This is sobering reading.
Hanson begins:
The last three weeks I have traveled about, taking the pulse of the more forgotten areas of central California. I wanted to witness, even if superficially, what is happening to a state that has the highest sales and income taxes, the most lavish entitlements, the near-worst public schools (based on federal test scores), and the largest number of illegal aliens in the nation, along with an overregulated private sector, a stagnant and shrinking manufacturing base, and an elite environmental ethos that restricts commerce and productivity without curbing consumption.
During this unscientific experiment, three times a week I rode a bike on a 20-mile trip over various rural roads in southwestern Fresno County. I also drove my car over to the coast to work, on various routes through towns like San Joaquin, Mendota, and Firebaugh. And near my home I have been driving, shopping, and touring by intent the rather segregated and impoverished areas of Caruthers, Fowler, Laton, Orange Cove, Parlier, and Selma.
OS urges you to read the balance of the essay.
Recovery and renewal can come, but if California began tomorrow to do absolutely everything right, it will take ten years to turn things around in any significant manner. Judging by November's ballot, they still lack the will to do so. OS fears that the impending attempts to bail this state's culture out with cash will only increase the long-term pain.
As things now stand, California is an object lesson for the rest of us in WhatNotToDo.
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