Essay by Eric Worrall
h/t M; California Governor Gavin Newsom doubling down on the climate policies which are destroying quality of life for ordinary Californians.
Newsom’s 2024 Climate Platform
Blackouts? No worries, mate. California is ‘just getting started,’ as the Governor signs 40 new laws.
By The Editorial Board
Sept. 20, 2022 6:44 pm ETCalifornia can barely keep the lights on as its climate policies bite the electric grid, but Gov. Gavin Newsom is undaunted. On Friday he signed no fewer than 40—count ’em 40—new climate bills to amp up California’s green-energy shock experiment.
Even as gasoline prices nationwide have fallen to an average $3.68 a gallon, Californians are still paying $5.45 a gallon. California’s electric rates are already more than double those in neighboring states. This is what happens when politicians try to eliminate fossil fuels with a Molotov cocktail of regulation, taxes, and renewable mandates and subsidies.
But Mr. Newsom blew right past that on Friday: “We’re not only doubling down, we’re just getting started.”
…
Read more: https://www.wsj.com/articles/gavin-newsoms-2024-climate-platform-california-40-climate-bills-energy-electricity-blackouts-11663702766
One thing to bear in mind, unless Californian elections are totally rigged, the majority of Californians voted for politicians who support these policies.
How do we interpret this apparent acceptance and support for higher prices? Do Newsom supporting Californians want to pay higher prices? Or do they still believe the green fiction of cheap renewables, do they expect prices to fall in the near future? At what point do voters expect Newsom’s green lunacy to start to feel good?
Whatever their expectations, the next decade will be a painful test of their resolve and patience.
Left last year. #Bestdecisionever
I have a lingering suspicious Newsom is the anti-Christ.
Nailed it.
You and all of the other voters who have fled the state will now be voting Democrat in perpetuity.
The anti-Christ doesn’t need to dine at the The Laundry. Newsom is just propped up by the unions that own and run Sacramento. He isn’t bright enough to be anything like a A-C. B Hussein Obama is far more likely the A-C than Newsom.
Newsom should have the same fate as Gray Davis, but I sorta think the graveyard vote would prevent that.
There were more registered voters in LA County than eligible voters.
“There were more registered voters in LA County than eligible voters.”
I’m sure that issue has been thoroughly investigated. /sarc
Then there’s places like Pittsburgh that frequently have more votes than voters.
Until he personally is suffering for this it will continue.
The Getty’s will not let him suffer. He’s their golden boy. Suffering is for the unwashed masses.
Like I said, till he personally suffers this shit will continue.
Time to lynch greentard politicians.
The voters are delusional. The majority believe the green energy myths.
Or maybe not. Perhaps the majority believe someone else will pay for it. That’s the most likely story. Why else would people continue to vote for policies that have failed everywhere, every time?
I don’t know. That voting thing seems to be working for Putin and Xi. Maybe there are just strong similarities between the Green movement and communism…
Neither China nor Russia are communist any more.
In fact, neither got beyond socialism.
China became fascist once it allowed the private ownership of the production.
Since the end of the USSR, Russia has been a democratic mixed economy. Yes they’re corrupt. And 81 million living voters chose Biden… so there is that.
Biden received 81 million votes. How many of them were living, or even actual people is still being debated.
If you voted by mail in 2020 you probably voted for Biden no matter what box you filled in.
That’s probably a true statement for people in the so-called battle ground states.
And if you voted in those states, you probably voted for Biden multiple times, whether you wanted to or not! Vote early, vote often…
Cali voters may not be delusional about getting someone else to pay.
Governor hairdo may be your next US president.
Then all US taxpayers will be “helping” Cali pay the bills.
Arizona, Colorado and Utah are already “helping” with the Cali water bill.
Arizona, Nevada and the Pac NW are already “helping” with the electric bill.
Free stuff for everyone in California is the motto.
I’ve been told many times that making the top 1% pay “their fair share” would generate enough money to pay for all this free stuff.
Modern Progressivism exists almost solely upon the felief that somehow someone else will pay for the consequences of bad Progressive policy. Also consider that we’ve long since crossed the Rubicon where the number of people collecting some form of government benefits now outnumbers the number of actual workers.
It may take a solid decade of runaway inflation followed by stagflation to change a meaningful number of votes.
The bottom 50% of income earners pay less than 1% of all income taxes.
