by B. Chrysostom | Jan. 29, 2010

The totalitarian, anti-freedom, and anti-business impulses and policies of the Democratic party are once again trying to make life harder, more expensive, and more complicated for individuals and businesses in California. Democrats in Sacramento have declared they have discovered a new “menace to California’s environment:” free parking.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the Democratic lawmakers are upset that there is too much free parking in California and that encourages us to drive our cars rather than walk, take a bus, take a subway, ride a bike, or ride a horse.

This dire threat to California is making state senator Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach) really upset and angry, since so much freedom and flexibility in the hands of California residents and companies leads to all this “motoring” which contributes to traffic jams and pollution. He declares:

“Free parking has significant social, economic and environmental costs,” Lowenthal said. “It increases congestion and greenhouse gas emissions.”

To address these outrageous and blatantly capitalistic liberties of the selfish citizens of California, the Democrats have sprung into action and are pursuing legislation to drastically reduce the free parking spots available to Californians.

The bill, supported by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Sierra Club, provides financial incentives for cities and counties to stop providing free parking on the street and at government offices and to reduce the amount they require businesses to provide.

Cities that take such action could get more state money for parking garages and transit programs and bonus points in competing for state grants.

It seems that in the middle of California’s massive recession and its 12.7%, and worsening, unemployment rate, with its precipitous drop in state tax receipts and the looming $22 billion state budget deficit, all the Democrats in Sacramento care about are that people have too much free parking and drive their cars too much.

There it is folks. This is how Democrats always respond to economic crisis, they make it worse. All they care about is increasing taxes, regulating businesses to death and into bankruptcy, reducing the liberties of every one (except the illegal immigrants which they shower with billions of dollars of taxpayer funds) and making all our lives more miserable, expensive, and frustrating.