CA Assembly Speaker John Perez: Will You Marry Me?

Before taking the reins of the Sacramento Assembly, Speaker John Perez (D-Los Angeles) represented the United Food and Commercial Workers, then became political director of the California Labor Federation. Situated in safe Democratic districts in East Los Angeles, Perez became the perfect replacement for Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, who replaced retired Congresswoman Diane Watson (D-Culver City) in 2010.

Speaker Perez has played power broker for different special interests instead of speaking up for California voters and the public interest, all of which would prosper under less spending, less government, and less of Perez. Rather than spotlighting the pension crises assaulting our state, rather than standing up to the special interests which take a special interest only in themselves at the expense of California's better interests, Perez defends LBGT interests, including gay marriage (or marriage equality for those who ignore the obvious).

He supports the rights of transgendered students to go the bathroom of their choice, and believes that they should not be discriminated against in California public schools. He does not support comprehensive education reform, like removing teacher tenure as a job guarantee for life; however, he does support state-level micromanaging of student discipline. He coddles teachers’ unions, which represent themselves rather than teachers, and certainly not students or the parents.

Perez believes that everyone person should be able to marry any consenting adult, whether of the same sex or the opposite sex. This argument carries troubling undercurrents for our state and our culture, since if a man can marry another man, what will prevent his/her pleas for multiple spouses? Or marriage of man to a machine, or a child? These arguments are not alarmist, by the way, since "wise Latina" United States Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor sounded her concerns about changing the definition of marriage. "What’s wrong with polygamy, then?" she asked during oral arguments about the Defense of Marriage Act and California’s Proposition 8 initiative.

Then again, I doubt that Speaker Perez would worry about polygamy. He already has multiple partners.

First, he is married to the greedy, unsustainable interests of California's public sector unions. He cares more about the political hegemony of workers' representatives who work together for their own causes, even if California the public industries go bankrupt in the process. The California Teachers Association is notorious for defending the worst teachers while standing by silent for the best. Los Angeles Unified officials filed numerous reports about Mark Berndt of Miramonte Elementary, yet even when they placed Berndt on leave, they could not fire him. Following months of legal wrangling, LAUDS offered him a severance and he resigned. Only when a private photolab discovered then reported his salacious photos did anyone take legal action to incarcerate the man. How many incompetent teachers still survive this Dance of the Lemons in California public schools? How many students have filed lawsuits against school districts and the state because of sclerotic work rules and inadequate educational reforms? Our students cannot wait, but no matter how loudly they court love and support from Sacramento, Perez isn’t answering.

Speaker Perez is married to billowing boondoggles which are ballooning away state tax dollars. Let’s talk about the High-Speed Rail Project, which has (predictably) run over budget, and is slated to run over farms and homes in the Central Valley, many which have endured for generations.

Speaker Perez is married to the Environmental Lobby, as well. He cares about the fish, but not the farmers. He cares about water, but not those who work the soil in the Central Valley. Perez’ callous indifference to the plight of the farmers positioned a well-known cherry farmer, Andy Vidak (R-Hanford) to carry off an open state senate seat in a two-to-one Democratic district.

Married to the animals, Perez champions the boutique interests of state senator Ted Lieu (D-Redondo Beach). Perez has ensured that bears will never fear hunting dogs, and that puppies will not be sold on street corners, yet Perez is selling our state to the lowest morale and the highest lobbying bidder in Sacramento.

Perez is married to raising taxes and spending. He is married to promoting a hostile business climate in the state of California, one which drives away businesses, jobs, profits, innovation, and any hopes of a lasting recovery. Perez is married to the ideology of Progressives, who for decades infiltrated higher education, corrupting the proper scope of the state, micromanaging our k-12 public schools without antiquated and now demeaning ideologies.

Since Perez has so many partners, so much power, and the money to make it all work together, I have no choice but to propose:

"Speaker Perez, will you marry me?"

Now that the United States Supreme Court has invalidated Prop 8 state constitutional amendment, people can marry either sex. Since you have decided that the will of the voters means nothing, the best interests of our students are of no consequence, and you support a state based on regulation and frustration rather than job-creation and innovation, my best hope of thriving in California is finding the right partner.

So, what do you say, Speaker Perez: Will you marry me?