Romney was ridiculed by the media for pointing out that people who don’t pay taxes aren’t going to be moved by a promise to cut taxes.
That’s the bottom 50% of “income earners”. “Income earners” are now actually less than half of the population, so the real number of actual taxpayers is actually far less.
The voters vote based on what the MSM tells them about the issues and candidates.
Offshore wind is the future. Governor Gavin Newsom preventively banned sale of Honda generators. 🙂
Last year the utility company gave you a voucher for a generator in Cali.
“…do they still believe the green fiction of cheap renewables…”
I believe the answer is yes, yes they do.
Keep in mind that late primary and secondary education has, for the past 30 years, been doing more indoctrination than building inquiring minds. Admittedly I have an engineering background so questions come naturally but in the past I think more people would wonder how many thousands of windmills and huge backup battery installations will be required to really and truly replace a typical 900-1000 megawatt power plant. Nor do they realize just how many power plants exist in the nation, or wonder about the infrastructure needed for green energy, or how much more will be needed above and beyond what is in use now to electrify everything now powered by hydrocarbon energy.
Nor do they wonder about how long a smartphone will last which has a case made of biodegradable plastic made from corn.
At least if things get bad, you can always eat your smartphone.
And don’t forget the edible wind mill blades.
(https://wattsupwiththat.com/2022/08/24/michigan-state-recycle-wind-turbine-blades-as-gummy-bears/)
Does California believe in cheap anything? The focus here is on energy but what about housing, food or entertainment? California seems irrational only if you think they want to help ordinary people. If the goal is gentrification and pricing out the poor, it’s a rational and effective strategy, if a bit Machiavellian.
California’s major cities, with their curb side living, are being gentrified?
All that is necessary is: until next year’s model is available.
No problem with the smart phone – they run out and buy the newest model as soon as it comes out.
“…wonder how many thousands of windmills and huge backup battery installations will be required to really and truly replace a typical 900-1000 megawatt power plant”
George, just for reference, Westinghouse stated that in order to provide 225 MWe their SMR design would require approximately 15 acres of land where the average solar installation would require 2400 acres (3.75 sq. miles) and the average wind power installation would require 60,000 acres (93.75 sq. miles).
It’s a one party state, so there is no one to say “wait a minute”. But if you look at the demographics, it’s worse than that. Four counties out of 58 elect all state wide office holders because of their population size. Since 1959, Californians have elected and gotten the government they deserve.
This is a great demonstration of why we don’t use the popular vote for the presidency. California, and may other states, would benefit greatly by using the elector system to help level out the playing field a bit.
No can do.
Nevada had that republican system that mirrored the US constitution Each county got one senator and the lower chamber was by population.
A federal judge declared that unconstitutional so now both chambers are by population, so the “cow” counties, as they are called here, are totally dominated by Las Vegas/Clark county, with an assist from the Reno area.
Same thing happened in California.
A Clinton appointed judge?
Based on the 2020 election results by county, 23 California counties are not getting the government they deserve. It sucks to be the rational minority when the majority are nutters ruining your life with their destructive policy decisions.
Make the region from San Francisco to the Mexican border and about 100 miles inland its own state.
Is this perhaps how they got Newsom as their governor? just asking for a friend!
Yes, I call it the “tail wagging the dog” effect….it’s like that in other blue states as well. Like Maryland – only 3 of the 20 something counties in the state make the rules for the entire state, whether the people in those other states like it or not. Too bad that states don’t have something like the electoral college!
It’s called “one man, one vote”.
And one state, 2 senators.
This just shows how STUPID the idea is of choosing by the majority of votes!
“Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.”
I dunno, it’s starting to look pretty good lately
Keep in mind that Hitler was elected by the majority of the population and carried out the atrocities against the Jewish people that the population ratted out to the government to support the government.
For decades of AGW brainwashing through the government and the mainstream media that has created true believers of the population against Fossil Fuels and support for “Renewable Green Energy Sources” this is no different than what the population of Germany did that turned against their Jewish neighbors through propaganda.
Throughout this time frame anybody that doesn’t support the ideologies of AGW brainwashing have been labeled as skeptic’s, climate denier’s, and others to become the enemy that is destroying the environment and the lives of future generations.
R.I.P Dr. Tim Ball.
