When one considers the current condition of California, what stands out in a state that was once prosperous are the consecutive years of ever increasing inner-city violence, poverty, and homelessness.  If crime, poverty, and poor quality of life were diseases and liberal Democrats were the doctors responsible for rendering treatment, given the dysfunctional remedies and steady increase in patient misery, those "doctors" should have been arrested and charged with malpractice a long time ago.

The first proof of malpractice revolves around the fact that liberal Democrats have a vested interest in keeping their California patients sick.  And sickness means dependence on the habit-forming drug called government assistance.  Once hooked, these drug addicts will vote for whoever supplies them with their fix.

Proof two: Liberal Democrats exploit the endless supply of future addicts found just over the southern border in Mexico.  Now, these liberal politicians may be treasonous, drug-pushing pimps concerned only with holding on to power, but they aren't stupid.  The more addicts they can create, even if it means destroying half of the state's tax-paying population in the process, the more job security they will enjoy.

The third proof is the liberal mainstream media, who are more than merely complicit in the destruction of California.  They are active participants who misdirect public attention and wrongfully characterize California's homelessness, escalating crime statistics and shrinking of the middle class as causes of the misery when, in fact, they are results of failed liberal policies.  The difference between the two is in the efforts to find a real cure.  Liberal Democrats are incapable of offering a cure for what ails California because to do so would mean working against their best interest and giving up power and control.  With the increase in lost elections and negative sentiment regarding Democrats across the country, a sort of lawlessness has been initiated by these liberal ideologues in a desperate attempt to stay in power.

Some short-term intervention by the federal government would be considered proper, given the radicalism of leftists still in power, but the fate of California ultimately rests in the hands of Californians.  But even with good intentions and outside help, the challenge centers on whether or not Californians can break their addiction cycle and once and for all fire their liberal doctors.  That won't be easy, but hopefully, California doesn't have to hit rock bottom before its addictions and bondage to the leftist programs leading to societal suicide finally ends.

Rick Hayes is a New York City-based freelance writer and photojournalist with over 25 years' experience in covering local and national politics.  Hayes has received awards for his work and has covered such political figures as President Donald Trump, former president Bill Clinton, and New York's Rudy Giuliani, to name only a few.