A frightening problem with California today, as well as most of America, is the woeful ignorance of the population regarding issues. The article is correct in it's description of the situation, but how many Californians vote for any proposition or even in an election? Those who do vote have little understanding of the ramifications of their vote. Deregulation of our media brought the collapse of investigative journalism with the rise of "infotainment" which is just SO much more profitable ~ so it must better....

Politicians of every party spend little time trying to explain anything to voters. The sound bite rolls over us like a wave, leaving only ignorance in it's wake. No one tries to explain not only why we NEED to pay taxes, but just who, exactly, isn't paying them (which is much more interesting). The real issue isn't about raising taxes, it's about who is being exempted from paying them.

How many know that California removed the sales tax on luxury yachts about 10 years ago? Or that Prop 13 was really intended to shift, over time, taxes from corporations onto wage earners? How many know how very little corporations pay in property tax now? How many know how much State revenue was lost when Arnie dumped a small tax on vehicle registration? A LOT. That spoiled Hollywood star is an abject failure, as I expected.

Democrats should make the effort to show the public facts to make voters interested/outraged enough to learn more. Commercials could simply pose questions: "Did you know" followed by a quick statistic on who is paying tax on what, compared to ordinary folk. Why haven't they done that?

For politicians, voter ignorance may be bliss for them.

How soon they forget. The friends of George Bush raked California over the energy coals, for what? To convince the state that they should have a Republican GOVERNOR OR SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES. For anyone mildly amused by this, consider the sad sad tale of Carol Lam, Southern District AG, appointed by Bush in 2002, who sent the FBI into the San Diego City political cauldron. While trying unsuccessfully to prosecute the Deputy Mayor, she completely missed the Duke Cunningham scandal. Ooops! Then the Bushies fired her, and well they should. Fall on your sword, BEATCH! Now Arnold the result of the bastard recall election against Grey Davis, after Enron, ENRON, ripped the California energy users a new asshole, Arnold took over, and god bless him, Californians thought, we have a REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR, and A REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT, we will surely be spared any more of these poltiical hijinks. I mean Sacramento, Baghdad, it all seems eerily familar?

Of course paybacks are hell, and ARNOLD has to be (politically) terminated before the state can move on, with the help of FEDERAL OBAMA DOLLARS. You can see that can't you? Politics make strange bedfellows of course, and Darryl Issa, who personally drove Carol Lam out, and into a nice job with San Diego Company Qualcom, is making a name for himself.

It's all relatively uncomplicated. 7/8's of Calfornia is Democratic, and San Diego is not, you take what you can get. Without lamenting too much about the Republican who won Duke Cunninghams seat, ( a Republican who had to bus into the district), I should just add, that the San Diego mayor (pre business Republican) is threating to sue the state, but after eight years of Bush fingers in the pie, the pie stinks, and the other 1/8 of the state (southern most border county) will soon we aligned with Washington. Its all power, (and Demographics) and who gets to pull the plum. Californians are no more of less susceptible to poltiical blackmail. But really, the AIG bailout went straight through to Goldman? Then Paulson cried wolf? Well a little payback is in order, if you happen to be an honest god fearing Republican, my sincere regrets.

but I'd rather have less of it than the more, more, MORE we keep getting.

roads? schools? police? privatize them all. The local level is best able to handle these things.

The following is a cut-and-paste from course notes published by UT-Austin Philosophy Professor Robert Kane. It illustrates the 2,400 year old weaknesses of democracy currently enjoyed by the Commonwealth of Cali:

Plato’s criticisms of democracy are of two kinds, “political” and “social.” We begin with the political criticisms.

A. Plato argued that leaders in a democracy would first of all seek popularity, rather than statesmanship.

1. Popularity with the masses was what was required to get elected and stay elected.

2. The “people” would tend to vote for leaders more like them, who projected an attractive image, not necessarily the most competent.

B. In addition, elected representatives in a democracy would tend to pander to the wishes of the electorate rather than do what they think is right. If not, they are thrown out of office.

C. Democratic leaders are therefore also tempted to focus on short-term goals at the expense of long-term needs of society.

1. What happens in the distant future will not affect the next election. The difficulty of getting leaders to take the long view is no accident of democracy, according to Plato.

2. By contrast, taking the long view (and the larger view) is the essence of wisdom in his view. Philosophic rulers (lovers of wisdom) should rise above the turmoil of the present.

3. Democratic politicians, by contrast, cannot afford to do that.

D. As a consequence, democracies also have an in-built tendency to spend more than they take in.

1. As Plato puts it, it is always easier for democratic politicians to give things to people rather than to ask for sacrifices.

2. And they lack the authority to force sacrifice on a reluctant public that will throw them out of office.

Sometimes you have to peer into the abyss before you realize you need ropes and pitons. At some point in time California will cobble something together, or fall apart along geographical lines, NoCal, SoCal and the Inland Empire. We may have two new stars on the flag next decade.

I'd say you call up Iceland to see if it has any advice. Read an article today that Iceland is banking on its educated workforce and strong work ethic to dig itself out of its bind, as well as its natural resources and tourism. Can't say much for the work ethic and education out there, but I bet those trees in your parks will fetch a few dollars for you.