Hitler did not receive a majority of the vote. The Nazis had the most votes, so he was picked to create a government, but had to rule with a coalition until he got the Enabling Act passed, which then cemented his power to rule without consent of the Reichstag. Promises made to the coalition partner to support the Enabling Act were never kept. The Enabling Act had to be re-submitted for a vote every four years, but Hitler eliminated all opposition to it, so it was regularly passed.
Indeed, more people need to know how things in Germany got so upside down. Hilter had maybe 30% support, but democracy came to an end in Germany via democratic means. It took a mere 100 days or so.
‘The Gravediggers’ by Rudiger Barth and Hauke Friederichs is an excellent place to start when looking at how Hitler came into power and the fools in the collapsing Weimar Republic who allowed it to happen.
That’s what the Democrats are trying to do – set up the system so that even with the vote it will ensure that they will always win, resulting in a one party system – That’s their goal.
As Stalin said, it doesn’t matter who votes, what matters is who counts the votes. Even Red states, the Democrats have a firm control over the election machinery.
Speaking of counting votes. This just in, the portions of the Ukraine under Russian domination have recently held a Russian monitored election.
98% of the votes cast support those regions joining Russia.
You can’t get 98% of the people to agree that water is wet.
Anyone who uses this election as support for Putin’s murderous rampage, is probably in the pay of Putin.
That’s what they mean when they say: “Our democracy.”
If the goal was scarce and expensive energy, what would they do differently?
It’s bad enough that Californians seem content enough with this state of affairs. What is disturbing is that Newsom wishes to export this dysfunction to the rest of us.
There is no rational explanation as to why, Californians are prepared to put up with such insane political leadership.
If the majority desire to become impoverished and live in a totalitarian nightmare and they vote for it, then that is their choice.
As the saying goes, ‘nowt as strange as folk’
Oh there are very rational reasons. I can think of two immediately. One is that 25% of Californians are foreign born. So culturally, they are used to being told what to do. The other is that 33% are on public assistance and will never bite the hand that feeds them.
The vast majority have bought into the lie that capitalism is stealing the money that should be theirs.
All they need to do is take enough from the evil “rich” and they will have all the stuff they have ever wanted.
One thing to bear in mind, unless Californian elections are totally rigged, the majority of Californians voted for politicians who support these policies.
As I have said in the past, the worst thing about being in a cult is not knowing you are in one. The second worst thing is not knowing how self-destructive and self-defeating it can be.
Jonestown and Branch Davidian members found this out the hard way.
The elections aren’t rigged. But election month and ballot harvesting is working out quite well for incumbents. Also, since no one has noticed, a lot of incumbents resign before their term is up and the governor appoints replacements, which then run as incumbents in the general election.
It’s time to seriously consider revoking California’s statehood and sending it back to territory status. It is literally a failed state. As a “sanctuary” state it defies federal law and openly invites criminals into the state, enabling human trafficking, drug trafficking, and indirectly supporting the drug cartels. It has terrible forest management that leads to massively destructive wildfires. It has terrible water policies, failing to build new infrastructure for decades and allowing water resources to flow into the sea. Its “green” policies, based solely on ideology, are ruinous to the population. California has become a detriment to the nation. Its statehood should be revoked until it becomes a productive, thriving place again.
Well I hate to break it to you Eric, but California’s elections are totally rigged. Ballot Harvesting keeps the Democrats in power in all the major state wide race, Governor, Lt Governor and AG. Ballot Harvesting ensures the Democrat super-majority in the Cal Legislature will continue.
And the “jungle primary” system frequently assures a choice of candidates, but not of platforms.
It is not working because you peasants are not TRYING hard enough to implement my grand vision of society perfected, and there is not enough of it, we need more renewables to make them work so hurry and build more while I profit from the contracts.
A majority of Venezuelans voted for Hugo Chavez in four presidential elections, so Californians’ stupidity is not unique.
Venezuela really bothers me, because their lunatic experiment with socialism undermines my confidence that people will come to their senses when they run out of food. I mean, consider the Venezuelan opposition – their position is socialism is still the way to go, just Maduro hasn’t done it right.
Chavez and Maduro have allowed many of the regime’s dissenters to emigrate. Its when you cant leave for some place better that people stand and fight back.
Californians who cant stand this Democrat tyranny flee to other states.
