Two Californias

[lilpup]

bits sound a little familiar...

http://www.nationalreview.com/articl...-hanson?page=1

[Augustiner]

Mostly, what I get out of that article is that the author really doesn't like immigrants. If it sounds familiar, that's probably because anti-immigrant shit-stirring is a long and storied tradition in this country, dating back to pretty much the day the second boat of white folks sailed over.

[gazhekwe]

Well, he is talking about the terminal nature of the former economic base, which in his area was farming. Where he goes off in my opinion is pinning everything on the people he calls illegal immigrants. I noticed he seems to think every Hispanic person is not an American. He does not explain why he thinks the littering van occupants don't speak English and are visiting rather than residing in the US. While he keeps saying he is not editorializing, I found the entire article had the distinct odor of ethnocentrism, which led it into editorial slants that were distasteful to me.

[lilpup]

I think his comments on things not being enforced in lower income areas while being pursued in showcase areas is a valid point. That really has nothing to do with immigration status but rather the tacit development of poverty enclaves to further encourage socioeconomic separation.

[oladub]

Governor Elect Jerry Brown has told educators in California to expect drastic cuts in educational funding. California is already in 49th place in terms of teacher student ratio. Now another $2B might be sliced from California's budget. Such numbers and Jerry Brown's comments suggest that the author of this article is on to something.

Gov. Elect Jerry Brown's warnings:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...BAK91GQJRV.DTL

While the rest of the country went more to the right in the last election, California may have bucked the trend and become even more blue. This does not bode well for California if it is counting on Washington to continue bailing it out of its self imposed dilemma; it's legislated poverty.

[n7hn]

I think you would have to be a californian to understand alot of what he is writing. He is Putting a storyline to stereotypes and debates that are very common here and his attempt on a deep thought. Its just like detroit news, nothing new, informative, interesting, helpful, inspiring or thought provoking found there. Just another deadline and a bike that didnt get ridden.

The one truth in the story I'd bet most people back east would'nt believe is the real condition of some of the "housing". Its very shocking. Semi warm climates with unenforced building codes and you really cant believe what people live in. In L.A. proper 9 died recently that were living in a used tire shop and on the grounds while it was in operation, but if you try and open a coffe shop in pasadena they kill you with inspections and fines over say, the measurement of a kickboard or bulb type.

When I lived in detroit I dont remember being able to just build another 3 houses on my lot.

[maxx]

an elite environmental ethos that restricts commerce and productivity without curbing consumption.

Yes, expecting to have a natural world with clear water and air is really elitist. And if CA has the highest sales tax, how is that not curbing consumption? And consumption of energy? But that goes against the idea of growth. Consumption of consumer goods? How is that beneficial for a consumer-based economy?

I pass on the cultural consequences to communities from the loss of thousands of small farming families. I don’t think I can remember another time when so many acres in the eastern part of the valley have gone out of production, even though farm prices have recently rebounded.

And that's the fault of the migrant workers? That's the outcome of the mantra of "all growth is good."

And if the author doesn't like the oilly slicks left behind by the restaurant vans, he should come to Michigan and inspect our brownfields and waste dumps. I'll take the compounds in the restaurant waste anyday over industrial waste.

[lilpup]

I pass on the cultural consequences to communities from the loss of thousands of small farming families. I don’t think I can remember another time when so many acres in the eastern part of the valley have gone out of production, even though farm prices have recently rebounded.

And that's the fault of the migrant workers?

He didn't say that. It's narrow and wrong to dismiss his comments as just an anti-immigrant screed. He touches on more than that.

[n7hn]

Just some insight to the food truck slam. In Los Angeles its been debated for years that these trucks are held to lesser regulation and standards [[than storefront eateries) and that they can and DO park in front of actual restaurant's that pay rent, maintain the building , sidewalks and lots [[that get filled with food trash from the truck). STealing customers, creating waste and people who want then to use the rest room of the business that just lost a few customers.

[barnesfoto]

Funny, the only time that I have seen a food truck parked in front of a restaurant is the amazing seafood taco place down the street [[4 Vientos on Olympic in Boyle Heights, for anybody in LA), which has its' own truck in front of its' own restaurant.
The food truck debate has been going on for years, and people raised a big stink when the LA City Govt. recently tried to enact an ordinance requiring them to move every couple hours. Crazy competition is part of the territory.

As for the article, it's the same old anti-immigrant drivel that's being constantly circulated by the right wing noise machine in this country. The Conservocrites stopped talking about the "success" of their Iraq fiasco as soon as Bush was out of office, and no longer are willing to discuss it. Seems like only yesterday McCain was assuring us that "The principles of the economy are sound". When your policies are utter failures, it's time to pull out the same tired old punching bags: Immigrants and people on welfare.

