CA Can't Do Anything About the Homeless Problem, but It Can Dedicate a Day to 'Star Wars'
In the state of California, roughly 130,000 individuals are homeless on any given day, including more than 50,000 people in Los Angeles alone. Footage of Steinbeck-esque shantytowns aren’t uncommon on social media. State regulations make it nearly impossible to construct affordable housing with or without the intervention of Sacramento.
Even the socially liberal denizens of the Golden State aren’t pleased with the situation. L.A. resident Shannon Peace thought of the man living in her building’s carport as an “unofficial neighbor,” according to NPR, tolerating his “elaborate encampment” in front of her parking lot.
“He had a laptop. He had a bicycle,” she said for a January piece. “And he used our storage bins.” Still, she didn’t do anything until “one day she came downstairs to get into her car, said her usual greeting and was met with a blank stare instead of the usual friendly ‘hello.'”
“His eyes were glazed over and he was muttering to himself,” Peace said. “That was the point at which I went, ‘OK, this is really a safety issue. This is somebody who potentially has mental illness — potentially has a substance abuse problem.'”
In short, California has a bit of a long-term mess on its hands, something that’s deeply structural and will take decades to resolve, most likely. So what better time, I say, than to establish a state holiday based around “Star Wars?”
“The California Legislature voted Thursday to declare May 4 ‘Star Wars Day’ in recognition of a Disneyland theme park slated to open later this month,” The Associated Press reported Friday.
MAY THE 4TH BE WITH YOU: The California Legislature voted Thursday to declare May 4 “Star Wars Day” in recognition of a Disneyland theme park slated to open later this month.https://t.co/clOMA7fFr0
— KFDM News (@kfdmnews) May 3, 2019
“It’s a play on the ‘Star Wars’ phrase ‘May the force be with you.’ The resolution by Democratic Assemblyman Tom Daly says it’s the largest single-site expansion in the park’s history and could generate $14 million in tax revenue for the city of Anaheim annually.
“The resolution also recognizes the Walt Disney Company’s ‘decades-long record of enhancing the quality of life for people in California and beyond.’”
Meanwhile, here’s a video from near Angel Stadium in Anaheim, the location of Disneyland and where “the largest single-site expansion in the park’s history … could generate $14 million in tax revenue.”
This video is incredible. It’s shows a 10 min bike ride through Orange County, CA, and almost the entire path is lined with homeless tent cities. https://t.co/X6i5M85IZm
— Jim Dalrymple II (@Dalrymple) January 17, 2018
Well, it certainly could use use it.
California’s most famous living conservative has frequently noted that two things can be true at the same time. So, yes, it’s true that the Golden State can deal with its homeless problem while it honors “Star Wars.” The thing is, however, California has a massive deficit, a huge tax burden for residents and a million problems to solve, not the least of which is a huge homelessness issue.
And this is what the legislature is spending time on?
California is in the midst of one of the largest talent drains in recent memory; the tax base is shrinking rapidly and social services can’t cope with the problems that the state has. Instead of dealing with issues such as homelessness, a hugely underfunded state pensions system or mass population exodus, this is a state that has instead chosen to focus on eliminating plastic straws, making “Star Wars Day” an official state day and other such nonsense.
Until California can stem its multifarious problems, maybe “Star Wars Day” might not send the best message to its dwindling population. When you’re drowning in debt and can’t solve a homelessness crisis, that two-headed monster seems like it shouldn’t just be the top but the only priority. However, at least there was a moment of levity on Thursday, when the resolution was voted into effect.
“A charity group that dresses up as Stormtroopers are at the Capitol and a hot-air balloon that looked like Yoda flew outside,” the AP reported.
The homeless may still be homeless, the debt may still be piling up like “whoa” and the residents of California may still be taking any midnight train to anywhere that isn’t in the Golden State, but thank the Lord for small mercies.
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