Sometimes in the midst of the current drama we see evidence of people (the majority of the population usually,) who have failed to grasp the extent of the problem.
"the long-term brand and the image are hurt for good."
What is this useless bastard (crisis communications consultant Chris Lehane) talking about? Crunchy frogs found in a Burger King box? Accidental inclusion of glass shards in toilet tissue supply?
Actually, he is talking about the collapse of California, the world's eight largest economy.
Gives me itchy fists just reading bullshit like that.
If by "itchy fists" you mean you are irritated beyond belief by the equivalent of someone watching a house burn down while noting that ashes will fall on the lawn and tsk, tsk, that's bad for the environment, yeah. I'm with you. Clueless smug bastard with no stake in the game yammering about stuff that doesn't matter.
But then I'm of a mixed mind myself on on the actual fire burning down the house.
This financial collapse is ultimately a political failure, not a financial failure. I would hope that there is a way short of burning the house down that would work to get rid of the crack addicts ^H^H^H^H^H^H politicians who have such an obvious disconnect from reality. (E.g., Speaker K. Bass, head of the State Assembly, refusing to show up to work today in a fit of pique).
The May elections (wherein the voters told the politicians in no uncertain terms "Go stick your nose in a dead bear's bum!") were apparently re-interpreted as "The voters are ignorant folk."
I do not believe the problems in Sacramento will be solved in any significant way until the politicians are staring at November's election.
If there is a place where government's functions need to be rebuilt thoroughly, it is California. And it is a place where government's role COULD be rebuilt thoroughly. This system of government -- and how it is financed -- was bequeathed to us from our 19th Century forefathers. Its failures are finally becoming apparent. And again this is a political problem to fix, not a financial problem. Throwing more money at California government will not deal with the underlying issues.
I live and work in California. Pay taxes here. I'm an international tax lawyer and the simple reality is that I help California jobs disappear over the horizon because it is such an appalling place to do business. I see inbound investment choosing not to come to California for the same reason.
Yet I will live here for the foreseeable future. Because it is home. My family is here. My friends are here. My kids are happily enrolled in school (private school because the public schools are execrable in Pasadena, CA, the home of California Institute of Technology among other treasures). Life is good. I'm on the planet precisely once, so why whine?
Next time I'm in Geneva I'll shoot you a message on Twitter. We can meet for a cup of coffee. :-)
@philiphodgen
Posted by: Phil Hodgen | July 08, 2009 at 05:05 PM