Carl Nolte Speaks Up

"Native Son" columnist from the SF Chronicle Carl Nolte is one of the few bright spots in that paper.  Every once in awhile he lets an idea slip that only his seniority allows to slip past the editors.  Yesterday was a good example of this.  His column "Meditation on an Orange Sky" contains this observation

I think we have exceeded the natural carrying capacity of the place we call California. We have nearly 40 million people now, and maybe that’s too many. We’ve built towns into the edges of forests. We’ve tamed the rivers, moved the natural flow of the streams so we can live in what used to be deserts, and grow crops on what used to be dry range. We’ve built cities on top of earthquake faults.

We’ve built California into the fifth-largest economy in the world, a nation state, as Gavin Newsom likes to call it. Maybe we’ve gone too far. Maybe it’s too much.

Maybe it is, or at least maybe it is until we get some better governance and better pragmatism from our "leaders".  If they focused on making things work better instead of so many warm and fuzzy hoped-for goals, we would all be better off.  I hope Nolte doesn't get eased out the door at the Chron. 

Comments

[No thanks]

You misspelled Malthus

[Everything's Jake]

Newsom may be the worst, ever! No accountability--just points at bogeymen for all failures in governance.

[Bruce Dickinson]

Well, looks like the SF Chronicle's "Native Son" needs to have a much more global perspective. Japan is slightly smaller than California but has over 3x the population. And guess what, Japan has virtually no natural resources, it imports natural gas, oil, iron ore, gold, or copper and is completely surrounded by salt water. It also has an aging population, virtually no population growth but enjoys an extremely high standard of living, is environmentally friendly, very economically productive and has minimal crime.

So to Joe's point, why do things seem to function pretty well in that country while California, which has so many more natural advantages, is a veritable &hit show (pardon my French)?

It is about leadership and government efficacy. Over the past 40 years, I challenge anyone to point to Bruce Dickinson, ONE public policy success story in California on any topic (education, transportation, healthcare, energy, etc etc).

I'm afraid all I will be hearing is crickets chirping!

That track record (or lack thereof) speaks for itself.