California’s Baffling Priorities: Protecting Predators Over Children?
In a move that’s raising eyebrows and tempers across the Golden State, a bill aimed at cracking down on child sex trafficking in California might be dead on arrival. Why? Because apparently, some bureaucrats think it’s too expensive to lock up pedophiles. You can’t make this stuff up, folks!
Senate Bill 1414, introduced by Republican state Sen. Shannon Grove, is currently languishing on the ‘suspense file,’ which is politico-speak for “we’re not sure we want to spend money on this.” The bill’s fate will be decided in a hush-hush Thursday hearing, far from the prying eyes of concerned citizens.
Grove, probably wondering if she’s living in some bizarre alternate universe, told Fox News Digital, “When we pursued this to prevent children from being trafficked, bought and sold in the state of California, we never thought in a million years it would be this difficult.” Welcome to the upside-down world of California politics, Senator!
What’s in This ‘Controversial’ Bill?
Hold onto your hats, folks. This ‘radical’ bill proposes to:
- Make soliciting minors for sex a felony (currently it’s just a misdemeanor – because, you know, buying kids for sex isn’t that bad, right?)
- Impose up to three years in prison and a $10,000 fine for offenders
- Require repeat offenders to register as sex offenders annually
I know, I know. How dare they suggest such harsh punishments for innocent child predators? The nerve!
The Opposition: It’s All About the Benjamins, Baby
During a recent Assembly Appropriations Committee hearing, Millie Yan from the California Department of Finance opposed the bill, citing concerns about prison overcrowding and costs. Because apparently, saving a few bucks is more important than saving children from sexual exploitation.
Yan argued, “California has successfully remained below the court-ordered prison population cap and has even made strides towards closing prisons, resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in annual savings.” Translation: “We’re doing great at keeping criminals out of jail, why mess with success?”
The Democrat Dilemma: A Handy Chart
| Issue | Money Spent | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Homelessness | $24 billion | Got worse |
| High-speed rail | Billions | Still no train |
| Child trafficking prevention | Too expensive | ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ |
Republicans: Voice of Reason in the Wilderness
Republican leader James Gallagher, demonstrating a shocking amount of common sense for a politician, pointed out that this shouldn’t be a financial question, but a moral one. “They are funding all of those things fully… but they don’t have money to make sure that johns buying children go to prison. If that’s the case, their priorities are seriously misplaced,” he told Fox News Digital. Give that man a cookie!
Democrats’ ‘Helpful’ Amendments
Not content with merely opposing the bill, the Democratic-controlled Senate Public Safety Committee forced amendments that excluded 16 and 17-year-olds from protection. Because apparently, in California, you’re old enough to consent to being trafficked before you’re old enough to vote. Makes perfect sense, right?
A Conservative Reality Check
While California Democrats fumble with basic morality, let’s remember how the Trump administration tackled this issue. In January 2020, Trump signed an executive order to combat human trafficking and online child exploitation. The order allocated more resources for prevention education programs, promoted housing opportunities for survivors, and improved intelligence sharing between agencies.
Contrast this with the current administration’s approach. While Kamala Harris struggles to string together coherent sentences about the “significance of the passage of time,” children are being exploited. Perhaps if she spent less time pondering the mysteries of Venn diagrams and more time addressing real issues, we might see some progress.
Remember when Harris, in her infinite wisdom, explained international relations: “Ukraine is a country in Europe. It exists next to another country called Russia. Russia is a bigger country.” With such keen geopolitical insights, it’s no wonder the Biden-Harris administration is struggling with domestic issues like child trafficking.
The Bottom Line
As California continues its descent into progressive madness, one has to wonder: When did protecting children become a partisan issue? While Democrats wring their hands over prison costs, real children are suffering. It’s time for California to get its priorities straight and remember that some things are worth more than money.
In the meantime, maybe we should ask Kamala Harris to explain child trafficking using her favorite Venn diagrams. At least then we’d get a good laugh out of this tragic situation.
Table of Contents
- California’s Baffling Priorities: Protecting Predators Over Children?
- What’s in This ‘Controversial’ Bill?
- The Opposition: It’s All About the Benjamins, Baby
- Republicans: Voice of Reason in the Wilderness
- Democrats’ ‘Helpful’ Amendments
- A Conservative Reality Check
- The Bottom Line
