California - Leader in Socialist Trends

by Wayne Lutz - January 25th, 2001

California is one of the most restrictive states in the Union in terms of personal freedoms, thanks in large part to an over-abundance of leftist activist organizations and a legislature that leans far to the left of the general population. The state's current energy woes provide one striking example of the consequences of marxist policies - they are a direct result of the influence of extremist environmental organizations and government meddling.

Voter-approved propositions in California are routinely struck down by the liberal courts, who have appointed themselves guardians of the public good - knowing as they do that the people are far too stupid to vote correctly on important social issues.

The benevolent hand of Big Brother guides virtually every aspect of daily life in California. Last year the Sacramento Bee reported that a whopping 1,054 new laws were to take effect in California, courtesy of Gov. Gray Davis and his socialist buddies in the legislature. "Like a Santa Claus for civics teachers, Gov. Gray Davis signed -- or allowed to become law -- a mountain of 1,054 bills sent to him by the state Legislature," the Bee reported.

Thus have the citizens of California been relieved of the bothersome task of thinking for themselves.

But, not satisfied to watch you as you go about your daily routine, Socialist California wants to peer into your home life, and what better way than to accomplish that than to interrogate your kids?

A bill that passed the Assembly last year, AB2068, requires the screening of children for their "development history." This bill establishes criteria in which physicians are REQUIRED to inquire of KINDERGARTNERS the following:

Do the parents or other family members have substance abuse problems? It does not specify what kind of substance abuse (tobacco, caffeine, alcohol, aspertaine, ritalin, prozac, aspirin).
Are the parents employed?
Is there stress in the family?
What kind of child care arrangements are the parents taking?
Are any family members involved in a gang?
Are any of the neighbors involved in a gang?
Do the parents spank their children?
Do the parents watch violent television shows?
Do the parents keep guns in the house?
Do the neighbors keep guns in their houses? Are the children required to inspect neighbor's homes for firearm ownership?

After this invasive "screening", physicians are apparently required to refer these families to the appropriate authorities for "treatment". At least the re-education camps will be located in a warm climate.

Assemblyman Tom McClintock noted, "History offers us too many examples of what happens, sometimes very rapidly, when children are used by the state to report on any suspicious activities of their families or neighbors."

Can you say "Orwellian"? Give it a try.

Two of the most fundamental human rights, rights granted by God and affirmed as such by the Founders, are the right to defend one's own life, family and property and the right to raise one's own child and to guide the instruction of that child. These Natural Rights are inconsistent with totalitarian goals, of course, and meet with powerful opposition in California.

Two of the most basic tenets of socialism are the indoctrination of children through government-run schools and the disarming of the population.

It's no surprise, then, that California does not like home-schooling (Although there are worse places for home-schoolers). California State law requires that a home-schooling family must qualify as a private school, and that the parent or person doing the teaching must be "capable of teaching", vague wording that leads to liberal interpretation by individual school districts.

Attorney Will Rogers represented "The Berkley Four" in a recent case in which the Berkeley Unified School District attempted (unsuccessfully) to criminally prosecute four home-schooling families for truancy. Rogers reminded California of the respective roles of state and family this way:

"Home-schooling parents embrace a truth which is self-evident: a parent has an inalienable right to direct the education of his or her child. This right is inherent in the principles of liberty, privacy and the pursuit of happiness."

"The fundamental right of a parent to direct the education of his or her child is older than the United States Constitution; it is older than history," he said. "It is so deeply woven into the fabric of what constitutes a family that to deny this right is to do violence to the sacred bonds which unite a loving mother and father to their beloved child."

California Homeschool Network publications chairman and trustee-elect Cathy Cuthbert was even more blunt in her observations of the role of The State:

"In the Soviet Union, everything that wasn't expressly allowed was denied. I thought we had a different system of jurisprudence here."

And on the issue of self-defense - Californians have faced more than a decade of ever-increasing, constantly changing and draconian gun laws. Laws piled upon laws, restrictions upon restrictions, have lead to widespread confusion and growing resentment among law-abiding gun owners.

California law required that those who own "semi-automatic" firearms must register them by December 31st, 2000. In addition, anyone who owned a semi-automatic rifle, handgun or shotgun with certain vaguely defined cosmetic features was required to destroy it, disable it, drastically modify it or turn it in to the police by that date.

The California Department of Justice estimates that the number of firearms falling into those categories numbers in the hundreds of thousands, yet only a little over 10,000 were actually registered by the deadline. Whether through confusion or deliberate and massive civil disobedience, or both, thousands of law-abiding California citizens have been made into criminals.

Then there is reengineering of society through legislation - redefining "gender", the introduction of pro-homosexual curriculum in public schools, the abolishing of 1st amendment rights on university campuses - the list is endless.

Traditionally, California has been looked to as the leader in national trends. But now we must look to California with trepidation and heed the warnings while we can still see them - before the blackouts roll across the nation and the darkness spreads.