Californians should give their government more credit

By Deandre Evans, special for Calmatters

This comment was originally published by CalmattersS Register about their ballots.

As I navigate my new life in California, there is a question that echoes in my mind. There is a fine, almost reflexive sympathy that appears by the locals of California when I mention my home Arkansas. This is a quiet recognition, as if I had experienced some grief and finally came to refuge.

I cannot completely fuck this mood, as the reputation of California as a beacon of progress and opportunities is largely won. This is, from many indicators, One of the nation’s leading countriesS Yet as a newcomer who has experienced an extremely different civil landscape, I perceived an alarming submarine: a willingness among some Californians to dismantle the structures themselves that make this state exceptional.

The lithies of criticism is known – negativity that seems to be far beyond the boundaries of California, but somehow attaches to. Problems as homelessness., Gas pricesPublic transit, the costs of life and the efficiency of government are mercilessly represented as unique, catastrophic failures. The story suggests that California is a “hell of a landscape” in which businesses cannot thrive and citizens suffer under uniquely depressing conditions.

However, an important part of the perspective is often lacking: these problems, although significant, are not exclusive to California. The size of the condition intensifies their perceived magnitude here and in my opinion through a permanent spreading campaign. One that many Californians seem to be internalized.

Take homelessnessA deeply complex and visible crisis. Yes, this is an important problem in the city centers in California. But California is also one of the few states actively, though imperfect, trying to cope with significant resources and a multifaceted approach that includes housing initiatives and maintenance services.

In Arkansas, the answer is often the shoulders of administrative shoulders, “luck” or, more viable, Poverty criminalizationS There, the problem is less visible not because it is less proportionate, but because it is often swept under the carpet or in the correction system.

The multi -year complaint about high gas prices often ignores the intentional choice of policy behind them. The specialized fuel mixture in CaliforniaAlthough more expensive, it is a critical component of its efforts to combat air pollution in densely populated pools.

This Environment Quality commitment is further emphasized by Comparison infrastructure of the electric vehicles of the stateSupport and adoption programs. It offers complete contrast to countries where the interests of fossil fuels often dictate policy with little attention to long -term environmental effects.

Public transit, another common goal of criticism, is a miracle from my point of view. While high -speed railway project faces indisputable failures, exacerbated by global events such as the Covid-19 pandemic, Vision continuesS More importantly, California has a functioning, diverse transit ecosystem, covering the subway, light rail, extensive bus networks and special bicycle paths.

In Arkansas, overall public transport is largely a foreign concept, often limited to university cities, sharing minimal services with the wider population. The idea of ​​a Strategically Transit Plan at State Level is almost unimaginable.

Thehe The high cost of life is an indisputable realityS However, this is inherently related to economic dynamics, the desire of California and the great demand for its quality of life, the amenities and the progressive social environment. While the housing crisis requires emergency and innovative solutions, the “low cost of life” in countries such as Arkansas often comes with significant compromises: lower salaries, less economic opportunities, shortage of specialized services and less stable social security network.

This is a classic case of getting what you pay, or perhaps in what you are collectively investing in.

Frankly, the State Government’s perception forced me to write this. Many Californians seem remarkably fast to criticize governor Gavin News and a wider state apparatus, seemingly unconscious what the “bad” management actually involves.

There is a comprehensive willingness to vote against the policies and leadership themselves that have cultivated the determining advantages of the state: its stable safety nets, comprehensive social programs and environmental reservation and public access. The legalization of cannabis, the unwavering protection of reproductive rights, the preservation of public coastlines – these are not accidental results. They are the direct result of a progressive, though imperfect government, which actively legislation on the protection and improvement of the lives of their citizens.

My governor was Sarah Huckabi Sanders. Yes, that. Arkansas voted for her instead of a doctorate of nuclear engineering and urban planning – which was also religious.

After living under a state government, it is often characterized by inaction, regression or outspoken hostility to such progressive values, the management of California is a relative model of responsiveness and foresight.

Do not allow externally made propaganda and internal dissatisfaction, but valid may be to blind you to the essential, hard -to -win progress that California represents. The problems are real, but the fundamental structures and the political will to deal with them are healthier here than in many other parts of the country. Appreciate this. Complete yourself critically, improving demand, but do not be so easily convinced of destroying a frame, which for all its shortcomings still stands as a comparative bastion of progress in a nation facing deep challenges.

You may know or you can’t know how well you have it, but you are close to understanding how the “bad” looks really.

This article was Originally Published on CalMatters and was reissued under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Noderivatives License.