Ahhh, California.
Clinton came to California on Friday to push prop 87, our next big energy initiative. Basically, it creates an extraction tax on oil that will go to build a superfund for energy research. It’s not the be all and end all of the foreign oil/global warming energy crisis, but it is a good step in the right direction. I have no sympathy for oil companies that kvetch about having to pay taxes to extract a natural resource with the way gas prices are now, and the kinds of profits they’re pulling.
This is part of what makes California so damn great. You see, we are the 6th largest economy in the world. Some put us at 10th at worst. Economically, California is bigger than Italy, Canada and yes, even China. The California economy is more diversified than you can imagine, from entertainment to real estate, to agriculture, to defense -based manufacturing. We have a population that’s more diverse than just about anywhere else in the country as well. And we have an actor for a Governor. With all that big business and amateur politics, this state still comes up with some of the smartest, most innovative policies. (California also pays way more than it receives to the federal government in tax benefits. What would happen to all those folks in the red states who bitch about paying the federal government taxes if a state like California actually stopped paying? It would suck to try and get Medicare in Mississippi is what.)
Take a look at the Public Policy Institute of California for some of the figures they have. Compare it to anything else in the US (besides New York) and its just staggering.
I mean, it’s nice when Vermont puts up laws that are smart and deal with the issues like oil security and climate change, but who cares? It’s Vermont. They have lovely scenery, tasty fudge, and nearly as many cows as people.
There’s a reason everyone wants to come and live here.
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on Sunday, October 15, 2006 at 9:36 PM.
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