The author fails to acknowledge that few Americans are willing to farm anymore, that the rise of giant corporate farms is in part due to the plague of deregulation that the Republicrites [[and some of those "reach across the aisle" Democrats) have wrought upon us for the last 3 decades. The author fails to realize that the Mexicans that he demonizes came here fleeing the same sort of economic policies [[low taxes, no welfare, weak unions, less regulation) that American Conservocrites keep touting.


[[It's worth pointing out that during the Great Depression, Poor Oklahomans fleeing the dust bowl were stopped at the Nevada Border by Los Angeles cops demanding that those with no money in their pockets turn around and go back. Demonizing the poor is a fine California Tradition. There would be more noise about people living in Mobile Homes if more of them were non-white )

Code enforcement seems to vary greatly from urban to rural areas...As somebody who lives in a converted warehouse, I can testify that the Los Angeles Fire Department makes annual inspections of our space, which includes going into every room and checking the wiring.
This does not mean that there are not people living crammed 10 or 12 to a room. But that's been going on in America ever since the first log cabins were built.

[maxx]

The author fails to realize that the Mexicans that he demonizes came here fleeing the same sort of economic policies [[low taxes, no welfare, weak unions, less regulation) that American Conservocrites keep touting.

Not to forget:
http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=...BYWdhiRcOVQ37w
"This paper examines how the U.S. Farm Bill has combined with a free trade agenda to contribute to unsustainable economic conditions in rural Mexico..."

[n7hn]

I live in ELA. They dont inspect here.....lol

[oladub]

Not to forget:

"This paper examines how the U.S. Farm Bill has combined with a free trade agenda to contribute to unsustainable economic conditions in rural Mexico..."

maxx, The link you cite is that of an internationalist organization with links to the World Bank, the UN, Codex, etc...There is not one person with an agricultural background listed on this phony ag group's board of directors.

It doesn't, for instance, question why Americans were thrown out of union meat packing jobs and replaced with illegal aliens [['immigrants' in fuzzy PC parlance) for much lower wages. Whatever the power structure wants is what this organization supports while claiming solidarity.

I found an even more outragious front group for illegal aliens though, you will like it, and it is funded by the State of California at the UCLA campus. It is a perfect example of how California is legislating it's own demise. The head of this organization teaches Chicano studies, wears what looks like Muslim rather than chicano hats, and his organization writes bs articles about, for instance, how the DREAM Act would have saved trillions of taxpayer dollars. Liberal groups then pick up the nutty articles published by these legitimate sounding front group organizations and print them as fact. Goering would be proud. The UCLA North American Integration and Development Center estimates DREAM Act eligible children and young adults would generate between $1.4 trillion and $3.6 trillion in income over the course of their working lives. 'Integration' has to do with integrating our economy with Mexico's. Good luck US workers! These two groups sound like cousins with the same mission.

The Bush and Obama administrations were/are both laden with Monsanto employees and we continue to be governed by Monsanto. The Food protection being passed, S.510, might as well be named the Food Fascism Corporate Protection Act. It's few friendly clauses are lost in thousands of pages of corporate protection. Better articles and sources to read involving real family and sustainable farmers instead of your cited corporate and internationalist front group might include-
http://blog.friendseat.com/monsanto-supports-food-bill/
http://foodfreedom.wordpress.com/201...of-bull-semen/
http://thebovine.wordpress.com/2009/...-backgrounder/

[maxx]

http://michaelpollan.com/articles-ar...what-you-grow/
"...The flow of immigrants north from Mexico since Nafta is inextricably linked to the flow of American corn in the opposite direction, a flood of subsidized grain that the Mexican government estimates has thrown two million Mexican farmers and other agricultural workers off the land since the mid-90s..."

http://www.montereyherald.com/ci_7616170?nclick_check=1
"...According to analysts, millions of farmers like Cruz are the casualties of a tide of multinational circumstance: NAFTA, the U.S. Farm Bill and a dearth of effective economic initiatives in Mexico.
The combination, which allows for the consolidation of markets, has made it easier for large corporations and farm operations to expand their reach but almost impossible for small producers to survive. These subsistence farmers in turn have abandoned their land in search of better opportunities.."

http://useconomy.about.com/od/tradep...A_Problems.htm
"...Many of Mexico's farmers were put out of business by U.S.-subsidized farm products. NAFTA provisions for Mexican labor and environmental protection were not strong enough to prevent those workers from being exploited..."

http://articles.latimes.com/2002/oct...ld/fg-mexhog26
"...But few would argue that NAFTA has been anything but devastating for Mexican farm families, which account for 23% of Mexico's 100 million people. Many farmers simply cannot compete with low-cost U.S. imports of grain, vegetable and livestock now pouring into Mexico at low or zero duty. Maya and thousands like him are giving up..."

