California vs Texas

There's much written these days about the rise of Texas and the fall of California, at least in terms of their respective economies.  California will always win the weather competition with any state in the union, hands down.  As my former business partner and true wit used to say, "There's only one reason to live in California, and that's the weather, but that's a very good reason".  He makes a good point when you consider California has about 330 good to perfect days per year and just enough rain to clean things up a couple of times each year.  However, and this is a big however, politically things have definitely gotten worse in California since we moved here in 1973.  At this point in time the state is being run by a dysfunctional bunch of corrupt and hack pols who are in the pocket of unions and the "greens".  It's been well documented that the unionized government workforce is bankrupting the state with its outsized pay and regulatory schemes.  Imagine a scenario where a state in big fiscal trouble rehires an old governor whose policies from 30 years ago led to the states present dilemma.  Without the strength of powerful unions allied with special interests this election would never happen.  California is truly in the hands of a thugocracy not at all unlike the one that ran the former Soviet Union into the ground in the 90's.  Things will only get worse in California, already at the bottom of the list of states with the worst business environment.  Look out below!

ADDED: 02/10/11: Victor Davis Hanson, a California farmer/philosopher/historian of note, has written perhaps the definitive piece on the California nightmare that is its present condition and dilemma.  If one thinks Jerry Brown, who contributed mightily to this nightmare, is capable of solving California's problems, then I suggest that must be the same person (s) who voted for Obama in '08.  Obama and Brown are birds of a feather, and neither of them have a clue how to solve the country/state's problems.