California is not the "Lindsay Lohan of States," it is Courtney Love

Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal termed California the "Lindsay Lohan of States." Via memeorandum:

Listen up, California. The other 48 states—your cousin New York excluded—are sick of your bratty arrogance. You're the Lindsay Lohan of states: a prima donna who once showed some talent but is now too wasted to do anything with it.


After enjoying ephemeral highs and spending binges, you suffer crashes that culminate in brief, unsuccessful stints in rehab. This cycle repeats itself every five to 10 years, as the rest of the country looks on with a mixture of horror and amusement. We'd feel sorry for you if you didn't constantly flip us the bird.

Instead, we're making bets on how long it will be before your next meltdown. Oh, wait—you're already melting down.

You've racked up nearly $70 billion in general obligation debt, and that doesn't include your $500 billion unfunded pension liability. Your own analysts predict you'll face a hole of at least $80 billion over the next four years.

Your government's run by a brothel of environmentalists, lawyers, public-sector unions and legislative bums. When they're not taxing or spending, they're creating regulations and commissions like the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology and the California Blueberry Commission. Many businesses would leave if it weren't for your sunny climate. ...

Lots of agreement with the above characterization out there (Liberty Pundits Blog, Left Coast Rebel, Betsy's Page, Pundit & Pundette, JammieWearingFool and Gateway Pundit just to name a few). I think it falls short in one way though. This is not California:

Lindsay Lohan is young, pretty and there's still hope for her. This is California:

More screwed up, hopeless and in a state that all the makeup on the planet can't make look good. Especially after Californians held hands last Tuesday and essentially committed fiscal suicide by electing moonbeam back into the governorship, Barbara Boxer back to the Senate, and perhaps worst of all chose to adopt the toxic twins of greenhouse gas regulations and the total and utter hegemonic domination of the budget process by Democrats. That's not just falling off the wagon, that's falling off the cliff entirely and hitting every branch, rock and outcropping on the way down. Ergo Courtney Love.