The Woes of California

Responding to a discussion of CA's woes at http://www.truthout.org/060909T#comment-58675, I wrote:
As another ex-resident who loved CA in the 70s, I have thought a lot about what's up there. The question is not why 12% of voters voted as they did, but why so few turned out. I think there are two factors at work: 1. The voters are silently revolting against the pay and benefits that the public sector receives, enormous, non-negotiable and relentless costs, since the state employee unions won't budge, that can only be reduced by the bankruptcy of the state. I think that's what a lot of people really want. 2. The wealthy who live in their gated communities have not yet been touched by the financial distress hitting everyone else. They have no concept of what the destruction of the state will do to them personally, and they believe, I think mistakenly, that their private measures can largely protect them. Until they get a reality check, CA will continue to see their $ and votes aligned against the public interest.