Yes, taking their lifetime of indoctrination WITH them! This is why Texas and Florida are changing, right before our eyes, from RED to BLUE! Colorado is already too far gone!
Saddam Hussein routinely got 99% of the vote.
When the people aren’t free, there is no way the vote is free.
<blockquote>”But Mr. Newsom blew right past that on Friday: “We’re not only doubling down, we’re just getting started.”</blockquote>
So much for fixing ‘stupid’.
Grewsome-Newsome is just like Kamala Harris. He bought his governorship through the unions, environmental groups, and his family wealth. He is one of the San Franciscans who gets support from every looney in CA; and there’s a LOT of them.
Like Kamala (who worked her way up the political ladder with spread legs and an empty head), when Grewsome gets on the national stage, everyone will discover what an empty suite he is. Remember that Kamala dropped out of the Presidential race early. The only reason she is still in politics is because she was “picked” by Biden’s handlers.
His recall election was rigged.
Newsom & California appear to be the American equivalent of Andrews & Victoria – In Australia
It can happen, and without there being any plausible explanation of why. ‘Sick Societies’ refers to some extraordinary cases of social regression. A people who knew how to make canoes, or who had in the past used productive methods of cultivation, are found in dire circumstances having apparently forgotten how, or just stopped.
Anthropologists have documented these cases, and they are characterized by a deterioration, a lack of motivation or initiative or energy directed to improving material conditions of life. But no-one seems to have established why this happened. Why it should be that a people reasonably well organized and successful compared to what they later became should have abandoned what worked and lapsed into a sort of apathy?
All we seem to be able to say is that it happens, its happening now around us. Societies go off the rails. Sometimes its a cult religion or delusional beliefs about the world and the effects of practices. But other times there’s no obvious explanation.
Its not just climate either where the combined madness of imaginary problems and destructive solutions proliferate in our society. Gender and race are two other topics where its rife.
Economics is another area where there have been massive deluded policy drives in the past. We may be seeing another of these episodes in the UK at the moment, where magical thinking on economics appears to have taken over the new government.
In short, Newsom may well drive California off the cliff, to the accompaniment of approval or perhaps just increasing apathy from residents. And an exodus by those who can see what is going on around them and who still have some energy and sense of self preservation.
For sure.
Out of interest how has Truss gone off the rails?
Eric,
I don’t think Truss ‘has gone of the rails’. The change needed in the UK political scene became inevitable, as soon as it became clear Boris was not in control of his own decision making. Similarly, the Democrat Party in the USA are trying hard to keep the Biden plates in the air, but no amount of manic spinning will prevent the crash he is (apparently) pushing through. The problem for the USA is the person standing in the wings is even more useless and even more dangerous than dozy old Joe. With or without the ‘hairy legs’…
Re California, I can’t get out of my head the vision of an endless row of enormous Newsom heads looking out to sea. Up and down the California coast line endless statue heads as the State morphs into a 21st century Easter Island.
It may be that large changes are needed. That’s not the question. The question is about finance.
The question is what the financial consequences will be of the huge borrowing required to fund the latest plans. She has not gone off the rails on deregulation or fracking. But she has gone off the rails in thinking you can just hugely borrow to fund tax cuts and energy subsidies and it will all then miraculously turn out OK. It won’t. Especially not in a period where interest rates are rising globally. Watch what happens when some of the UK government debt has to be rolled over.
What its most likely to end in, as history shows, is the arrival of men in suits from the IMF, whose opening remarks are that we need to have a little talk about austerity. Think Greece. Or think the UK in the seventies of the last century.
She and her cabinet seem to think they can borrow and spend their way out of a cost of living crisis.
She is at the same time borrowing to subsidize gas and electricity prices, and also borrowing to fund tax cuts. Debt to GDP is likely to well exceed 100% in a period of globally rising interest rates.
The result will probably be UK interest rate rises, which will in turn produce recession and closing of businesses and a rise in unemployment. And the additional spending will probably lead at the same time to rising inflation.
The pound is falling, which will also increase prices of imports.
This is back to the seventies, and has a decent chance of ending up with forced recourse to the IMF and real austerity being imposed.
The reason for saying they have gone off the rails is that there are numerous historical examples where this has been tried and its always ended in disaster. This seems to me like fiscal irresponsibility on a grand scale. The bond market agrees, by the way:
https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/fund/iglt/charts?countrycode=uk&mod=mw_quote_advanced
Hope I am wrong!
