reporter asked.
Schwarzenegger waved her away.
"We will see whites, blacks, Hispanics, Asians ... Christians,
Muslims, Jews and Hindus ... men, women and children ... all swinging
those picks and shovels in unison," he went on.
"But, Governor, there’s no wall between Mexico and California,"
another reporter said, pointing to the screen. "The wall ... the
wall ... it goes ... goes ..."
Schwarzenegger turned back to the map and nodded in satisfaction.
"Yes, the map goes due east from Pacific along our border with Oregon,
then south and south along the frontier along the Nevada frontier,
then straight south along Arizona to the U.S. frontier," he said. "We
could never insult our Mexican friends by building a wall along our
common ‘cross-roads,’ as I like to call it, not a border."
"I don’t understand," another reporter said. "Why are you going to
build a wall if you want to leave the route for non-documented folk
open and free?"
"I do think that the idea of erecting an impassable border wall does
have merit," Schwarzenegger added. "I just don’t think that blocking
entry of what I like to call, so as not to insult them, the ‘non-
documented,’ has any merit."
He pointed to the technician to brought up a map the present-day
Southwest.
"This is California as it is now, totally undefended," Schwarzenegger
said.
The reporters looked confused, gazed at each other, and two shook
their heads.
"Are we afraid of an invasion of the Oregon National Guard?" another
journalist asked.
"Next slide, please," Schwarzenegger said.
The aide tapped the computer key and a new map of California popped up
on the screen, this one with the wall again, though this wall had
overpasses into each border state.
"What the heck?" one journalist said.
The governor called for silence and the went on: "George Wills, the
conservative columnist, explained our problems in a May 4 commentary
that read in part: ‘For four consecutive years, more Americans have
moved out of California than have moved in. California's business
costs are more than 20 percent higher than the average state's. In the
past decade, net out-migration of Americans has been 1.4 million.
California is exporting talent while importing Mexico’s poverty.’'"
I read that and thought, "But they have already built their careers
and grown rich in California," the governor said. "They have no right
to just pull up stakes and head to a low tax state."
"Do you meant that you’re going to up a fence along the borders with
Arizona, Nevada and Oregon to halt the emigration of legal U.S.
citizens out of the state," the first reporter asked. "To keep
taxpayers IN the state," Schwarzenegger exclaimed. "This will keep
them in the state so that we can continue to collect taxes from them."
Schwarzenegger used a pointer to show the border crossings that would
carry traffic in and out of the state at controlled points, with new
state border police to be created to inspect the documents of all out-
going people to make sure that no California legal residents were
among them.
"People will be able to go on business trips, of course," the
governator said. "They’ll just have to leave their families behind in
special, quite comfortable ‘hospitality’ camps until they come home."
People with families who want to travel out of the state will also
have to post a bond of $500,000 that cannot include devalued real
estate, Schwarzenegger said.
Single people would have to post a bond of $1 million and supply the
names and addresses of their closest family members, the Gov said.
"We will ask the federal government to declare it a felony for any
California traveler to fail to return to the state within the terms of
the new state visa, but the new law would also allow us to prosecute
his family members left behind as hostages – I mean, as state guests –
as well as closest relatives living in other states for single
people."
The Arnoldlator said he did not see any reason to put a clause in the
law that would permit an entire family to leave the state at the same
time.
"We have everything any vacationer could possibly want," the governor
said.
The plan would also bring in new income because the state would only
have a limited number of border crossings along the borders of each
neighboring state to cut the costs of maintaining security, and could
put in toll charges for entering of leaving the state.
"Of course, Californians would receive a subsidized rate of only $100
each way, while people from the other 49 states and foreigners would
pay $1,000, with tractor-trailers paying $5000," he said. "These
border crossings are expensive, after all, and it is a privilege to
come into the great state of California."
All private airports would be put under state control immediately with
the call-up of the state National Guard.
"The use of the Guard would only be a temporary measure," the governor
said. "We would train prisoners at our low-security establishments to
guard airports for just pennies on the hour."
The governor said the "California Preserve Our Way of Life Commission"
that he appointed decided that the measures would halt the flight of
25,000 wage-earning citizens yearly who pay an estimated combined
state income, sales and real estate taxes of $337.5 million yearly."
"In just four years, that would give us an extra $10 billion annually
to spend on our government employee pension programs and aid to the
poor," the governor said.
Photo of Great Wall of California on home page of http://www.penetratingmindflame.com
El Endo