The old has-been Jesuit, Jerry Brown, Governor of California, gave his 16th state of the state speech yesterday, his final speech on this occasion. Praise the Lord! He will retire at the end of the year and go to his rural ranch retreat to contemplate his navel(meditate) and write about his vast experience in public life in various locations.
Of note yesterday, he highlighted the fiscal strength of the state, citing a $6.1 billion dollar surplus(projected). He said that these funds should be put into a "rainy day" fund, or in the political parlance of the day- a slush fund to be used as the party in office sees fit. How quaint! He went on to extol the virtues of the high speed train being developed in the Central Valley with the goal of linking Northern Caliornia with Los Angeles. Despite recent cast adjustments pushing the investment into the stratosphere of $67 billions, he firmly believes this is a good thing for taxpayers.
Jerry: "What about the pension fund deficits lurking in the weeds at the Yolo Causeway? What about the infrastucture upgrades and maintenance that has become a drag on the economy? What happens when tech companies finally realize they can relocate to less taxing states such as Texas, Florida, and Washington? Jerry didn't mention the net outflows of residents during his tenure. Of course not, he's a Democrat.
What can we hope for from his likely democratic replacement? More of the same: tax and spend, take from most to buy power and security among like minded liberals(progressives).
Highway 101 Reopens
After devastating mudflows in Santa Barbara that killed at least 17 residents, calTrans reopened the highway to traffic. Maybe some of the budget surplus could be used to prevent future mud flows.
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