Has California lost its mind?
Over the last six years, California lawmakers, almost all of them Democrats, have seized the mantle of Hope and Change to enact some of the wackiest and most dangerous legislation in decades.
The Correctional Law Amendment Bill, SBx3 18, sponsored by Democrat Denise Moreno Ducheny, authorized the early release of more than 27,000 California prison inmates. With the state’s 70% recidivism rate, those 27,000 early releases translate into 18,000 new crimes.
In a written statement condemning SBx3 18, the Republican Caucus wrote: “Among the inmates who could be eligible for early release under the Democrat plan include felons convicted of human trafficking, stalking, identity theft, violent child abuse, and threatening to use a weapon of mass destruction.”
SBx3 18 passed the California Senate by a 21-19 vote, with all 15 Senate Republicans voting against it, and all but 4 Democrats voting in favor. It was signed into law in October of 2009 by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Already, at least four murders, including the stabbing death of a young mother on Hollywood Boulevard, have been attributed to the early release of prisoners through SBx3 18.
Democrat Mark R. Leno sponsored SB 48, the Requires Teaching Gay History Bill. SB 48 requires public schools and textbooks to portray homosexuality in a positive light, and issues a warning to “alternative and charter schools” to “take notice of the provisions in this bill.”
In other words, say goodbye to the heroic deeds of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Frederick Douglas, and say hello to the sexual exploits and lifestyles of Oscar Wilde, Ellen Degeneres, and Chaz Bono.
Nowhere does this bill mention the enormous cost to taxpayers to rewrite and reprint all of the state’s textbooks and school materials, and who will receive that money. Nor does it mention the huge consulting fees, also at taxpayer expense, paid to “experts” within the homosexual, transgender, and cross-dressing communities in order to rewrite all those textbooks and school materials.
SB 48, a thinly disguised attempt to force homosexuality, cross-dressing, and transgenderism past parents and into the minds of children, passed the California Senate by a vote of 23-14, with all 14 “no” votes coming from Republicans, and all 23 “yes” votes coming from Democrats; passed the California House by a vote of 50-26, with all 26 “no” votes coming from Republicans, and 49 Democrats and 1 Independent voting “yes”; and was signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown. It is now mandatory teaching for grades K-12.
In 2010, Democrat Sandra R. Swanson sponsored AB 1756, the Food Stamps for Felons Bill. AB 1756 states that it will “provide that a person convicted of any drug felony shall be eligible for aid under the Food Stamp program…”
AB 1756 passed the California House by a vote of 44-31, with 27 Republicans voting “no”, and 43 Democrats and 1 Independent voting “yes”.
Democrat Christine Kehoe sponsored SB 1338, a bill that would allow nurses and other non-physicians to perform dangerous suction abortions, a procedure in which the fetus’s body is torn apart. Thankfully, SB 1338 failed on a 4-4 vote in the Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee, but was resurrected as AB 154 by Democrat Toni Atkins.
Despite meticulous documentation proving that gun control laws increase violent crime, California Democrats have introduced at least nine new bills over the last two years aimed at confiscating guns from law-abiding citizens.
As bad as all of the preceding California Senate and Assembly bills are, perhaps the worst one of all is AB 1266, Pupil Rights, sponsored by Democrat Tom Ammiano. AB 1266 states: “This bill would require that a pupil be permitted to participate in sex-segregated school programs; and activities, including athletic teams and competitions, and use facilities consistent with his or her gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the pupil’s records.”
In other words, boys and girls, grades K-12, sharing bathrooms and showers at the same time.
AB 1266 passed the California Assembly by a vote of 46-25, with all Republicans voting “no”.
If you’re reading this and wondering how California Democrats can be so dumb, the answer is they’re not. Every move they make is calculated to advance a specific leftist agenda. Hollywood, the media, and big money are all on their side.
It’s fashionable today to claim there’s no difference between Republicans and Democrats, but as these bills demonstrate, the difference is huge.
California: take away the fruits and flakes, and all that’s left are the nuts.
Mike’s post first appeared at Fellowship of the Minds.
