ANSWER TO THE LEFT: YOU CAN'T EVEN SOLVE YOUR OWN PROBLEMS

Berkeley:

Due to the extreme socialist-left politics the city has:

1. Highest taxes in the United States:

yet the highest crime rate. Most of the money collected through taxes gets spent on providing free public services: like the needle exchange, free food for the homeless.

2. Largest homeless population:

Berkeley's government has never changed their policy since 1960's: more free services, which never solved the homelessness problem and it never will-- it only extended it.

In Berkeley we have:

-free food for homeless

-free needle exchange program

-free medical

-free public showers

-free public toilets for the homeless

-free shopping cart refrigeration services for the homeless.

Outcome:

Even more homeless population.

Take a look at conservative cities which don't give out these incentives for the homeless to stay on the streets: the homeless population is nearly zero in these cities!

Point: Social program spending which left advicates never worked to solve the homeless problem in Berkeley. The number of people living on the streets in Berkeley is the proof of bad leftist policies.

3. Anti-big-corporation attitude only made life epensive, not better.

Since Berkely population is anti-corporate (they claim that corporations only exploit the poor), the lower-income citizen of Berkeley is faced with extreme-high food prices compared to the rest of the United States. Why? No healthy competition from big businesses is allowed.

4. Parking is scarce and expensive, yet we have UNUSED People's Park.

People's Park is not what it was designed to be. It's a sleeping ground for the homeless, a drug-dealing location and a region of the highest crime rate. Only a few people who sleep there use it, and the rest of the general population and the students never use it. It's unsafe.

It stands there as a monument to socialist & leftist ideals, yet it's a visible sign of blight created by the left. Nobody uses it, it's a wasteland, and even the students of UC Berkeley are advised to stay away from it during their orientations. (please come to Cal Orientations if you don't believe me.)

If People's Park was to be a PARKING LOT which Berkeley is desparately in need of, HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WOULD USE IT DAILY, not only the 20+ who live there.

5. Declining living standards as of result of taxing the businesses too much. Blight.

Berkeley's leftist politicians tax the business heavily, since they believe that corporations are evil. So, we have less competition, higher living costs, and less services to choose from. Great! So far Barnes & Noble couldn't afford to stay in Berkeley, Cody's books moved away because of extensive taxation & crime rate resulting from presence of People's Park, and Telegraph Avenue has tons of spaces where businesses used to be.

Berkeley Iceland, a landmark for 60 years also had to close: the city of Berkeley proposed extreme standards on their *functional* cooling system, which the company couldn't afford. (look on the web what happened and why they had to close.) Thank you Berkeley politicians for ruining a good local business.

6. Money spent on providing social programs, but not safety.

Berkeley is not safe to walk around at night. Compare that to a conservative city where most of the money is being spent on protection, where you can walk at midnight down a dark alley and feel safe.

Berkeley is afraid of being a police-state. So the money goes towards other programs, but not safety.

7. Leftist policies breed intolerance of religious freedom.

How come Christians are often censored? If we were supposed to be open-minded, we should allow Christians to hold their parades as well. How come that end of the deal is never supported? What happened to the freedom of speech and religion?

For some reason the leftist government feels like censorship is a good thing. North Korea thinks so too.

8. Counter-recruiters harrasing military recruiters.

Come to Sproul Plaza and see it for yourself. Middle-aged men harrassing a army recruiter who is a woman. Disgraceful, especially in the manner of yelling and name-calling technique which the counter-recruiters use. Where are your morals?

9. Social programs innefective: the needle exchange only promotes drug use.

The needle exchange program is supposed to stop aids and other disease by preventing sharing of the needles. How about preventing the injection itself?

This is yet another example of a lseftist program which fails every time: instead of fixing the problem, it only extends it by providing free accessories for doing drugs. How about preventing drugs?

10. Giving money away to the illegal population: growing deficit as a result.

California DREAM act wants to give grants away to the illigal immigrants, when LEGAL STUDENTS OF CALIFORNIA CANNOT AFFORD COLLEGE.

It's common sense! Politicians claim that we don't have enough money for our children, yet they support more money being given away to people who don't pay taxes in return. Think about it logically, does that make fiscal sense? Talk to an economist for goodness sake!

11. To fund extensive welfare and free services, the price of living for an average citizen is sky-high in Berkeley.

Take a look how much parking meters cost in Berkeley compared to other conservative cities. Compare how much parking tickets are to the conservative cities. Compare the prices of gas, food, and general living to, let's say, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Texas, etc...

I think you just answered the question if you o the research.

12. Welfare only creates a state-dependent population and unemployment.

Why work? Some people are fine on receiving welfare. Take a look around--welfare fraud is all over. I have a few neighbors myself who drive a lexus yet receive food stamps. How is this fair?

In contrast the conservative states give very little welfare: outcome? Less unemployment.

13. Only a few citizens use these public services. Most of the money goes back to the hands of the politicians.

14. Berkeley's street planning is inefficient, creates traffic and pollution.

In order to coerce people from driving (forcing one's opinion about driving on other citizens) Berkeley set up bicycle paths on the streets. Some streets got closed-down and barricated with cement blocks to prevent car traffic from coming in. Result? More traffic. Many streets you have to pass before you can make a turn, and then you make circles around your own street to get in from another direction. So, in fact I pollute more since I have to drive 2 miles more to get back to my own house.

I WONDER HOW MUCH LONGER THIS CITY WILL SUSTAIN ITSELF WHILE THE LEFTIST POLITICIANS PUSH IT TO A GRINDING HALT.

DEAR LEFT: FIX YOUR OWN PROBLEMS BEFORE YOU GET IGNORANT AND THINK THAT YOU CAN FIX SOMEBODY-ELSE'S.