By the way, a similar outbreak of insanity in the UK by the Labour Party, the leader having just announced an intention of making the UK zero fossil fuel in power generation by 2030. Apparently they think wind and solar will be the key components. Have they talked about storage and intermittency? What? What’s intermittency?
You’re right both about Truss and Labour. It’s no wonder that she and Kwarteng didn’t let the OBR (Office For Budget Responsibility) give an independent review of the recent budget proposals before they were announced. The pound is already slumping against the dollar.
As for Labour’s ridiculous announcement it is obvious that none of them have a clue of what they are talking about.
I despair at the state of politics in the UK.
Kurt Vonnegut’s Galapagos is a fun read regarding societal disintegration.
In most cases, there was a re-organization of society such that those who were doing the work were no longer receiving the benefit of their work.
“Sometimes its a cult religion or delusional beliefs about the world and the effects of practices. But other times there’s no obvious explanation.”
AGW is both a cult religion and delusional.
I left 7 years ago, should have left even earlier.
The last few decades have been ones of what I call the Great Birfurcation. The rich have been busy sawing off the rungs of the economic ladder below them. If you are “comfortable” meaning upper tier middle class and above things are fine. Below that and you are being progressively pushed into the lower classes.
Gas $5.78 locally. Paid $4.64 in Hawaii yesterday.
I paid $3.01 in Savannah GA yesterday.
I am unconvinced that “the rich” are the primary culprits for the current foolishness. These bad ideas seem to come mostly from middle class progressives.
Sadly, as a Native of Ca of nearly 70s years, I assure you, the same election theft Trump and the country suffered, started in Ca decades ago.
We have never supported these Marxists, but their media convinced the nation that we voted for these scum.
We Did Not!
The motivation behind this type of political sabotage is always of interest. The question is how long will we wait before we get to see the money trail that links this policy assault to wealthy enemies of Western democratic nations? As along as we depend on the current mainstream media and the partisan department of justice it may be best not to hold our breath (no matter how beneficial that action may be to CO2 emissions).
> One thing to bear in mind, unless Californian elections are totally rigged, the majority of Californians voted for politicians who support these policies.
¿Por que no los dos?
“California” is committed to imposing a fossil free economy/society within a few short decades. I suggest rather than a blanket deadline edict we instead learn from a phased in scale exercise. Start with the State offices around the capital. Expand to all of Sacramento City. Then Sacramento County. I need not suggest and further expansions as the Sacramento City edicts will strip bare any remaining fantasies of fossil fuel independence.
In 1984 when Walter Mondale promised to raise taxes he lost in a landslide. This effort deserves no less.
One thing to bear in mind, unless Californian elections are totally rigged, the majority of Californians voted for politicians who support these policies.
They’re a bit more nuanced than that-
California’s ‘racist’ Article 34 remains an obstacle to affordable housing (msn.com)
Go build them in Marthas Vineyard. LOL.
Pauline Kael of the New Yorker famously once asked how Nixon got elected when she didn’t know anyone who voted for him. I feel sorta the same way here in Californistan—virtually nobody I talk with agrees with anything the state or local governments are doing (and aren’t doing), but they do not change the way they vote. They will agree with policies associated with Republicans, but “never could vote for a Republican.” Current LA Mayor race is typical: They are going to vote for a lifelong Dem politician who has presided over the current homeless dystopia instead of a capitalist whose entire campaign is focused on homelessness, identified as the biggest issue for Angelenos. Why? Because he used to be a Republican, he is a successful capitalist, and they are single-issue voters who think that the lifelong Dem is stronger on things like abortion and LBGTQ-etc. and environmental equity and rights, which don’t impact them directly near as much as everything else they complain about (high prices, homelessness, elimination of single family home neighborhoods, and etc.). The disconnect is absolutely amazing. Can’t wait to leave—but where is it actually better now that these same fools are also leaving but then voting the same way in a new locale? It is a conundrum. Jeremiah Johnson, here I come!
I see the same conundrum with Joe Bide; no one I know has ever admitted to actually VOTING for him, yet he supposedly won by 81 million votes????
They have been showing the door to a vast number of the middle class for a long time. It’s the Grapes of Wrath 2: The Green Remake starring the Democrat Party on behalf of several thousand nonprofit advocates and unions.