If there is anyone that does not know about California's budget woes, they must be living on the moon and not reading their tweets. I am not trying to pick on people living there, it just seems that there are more environmental activists living there than anywhere in the country. It is a great state as far as the weather goes. You can enjoy strolling a balmy beach, then explore a seething hot dessert before skiing at a mountain resort – all within a single day's drive.

This state is richer than most countries on Earth. However, one wonders why they keep stumbling over themselves. They have some really great industries that pull in a tremendous amount of money. Land costs more than most places on Earth but that could be due to competition. Maybe too many people want to live there. But, they also have really large energy costs and that just should not be the case. They have abundant wind, solar, geothermal and hydrocarbon resources. There are wind turbines that coat some of the hills in the state and while some people like them, many think they are eyesores and they are dangerous to birds. Similarly, some people like the solar panels but others think they look ugly. Research is underway to design solar collectors that mimic roofing tiles or can be hidden on flat rooftops. I am sure that adds to the cost. People wonder that by utilizing geothermal energy that the occurrence of earthquakes could be increased.

That leave oil. Nasty subject in that state. Gasoline is already priced higher there than anywhere else in the U.S. They could be pumping oil from just off their shores where there are lots of known reserves. It could also go a long way to relieving their budgetary woes not to mention lowing costs to consumers. However, there was an accident about 40 years ago and crude spilled into the water and washed ashore. While you would not know it today, the memories of the mess and devastation are still there. Maybe this same philosophy should be applied to their traffic problems. The rest of the country hears all the time about how bad traffic is and how the air is so filled with smog due to the high traffic congestion. They should institute a law that if a driver ever has an accident, they are no longer allowed to drive.

I was just reading a story on Bloomberg today. Chevron operates a refinery that still uses steam boilers that were placed in operation in the 1930s. They would like to expand to meet increasing demands but the activists convinced a judge that if they make more product, they would be increasing their emissions and it appears that they cannot upgrade the old facilities either. As a result, all work has ceased at the site and 1,000 workers are added to the unemployment list. Costs will continue to rise and prices will go up, making it even harder for the poor to buy gasoline. The company cannot even talk to the press about the negotiations as there is a gag order in effect.

If the trials and tribulations that California is having are represented by the fly I mentioned at the beginning of this and it landed on your nose, would you keep on hitting it?