Safer in Falluja...

...than in Los Angeles? Tim Blair knows a quagmire when he sees one; he links us here:

Recently released crime statistics show the homicide rate in California is 265 percent higher than the death rate suffered by U.S. and British military personnel in Iraq.
According to the report "Crime in California 2004," compiled by California Attorney General Bill Lockyer, there were 2,394 reported homicides in the Golden State last year. That compares with 905 deaths of coalition forces in Iraq, chiefly Americans and Brits, during the same time period...
...The peak for homicides in California was in 1993, when there were 4,095 reported.

Ironic as Iraq is often described as "about the size of California" for us geographically-challenged Americans. If the L.A. lefties love Saddam so much, maybe they can bring him over as their next governer; he'll shape 'em up.

But he'll have to re-do the economy as well, as businesses are leaving the state in droves. Surprisingly, all of the "progressive" business laws recently passed seem to be driving companies away from California; instead of attracting them to do business in this liberal paradise! Again, via Tim Blair:

When one little company like Nissan North America pulls out of a great big city like Los Angeles, does anyone even notice? They do when Nissan is the 80th corporation to do so since 2002.

I looked a round a little more; found this on Autoblog:

Nissan North America is about to announce its decision to move headquarters to Cool Springs, Tennessee, a suburb of Nashville... Nissan already employs 8,000 people in the state and the headquarter move would bring an additional 1300 jobs. Nissan is currently unhappy with the business climate in California and is looking to cut costs by the move....many of Nissan’s employees in California are looking at their employment options...

So the state of California is a free-fire killbox; and business concerns are stampeding out of town. And yet the last I saw, the big West Coast story was a large movement to grant some type of clemency to the jailed founder of the Crips, one of the most murderous gangs in the country's history.

Ah, the land of Barbara Boxer and Nancy Pelosi...you get the government you deserve, and you get the society that follows.

Link to Tim Blair here: http://timblair.net/ee/index.php/weblog/exit_strategy/
Autoblog here: http://www.autoblog.com/entry/1234000033066451/

UPDATE: More sucking sounds coming from California, as the most productive citizens are to be further punished...from The Club for Growth:

Actor/director Rob Reiner has gathered enough signatures to place a tax increase on the June ballot to fund government-controlled preschool programs. It would raise the top state income-tax rate to 12 percent, from 10.3 percent.
Voters should be aware that this tax bucks not only national but also worldwide trends. If the income tax passes, the new 12 percent top rate would be the highest in the nation. And it goes on top of the highest federal rate of 35 percent, for a total of 47 percent.

Read it all here: http://www.clubforgrowth.org/blog/archives/027299.php