Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
In Los Angeles It’s not just acrid smoke in the air at the moment.
There is fear, anxiety and pain. When will they get these fires under control? What if the wind gets stronger? What if my neighborhood is next?
For those who were evacuated: When can I go back? Why don’t they allow me to get my pet? Or my medicine?
MAPS SHOW EXTENT OF DEVELOPMENT FROM WILDFIRES AND DESTROYED HOUSES
Worst of all is the utter despair for those who have lost their homes, or in the small but tragically growing number of cases, their loved ones. And the feeling that those in charge are not responding with the urgency, energy – or, frankly, empathy – that we expect.
And that brings us to the other feeling that is so palpable in LA today: anger.
Anger at a governor who, when confronted with shocking revelations about dry fire hydrants and empty reservoirs, waved his arms and said, “Ask the local people.”
Anger at the “locals” – Mayor Karen Bass – who, when confronted with her failure to prepare for this catastrophe, her failure to compensate be in the cityjust froze in front of the camera. A bizarre, miserable two minute silence instead of the strong leadership we need.
But these short-term failures to prepare and respond pale into relative insignificance compared to the long-term failures that got us to this point.
Los Angeles wildfires: Resurgent winds in Santa Ana threaten to spread deadly fires
My new book is coming out in March “Califailure – Reversing the Ruin of America’s Worst Run State.” will list the terrible combination of incompetence and ideological extremism that has resulted in California being at the top of every list you want to be at the bottom of, and at the bottom of every list you want to be at the top of – from the very top top poverty rate in the country to the worst business climate; the highest housing costs and the lowest home ownership. Crime and homelessness out of control. Everything is paid for with the highest taxes in America.
Now, with the Los Angeles disaster, everyone can see how badly everything went wrong.
Every aspect of the wildfire crisis was either caused or made worse by Democratic policies and Democratic politicians.
Of course they try to blame it on “climate change.” But other places with similar climates and geography do not appear to be suffering in the same way.
In California, environmental extremism halted action to address so-called “fuel pollution” in our forests and chaparral. Overgrown forests are thinned out, undergrowth and bushes are cleared – blocked by misguided democratic politics.
Money that should have been spent on fire protection was used on ideological obsessions that do nothing to reduce wildfire risk, such as electric vehicles.
We keep hearing about “drought” – but in reality it is largely man-made. We have all the water we need: we just don’t collect it, store it and get it to the right places.
And underlying it all are the crazy rules and regulations, the crazy nanny state, the endless armies of bureaucrats and busybodies that make it impossible to get anything done, to build the housing and infrastructure we need.
Their “green” bureaucracy has even slowed down or blocked vital work like burying or insulating power lines that start wildfires! How good is that for the environment?
It’s time to stop all this nonsense. It is time for sensible policies and competent government.
That’s what I’m concentrating on. My California political organization, Golden Together, has brought together business and faith leaders and firefighting and prevention experts to develop positive, practical ideas for helping people now and making sure we’re doing the right things. to contribute to recovery and rebuild quickly.
Pastor Jack Hibbs of Calvary Chapel in Chino Hills is mobilizing churches and houses of worship to help displaced families and support our brave (and exhausted) first responders.
We must eliminate ridiculous rules that hamper relief and recovery efforts—for example, absurd “climate regulations” that make it impossible to deploy backup generators from other states to provide power where power is disrupted.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE OPINIONS ON FOX NEWS
Let’s get rid of the bureaucracy that traps you in red tape. Gov. Gavin Newsom says he wants to “accelerate” permits for rebuilding homes. Great! Except: What exactly does he mean by “accelerated”? Could it take over 120 days? For permission to rebuild the very house that was there before? At the moment everything is very unclear. But it should work immediately!
After the Northridge earthquake in 1994, then-Gov. Pete Wilson – a Republican – broke the rules and enacted cleanup and construction orders that helped rebuild the Santa Monica Freeway in 66 days.
I spoke with Governor Wilson. We have incorporated his suggestions into our policy recommendations, along with many practical ideas from homebuilders and entrepreneurs.
I asked Technology leader in Silicon Valley to develop a plan for a new “fire department” that will use AI, drones and autonomous fire engines to detect and extinguish potentially dangerous wildfires before they start.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
All this and more can be found in our policy document: Rescue, reform, reconstruction.
It’s time for change in California, and this is the first step.
