Sacramento, California – The state which leads all other states in the size of its annual deficit and has an unemployment rate significantly higher than the national average has found yet another worthy use of taxpayer funds in the form of AB 4444. This assembly bill prohibits the state from selling or using the Battle Flag of the Confederacy or the “Stars and Bars” as it is colloquially termed. It may be used in a historical setting as in a museum.
The bill’s sponsor, who has not offered any solution to the chronic unemployment the state faces, believes the bill will send a clear message that California does not tolerate hate speech, racism, violence, etc. Aside from the fact that no one was alleging the state was promoting hate speech in the first place, the state will soon outlaw the use of the emblem at the state government level. Presumably, this does nothing for the use of the symbol for private citizens.
Governor Brown, a staunch liberal, is expected to sign the vapid measure as it has been framed a vote against racism. In the state senate, the bill received 33 votes in favor and only a pair of votes against. One of the two votes against the measure came from GOP gubernatorial candidate Tim Donnelly who viewed the bill as an intrusion against free speech rights.
While he personally eschews the symbol, he does not believe the 1st Amendment should be abridged just because he dislikes the message some people choose to express. The bill passed the senate on the 18th. The state deficit still remains the number one budgetary issue the assembly faces.