<p>Oh and my son just told me that CA has the highest paid legislators in the nation. Add that to your pipe and smoke it.</p>
<p>"My point is that californians and texans always think they are “important.” "</p>
<p>Hey now. Texans ARE important. They just could not stop Harbowl from happening :p</p>
<p>Now, I will say that the wine industry in California is very important.</p>
<p>It is disingenuous to say that California is not important; it is important. If California were a country, it would have the 8th largest GDP in the world, falling between Italy & Brazil.
<a href=“http://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2011/01/comparing_us_states_countries[/url]”>http://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2011/01/comparing_us_states_countries</a></p>
<p>But being important and being dysfunctional are not mutually exclusive.</p>
<p>
OK, and what? What does that mean and what relevance does it have to the 38 million people who actually live in California? Were any solutions proposed? Was there a suggestion of what improvements should be made?</p>
<p>By the way, that “outcome” was in 2010. It’s two years later. We have a new governor, a balanced or close-to-balanced budget, smaller prisons, increased taxes and a (bumpy) road to recovery.</p>
<p>There are 38 million people in the state - living, working, learning, playing, studying, doing - and you probably can’t find 5 of them who give a damn that “Intelligence^2” thinks California has “failed.”</p>
<p>I will also admit that the restaurants in San Francisco are very important. Also Ghiradelli chocolate is very, very, verrrrry important, imho.</p>
<p>Also, I like the trolley, though I’m not sure if it is important, or not. ;)</p>
<p>I have to say, though, I have decided that the trolley IS more important than the high speed rail system. I also think it will last long after the high speed rail system is gone.</p>
<p>GMT, that’s an old blog. I think it’s only at 9 now. lol. Oh my. So important.</p>
<p>@polarscribe,</p>
<p>Here is the transcript of the debate:
<a href=“http://intelligencesquaredus.org/images/debates/past/transcripts/california-failed.pdf[/url]”>http://intelligencesquaredus.org/images/debates/past/transcripts/california-failed.pdf</a></p>
<p>There is a reason most gov’ts aren’t a direct democracy; the electorate will always vote for cake for themselves.</p>
<p>Direct democracy has its issues, but if you think there’s no reason for the initiative, you should go back and read California history. In the absence of direct democracy, giant plutocratic corporations like Standard Oil and Southern Pacific completely controlled the state’s political system and voted for cake for themselves, by blocking any and all attempts at regulation of monopolies, fair labor standards, etc. So the people of California demanded - and got - the initiative and referendum written into the state Constitution.</p>
<p>I agree that its use has been problematic at times, but on the balance, the initiative in California has done far more good than harm. And realistically speaking, there is never going to be a political majority in the state to remove it, so there’s no sense wasting political capital trying. However, I think common-sense reforms - such as preventing initiatives from earmarking general fund dollars to specific line items - could be implemented.</p>
<p>The two-thirds supermajority to enact a budget is gone. Amended out of the state Constitution by initiative. It still takes a two-thirds supermajority to raise taxes, and I disagree with that, but… well, guess what? California voters just elected a two-thirds Democratic supermajority in the Assembly and Senate. So the Dems could raise taxes further if they wanted to. There’s no evidence of any political will to do so.</p>
<p>The Republican Party has reduced itself to an irrelevant rump in the state by virtue of alienating basically everyone other than old white men. Not a single statewide elected official is a Republican. However, the 2/3-supermajority budget requirement gave the GOP outsized power to block up the mechanisms of state government, which led to significant gridlock. As noted above, that provision has been amended out of the Constitution - and the GOP doesn’t even have 1/3 of the Assembly or Senate anymore anyway.</p>
<p>The elimination of the 2/3 budget requirement and the complete annihilation of California Republicans have done much to allow the state to get back on solid financial footing, as evidenced by the governor’s balanced budget.</p>
<p>@poetgrl,</p>
<p>lol… I’d give you greenies for the wine & Ghiradelli comments, but I’m out of ammo for today</p>
<p>Wow about Californians thinking they are “important”.How many of us even think we are “from” here? Ive been here 25 years and I still say I’m from NY. My son says he’s from Brooklyn, and shhhhhh! I don’t think he’s ever been.</p>
<p>Most people I know came here, like me, with the military. </p>
<p>Also, I never want to move back to NYC, because I could never afford to live with all that temptation and not enough cash, but I feel similarly about the parts of California some seem to envision. Have you seen parts of the central valley? It’s got its own beauty, but like The Ponderosa, not Santa Monica or Monterey.</p>
<p>I don’t mind that Californians, Texans and New yorkers are patriotic about their states. </p>
<p>But, I will say, I do not think the USNews college rankings are important. Of course, as they say, YMMV. ;)</p>
<p>I don’t think CC should use this thread to try and get more people to use its site.</p>
<p>The sacrilege - get away from the punch bowl poetgirl. it is spiked.</p>
<p>@polarscribe,</p>
<p>You are giving me grief for the Intelligence^2 Debate being 2 years old, and you use Standard Oil as an example? Big bad Standard Oil got broken up by the Sherman Antitrust Act before Prohibition!</p>
<p>polarscribe-- your posts keep getting longer and longer in the same little box. It’s alarming.</p>
<p>Also, Tex says the kool aid is spiked. Be very careful. :D</p>
<p>I actually love the state of CA and always have, but I think it is a mess in many important ways. I probably won’t leave, but I’ve thought about it often, and that is sad.</p>
<p>Hey I love Greece & Italy too. Just because a place has dysfunctional gov’t doesn’t mean it’s not an awesome place to be!</p>
<p>Ancient Greece? Rome?</p>
<p>Very, very important.</p>
<p>Modern Greece & modern Italy are very important as a object lesson in what not to do for a gov’t…</p>