Oh, lighten up, Jimmy. I'm with you on air quality and the illegals, but, our state finances ain't that bad, relative to the rest of the states. The numbers are big, but don't forget that we have roughly 35 million people, which is like 11 or 12 % of the total population. I read during the elections that, per capita, all the states were roughly equal in their problems, something like 1K in debt per capita. The only outlier, at about 2.5K/person, is the US. If unemployment comp goes broke, as I read yesterday, we will join a list of other states who are in that boat. Are the finances bad? Yup, but they are bad everywhere. Does that make it better? Nope, which is why I listen to you when you say buy metal. (Also, apparently our job losses have been less than average).
Citizens and lege have economic intelligence of morons? Yup, but you say that about everybody, so what the heck. We are politically pretty dumb, too, and nothing will be solved until we get major reforms, like getting rid of the need for supermajorities in many venues, initiative process, etc. That's why Arnold probably is irrelevant; too many structural problems.
That leaves us with nature. Northern areas get the fires and slides, too, and we also get town-destroying slides behind bad logging practices (ie Stafford). You can't live here and get away from quakes. I lived most of my life within 2 miles of the San Andreas Fault. Correction, it has now been renamed the Clinton's Fault. It's a fact of life. I'd rather deal with this stuff than hurricanes, tornados, blizzards, ice storms,and Mt. St Helens. I "collect" quakes. My first, at almost 8 years old, was a 7.8; a month later, there was a second about 6.5. Another notch on the gun. I even started the quake that hit LA in '71. I missed a few big ones, tho, and there is no way to go back and get them.
What's the biggest problem? Too many people. I remember reading a kids' "car activity" book in about '52. We were third in population, about 6 mil. Now, almost 600 % more. It ruined us, and now I see the same thing happening in Florida. Nonetheless, it is a great place to live, and I will be thinking of you this winter when I see temps getting down to zero for 3 months.
Having declared my love for Ca, would I live anywhere else? Yeah, if I thought I could take the winters, I'd move up to Alaska. But I can't, so I won't. Can't go for months without the sun, and, if nature kills me, it will be by hypothermia.
D.Boone@lookingforelbowroom.com/crazyincal. |
