Where I Stand — Brian Greenspun: Fault lies in ourselves

Thursday, Oct. 16, 2003 | 8:53 a.m.

CHAMPAGNE tastes and beer budgets.

One of the luxuries afforded those of us who do not live in California and who, therefore, are not consumed by the zaniness that confronts those folks on an almost daily basis is the ability to look from afar and criticize. Besides the sheer sport of it all, it helps deflect attention from our own shortcomings and the need for any self-criticism.

Now that the smoke has cleared and the people of the Golden State have terminated their duly elected governor, Gray Davis, all eyes, ears, hearts and minds have tuned into the Governor-elect, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who promised a few movies ago to "be back" and he has proved true to his word.

Without commenting upon the likelihood that a Gov. Schwarzenegger will be able to destroy the huge and debilitating deficits that now plague our neighbor to the west, it might be helpful to understand just how California got into the mess in which it currently finds itself.

Oh, if you are waiting for me to explain how all that happened, look somewhere else because I haven't a clue.

What I know, though, is that there is plenty of blame to go around. Part of it -- depending upon your political sensitivities -- can be laid at the feet of the Bush administration for its economic policies, much of which affected California to a greater extent than the other 49. And who, other than that same administration, would absolve the good folks at Enron who not only snookered their friends at the White House, but who also took major league advantage of California's energy fears to drive them to the brink of economic ruination?

(You do remember Enron, don't you? Ken Lay and the rest of the crowd who posed as poster children for corpoarte greed and who, to date, have remained untouched by the Bush administration's Justice Department?)

And, of course, if one governor could guess wrong as many times in a row as Gov. Davis has done it would be some kind of record and one bound to cause California to dive deep into a sea of red ink. He did. California is.

Having said all that, there is one culprit whom has gone untouched by the people of California in their rush to blame all of the bit players in the economic debacle that has beleaguered one of the largest economies in the world. The person deserving of most of the blame in this case is ... the people.

That's right, if the people of California would be content to have a second-rate education system, like Nevada for instance, then there would not be a need to raise taxes to pay for teachers, books, schools and whatever else it takes to be at or near the top of the education game.

If the people of California would be content to have a second-rate health care delivery system, like in Nevada for instance, then the money needed to pay for such a system would be unneeded and some of the deficit would disappear.

And, if the people of California would be content to drive cars with fuel that made their cities impossible to breathe in much less to see, like Nevada has been but is getting better, then there would be no need for higher taxes and fuel costs to pay for cleaner air.

The point is simple. Californians have a very good sense of the way they want to live and the quality of the life they want to lead. They like bicycle lanes so the riders won't get killed by neglectful drivers. They like dog parks so that pets can play without fear of being run over. They like restaurants that are cigarette and cigar smoke free, even though there may be an economic cost attached to such a plan, because they believe that cleaner human lungs allow people to live longer and in better health.

The list of things Californians like and want goes on and on. The much shorter list, of course, is the one that lists the manner and means with which Californians will pay for what they want.

And therein lies the problem. Champagne tastes and beer budgets and there is no magic -- except for some creative bookkeeping and false political promises -- that will fill the gap between what they want and what they can afford.

The only way to do that is to raise revenues -- read that taxes -- or cut back on that which they want, that which they demand and that which they must have. So far, the people in California and, frankly, across the country have been unwilling to do either. They want it all ways while they pay for virtually none.

By now, most of you should have recognized the fact that Nevada is no different. Sure, we don't mind poisoning our own lungs so that others may smoke freely; or jeopardizing our own kids so the taxpayers can save a dollar by not making bike lanes; or watching thousands of uninsured citizens succumb to bad health because we are so tight with a dollar that we have nothing to spare for our neighbor's minimum care.

But there are demands we place upon our government services for which no one wants to pay. We create our own budget gaps that we refuse to fill, choosing instead to blame someone else for selfishness. We have even tried to blame Gov. Kenny Guinn for all our troubles, even to the point of entertaining a recall against him like our neighbors to the west.

All of this is folly because if we are honest with ourselves we will place the blame where it belongs. Squarely on our own shoulders.

When that happens, perhaps we will punish the real culprits and recall ourelves. And we should stay recalled until we develop the good sense that being a citizen of this great country requires.

How about another glass of champagne?