[oladub]

Good maxx, let's get rid of NAFTA and replace it with an import tax. Mexico and other countries should then be expected to impose some import taxes of their own. I hope that the Mexican government will use it's import taxes to protect Mexican farmers. The Mexican government should be looking after it's people instead of signing off on treaties which benefit the elite of both
nations. Our leaders should begin looking after US citizens. There are still 11m unemployed Americans. We have much we agree about in this matter. California, meanwhile, suffers from the policies of both the US and Mexican governments.

[maxx]

... let's get rid of NAFTA

Easier said than done. All the ag products that get exported to Mexico tax free are a big gift to the ag industry for all their political contributions. We need to get big money out of elections. And which countries' goods are you going to tax? China's? They hold most of our debt, so they have us by the you-know-whats. Japan's? Canada's? They are our longtime friends. Everyone without exception? And what sort of repercussions do you foresee?

[oladub]

maxx, All four of the links in your post #14 were anti-NAFTA. Don't get cold feet. Free trade isn't working for working Americans as well as it is for the corporate importers of foreign products. Instead of getting rid of NAFTA, the President has just reduced the imports taxes on S. Korean products. To answer your question: Every country without exception. We should then work out specific agreements like we have with the Canadian auto industry in which an equal value of autos cross the border tax free in each direction. Maybe we could work out auto similar auto agreements with Korea, Japan, and China. They wouldn't like it of course. They would prefer to manage trade to their advantage. They would place import taxes on US products. However, their populations need grain more than we need imported TV's and toys. Also, since we have a huge trade deficit, a trade war would hurt them more than us. If they want to play that game, they would usually lose.

NAFTA, GATT, OPIC, and some other agreements and policies were set up to serve international elites not working people. Once that is recognized, we should get rid of these albatrosses.

[gdogslim]

Two Californias


bits sound a little familiar... TOO WHAT???
familiar to what, do you have a point in your post or do you make people do extra work??

[maxx]

RE: taxing Chinese imports
http://english.ntdtv.com/ntdtv_en/ns...344025375.html
"...Niall Ferguson is a history and business professor at Harvard University.
He cautions U.S. lawmakers against unilateral U.S. actions like imposing an across-the-board tariff on Chinese exports or countervailing duties on selected goods, saying that a multilateral pressured approach was more likely to yield productive results.

[Fred Bergsten, President, Peterson Institute of International Economics]:
'It should be the world against China. We should be able to mobilize a coalition of not just the willing but almost everybody to join in the IMF and in the WTO to bring multilateral pressure to bear.'...”

Interesting info on China and its currency.
http://www.law.uiuc.edu/bljournal/po...efficient.aspx
"... Although Chinese export companies may face a big challenge if the exchange rate increases, it may make global economies, as well as China’s overall wealth, better off. Because China has already issued too much of the Renminbi to balance its foreign exchange reserve, China faces the risk of serious domestic inflation. .."

AN other interesting fact:
The Japanese asset price bubble [[バブル景気, baburu keiki?, lit. "bubble economy") was an economic bubble in Japan from 1986 to 1991, in which real estate and stock prices greatly inflated.[1] The bubble's collapse lasted for more than a decade with stock prices bottoming in 2003, until hitting an even lower low amidst the current global crisis in 2008. The Japanese asset price bubble contributed to what the Japanese refer to as the Lost Decade.[wiki]

[There had to be members of Congress who were aware of the cause of the Japanese recession and yet went merrily on deregulating the banks and overlooking the new investment houses.]

[Papasito]

Free Trade cost the US boatloads of tax revenue with the elimination of tarriffs and import taxes. Where so many folks keep pointing at cutting education or defense, or jacking taxes up on Americans during a troubled economic time, they are not seeing where the rest of the world is getting a free ride on our backs.

Our economy and marketplace is a privelage to participate in, built on the blood and sweat of our ancestors. It is wrong for foreign countries to expect to inject foreign goods for free and abuse our system.

[maxx]

Free Trade cost the US boatloads of tax revenue with the elimination of tarriffs and import taxes. Where so many folks keep pointing at cutting education or defense, or jacking taxes up on Americans during a troubled economic time, they are not seeing where the rest of the world is getting a free ride on our backs.

Our economy and marketplace is a privelage to participate in, built on the blood and sweat of our ancestors. It is wrong for foreign countries to expect to inject foreign goods for free and abuse our system.

Tell that to the Waltons of WalMart.