The big story coming out of California is of course the Woolsey fire which is destroying Malibu.
Our President, true to form, has injected himself into the issue and not in the most positive way.
Instead of displaying compassion, the President focused on the mismanagement of the California forests.
Hollywood activists are enraged.
Well, they should be enraged about the President’s seeming lack of compassion, although I think he does care in his own way.
What they should not be enraged about is the President’s accuracy in pointing out that the California forests are mismanaged.
We shouldn’t be surprised. California is the most poorly managed state in the union.
It is so because of the antiquated and unfair way in which California represents its citizens.
It’s called taxation without representation.
There are currently one-hundred assemblymen for roughly 46 to 50,000,000 Californians. And that does not include illegal immigrants.
That translates to a ratio of one for every 500,000 Californians.
When the representation is that poor, quality government is impossible.
What soon transpires is what has transpired in the state of California. Government is now run by plebiscite (propositions), activist loudmouths, corporate big whigs, Hollywood celebrities, and the whims of conventional wisdom.
Who is not represented in California are the regular people who have local knowledge and local expertise. These people are not listened to it all.
And there are people who do know. Here is another link.
Whether we are talking about forests, fisheries, farming or oil the problem is the same. California is badly mismanaged.
It couldn’t be otherwise with its current form of government.
If you read my earlier post you will see my feelings about direct election of Senators.
The same feelings can be applied to the election of assemblymen in California.
What has to happen in California is the division of each assemblyman‘s district into nine subdistricts of 50,000 people who will elect one sub-assemblyman from their subdistrict.
Those nine sub-assemblymen would then select one assemblyman to represent them.
When this model is followed, regular people will be able to communicate with their assemblyman. Good ideas will rise to the top. There will no longer be the need to hold plebiscites in California.
Horrible fires such as the Woolsey fire can be prevented.
And yes the Woolsey fire could have been prevented or limited in extent. Sure, nobody can prevent every single fire.
However, prudent culling of the trees could have limited the extent of this fire. Most likely this was not done because loud mouthed activists and their wealthy Hollywood celebrities pitched a temper tantrum every time a tree was cut down.
Now, there are no trees.
Cowboy Archer 