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The Lockean Project

Out of sight

“Out of sight”, Carmel Pine Cone – Sept. 3, 2021

By clearing homeless sites along Highway 1, Governor Newsom will not solve the problem. Rather he’ll be, out of political necessity, moving it temporarily out of sight. He has made numerous campaign stops to tout camp closures, including one in Stockton on Aug. 5, covered by the L.A. Times.

What Newsom and California’s liberal Democratic legislature won’t face is the fact that their own economic policies, radical environmentalism and over-regulation are to blame for the homeless crisis.

And remember, Newsom imposed the longest and strictest Covid-19 lockdown in America, little of which was based on science, much of which was unnecessary and all of which hurt our economy.

According to Downtown Streets Team, a well regarded nonprofit, over 42 percent of our state’s homeless became destitute due to a lost job, economic hardship and/or the inability to afford housing.

As of July 2021, California had America’s third most expensive housing market while ranking 49th among states for new home construction. California also had the nation’s highest individual tax rate (13.3 percent), and gas tax (66.98 cents per gallon). And while Nevada, at 7.7 per-cent, had the highest unemployment rate, California was at 7.6 percent.

Meanwhile, in Stockton, per the L.A. Times, “Newsom’s staff kept him from putting on gloves and joining in the cleanup because it included hazardous material. Newsom stared at the pile of trash, insisting that he wanted to help with the cleanup.

The Caltrans workers laughed. They smiled and took photos with the governor before he headed off to Southern California for another highway cleanup.”

Joe Tarantino, Carmel