By Bryan Williams|Staff Writer|
Listen up Californians! Just because your house isn’t in danger of being (wasn’t)flooded doesn’t mean you won’t feel the effects of Hurricane Sandy.
Even though the storm itself didn’t reach us, I believe that Sandy will affect California’s financial well being.
It is safe to assume that over the next several months, California will be contributeing to the reconstruction of the East Coast. Various forms of support will be requested and or (probably) offered in the very near future.
I believe that California should most definitely help in the reconstruction, but I’m not sure if the state is financially in a place to do so.
Sending an abundance of aid could leave California in a financial situation worse than before.
It is no secret that California is moving towards bankruptcy. Four cities including Vallejo, Stockton, Mammoth Lakes, and San Bernardino have all gone bankrupt, and more cities are expected to follow.
California’s unemployment rate is at a record 10.2%. Budget cuts are continuously increasing and citizens are losing jobs rapidly because of it.
With all this financial turmoil going on, how are we going to help another state when ours is doing so bad?
California is currently 16 billion dollars in debt. When we send aid, the state will most likely fall further into debt.
California National Guard units have already mobilized (deployed) to the east coast.
I am currently a member of the California National Guard. I am apart of the 1498th Transportation unit of Riverside. My unit, along with a few others, are currently on standby for Sandy relief.
Each state in the United States(Every US state) has its own National Guard components. With a few exceptions, most of theses components are state funded.
It is going to cost a lot of money to send troops 2500 thousand miles away. Expenditures include gas for hundreds of military vehicles so they can convoy to the location, food for all the troops, relief supplies, and a paycheck to each soldier for their efforts. California is looking at millions of dollars to deploy more troops.
Although our state is struggling financially as a whole, I believe there are enough people and corporations in California who have the means to help with the hurricane relief.
We obviously cannot rely on our struggling state to put forth the finances to help. We the people(as citizens or California citizens) of California need to come together and accrue the money, supplies, and efforts needed to help the ones who were devastated by the super storm.
NBC4 Southern California is creating an opportunity for Californians to contribute to Hurricane Sandy relief.
NBC4 (They) announced they will team up with the Red Cross and hold a one day telethon to raise funds for Sandy relief effort. (when will the telethon happen?)
“We are in a unique position to reach out to our local community and make a meaningful difference in the lives of those affected by Hurricane Sandy,” said Steve Carlston, general manager and president of NBC4.
NBC4’s telethon is just one example of how we can help the Hurricane Sandy victims.
If we do not take it upon ourselves to help, and leave it up to the state of California, our economy will suffer severely.
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