But, it has some terrible possibilities in the future.
As we close out 2017 and look to what will be a colorful year in California—some high-profile political races and the ongoing feud between the state’s Democratic leaders and the Republican president back in Washington—it’s the contrast of the California existence that stands out.
Despite passing the most ambitious housing package at the tail end of the legislative session in Sacramento, the state remains billions of dollars shy of the money needed to finance new homes for the neediest Californians.
Despite enacting an increase in the state gasoline tax, can California adequately address a backlog of needed road repairs that have been a horror for state motorists but a boon for the auto repair sector (on a related note, is taxing gasoline cutting edge when fuel efficiency and electric vehicles are on the rise)?
As for wealth California stands for plenty of dollars and very little sense. According to this study the Golden State is home to 832,849 millionaire households. That’s nearly 60 percent more than second-place Texas. Meanwhile, the US Census Bureau reported in October that one in five Californians is living in poverty; since 2014, the number of homeless children in California has jumped 20 percent. Sharing the wealth? Hardly.
Finally, California’s outré political existence: the Golden State as America’s big blue outlier. Nationwide, Republicans control all three “levers” of government (governor, two legislative chambers) in twenty-six states. But not so in California, where Democrats have supermajority control of the state legislature and seem assured of retaining Jerry Brown’s seat when he retires after the 2018 election.
I’m very glad I no longer live in my home state. More @ Joke All You Want about California—but the Mounting Problems Are No Laughing Matter
As we close out 2017 and look to what will be a colorful year in California—some high-profile political races and the ongoing feud between the state’s Democratic leaders and the Republican president back in Washington—it’s the contrast of the California existence that stands out.
Despite passing the most ambitious housing package at the tail end of the legislative session in Sacramento, the state remains billions of dollars shy of the money needed to finance new homes for the neediest Californians.
Despite enacting an increase in the state gasoline tax, can California adequately address a backlog of needed road repairs that have been a horror for state motorists but a boon for the auto repair sector (on a related note, is taxing gasoline cutting edge when fuel efficiency and electric vehicles are on the rise)?
As for wealth California stands for plenty of dollars and very little sense. According to this study the Golden State is home to 832,849 millionaire households. That’s nearly 60 percent more than second-place Texas. Meanwhile, the US Census Bureau reported in October that one in five Californians is living in poverty; since 2014, the number of homeless children in California has jumped 20 percent. Sharing the wealth? Hardly.
Finally, California’s outré political existence: the Golden State as America’s big blue outlier. Nationwide, Republicans control all three “levers” of government (governor, two legislative chambers) in twenty-six states. But not so in California, where Democrats have supermajority control of the state legislature and seem assured of retaining Jerry Brown’s seat when he retires after the 2018 election.
I’m very glad I no longer live in my home state. More @ Joke All You Want about California—but the Mounting Problems Are No Laughing Matter
