Remember when California dreaming was something only Mamas and Papas aficionados spoke of? Well hang on. California dreaming is becoming a reality. It might be churlish to opine that the good judgement of elected office holders in the Golden State has declined in proportion to weed consumption over the last 40 years when in fact it could be that imbecile public policy is merely the new norm. In any event, beginning on the first day of 2012, California, which fancies itself as the future of the nation, will embark on a brave, new course of self destruction. It will implement its version of Cap and Trade. Buoyed by brand new statistical data from Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature (BEST) findings that the world is getting warmer albeit in fits and starts rather than a gradual upward trend as the greenhouse theory would suggest, California will begin its economic death spiral.
The state's unemployment is already at a dismal 11.9 percent. Undeterred by the certainty it will go higher as a result of this governmental mayhem California will require about 350 industries in some 600 locations to begin limiting their carbon emissions. Those failing to meet their reductions will be forced to buy carbon offsets or "allowances". The allowances will be mostly free when the program starts, but eventually businesses will have to purchase credits in an auction - a sort of penalty for exceeding the limit. Then the target becomes 1990 emissions levels which the industries must meet by 2020. As the Kyoto treaty is about to expire and with zero support for a new accord in either Europe or in the US, California is swimming against the tide. California dreaming must envision some weird sort of agrarian economy, where the citizens spend their days riding high speed trains while they barter solar panels for marijuana and retire to some low tax state at age 55 on six figure pensions. They're in for a hell of a ride!
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