Dear Editor,
Dystopia, Per Merriam Webster: an imagined world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized, fearful lives.
Dystopia is no longer an imagined society or world coming full speed our way. Just take a look at the misery and suffering of the millions of homeless on the streets of our once great nation. Look closely at the once great state of California and the conditions there. The politicians who believe in societal engineering and the rewards of socialism are still proud, if you can believe that, of the condition of their state. It can take a while to grasp the gravity of what has come to pass there. Literally hundreds of miles of street and sidewalk dwellings, although “dwellings” is too grand a word for the pathetic hovels that obscure and taint the view of the cities. Add to that quaint image, the fact that public, open defecation and urination are not just tolerated but encouraged by the powers that be. The once terrifying disease Typhus is approaching epidemic proportions amongst the population of the “homeless”. Rats and many other sorts of vermin are rampant in and around the sidewalk and alley communities. The frantic drive by the politicos to invite millions of illegal immigrants is overwhelming the ability of the various public service and health care support systems. Businesses and residents alike are leaving the state in droves because of the anti-business atmosphere there and deteriorating state of the civilization. The productive, tax paying homeowners are frightened and in despair to see their lifelong dream going down the toilet. Businesses can no longer find qualified workers and cannot continue to bear the increasing burdens of over-regulation and continually increasing taxation. California’s enlightened government approved Proposition 47, which by decriminalizing shoplifting or other theft in amounts less than nine hundred and fifty dollars allows the miscreant to have absolutely no fear of apprehension or of prosecution. The merchant who experiences such damage has no choice but to either pass on the cost to his remaining honest customers, or to close his or her business and leave the state. All this merely scratches the surface of the apocalypse happening just next door, across the Colorado River.
An even more jarring and convincing example of Dystopia in the very real now, is the failed state of Venezuela. This country was once the sparkling gem of South America, boasting of vast oil and other mineral resources which allowed to be one of the richest and most modern nations in the western hemisphere. The corruption and greed of its government dragged the country and its citizenry down to a level very little above stone-age. Groceries are all but unavailable at any price. Toilet paper and hygiene supplies are all but non-existent. Crucial medical supplies are completely out of reach. Even the black market, which usually thrives in failed economies, can supply little, if anything to the populace, no matter the price. The police and military forces are a mere shadow of what they once were. Make no mistake, Venezuela still has vast oil reserves, but the government is so corrupt it cannot pump, refine and distribute petroleum products.
All the preceding leads to this inescapable conclusion; if the “free stuff for everyone” folks with their hysterical hatred of the values that made this country strong, have their way, America will look just like California and Venezuela. Dystopia is no longer that far off imaginary place of sadness and deprivation. We have only to look at today’s reality as it is happening in real time, right next door.
Jack Hommel
Golden Valley
