The California Syndrome

We still can’t help but wonder what happened to California; and today’s guest has not only been writing about it for years, but is running for governor in hopes of administering a cure. Michael Shellenberger is confident he can take on Gavin Newsom and restore the Golden State to health. (Visit here to donate to his campaign!) He talks about his vision, the growing support he’s receiving, and the big victory for eco-modernists at the Diablo Canyon Power Plant.

Then Steven Hayward, who’s filling in for Peter, switches from host to the guest chair to talk about his new biography, M. Stanton Evans: Conservative Wit, Apostle of Freedom. The guys also talk about the 70s, and the movies that inspired a lotta lunacy.

And be sure to join Ricochet today so you can meet Rob and James in New York City!

Music from this week’s podcast: Placebo Syndrome by Parliament

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There are 55 comments.

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  1. Django Member
    Django
    @Django

    I moved to CA in 1985. Even then I noticed that a common delusion among Californians was that actions don’t necessarily have consequences, and when unpleasant consequences did arise, it was always someone else’s fault. 

    • #31
  2. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Django (View Comment):

    I moved to CA in 1985. Even then I noticed that a common delusion among Californians was that actions don’t necessarily have consequences, and when unpleasant consequences did arise, it was always someone else’s fault.

    That’s generally true of all children and other liberals, it’s just that they concentrate more heavily in the People’s Republic of California.

    • #32
  3. thelonious Member
    thelonious
    @thelonious

    Rightfromthestart (View Comment):

    The Three Mile Island disaster , the only ‘disaster’ that did no harm to anyone or anything.

    Didn’t it destroy the real estate prices around Three Mile Island?

    • #33
  4. EHerring Coolidge
    EHerring
    @EHerring

    He sounded like he had several great ideas. The part that concerned me was the politician-sounding comments. He tied to distance himself by choosing the vanilla middle. The audience here will like hearing he isn’t a lefty but what does he mean by saying he isn’t a “trumpist” either? What Trump policies does he not agree with? What does that mean? Also, nobody believes California is the most American state. Trump wasn’t anti- police and anti-policing. Trumpism isn’t the source of any of California’s problems. I also don’t by the comment that Californians are the most free because it has the highest (tax) revenue. I wish him well but he needs to refine his messaging to attract financial support from outside his state. I hope you have him back. I want to know how he plans to make his ideas reality. Many of us live in states that would benefit gran his ideas if he can figure out how to defeat the left and implement them. Would also like to know if there are any federal roadblocks that states could band together to fight.

    I was upset to hear cancel culture is using lawfare to hurt ricochet. This stifles free speech. Judges need to realize that the First Amendment takes priority over a copyright and any retribution must be tied to real damages, not childish revenge. This, like the Mann lawsuit against National Review, should scare all of us. Looks like I will be gifting memberships since I am already a member.

    • #34
  5. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    EHerring (View Comment):
    I was upset to hear cancel culture is using lawfare to hurt ricochet. This stifles free speech. Judges need to realize that the First Amendment takes priority over a copyright and any retribution must be tied to real damages, not childish revenge. This, like the Mann lawsuit against National Review, should scare all of us. Looks like I will be gifting memberships since I am already a member.

    You’d think Ricochet would have first-rate access to groups like the Blackstone Lawyers who have an excellent record of handling such cases, often for free.

    • #35
  6. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Steve Hayward asks some good questions, but why is his inhaling so loud and distracting compared to everyone else?

    • #36
  7. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Regarding China Syndrome again, one of the problems discovered by Jack Lemmon’s character was that the basically union plumbers were faking the testing of welds by reusing x-ray “photos” instead of getting a separate x-ray for each weld like they were supposed to.  And that’s something even small-scale nuclear power needs to deal with.

    Previous nuclear power plants often seemed to turn into jobs programs for the local unions and their bosses who were happy to graft by high-paying jobs for their brothers-in-law and what-not.  I think small-scale nuclear would get a lot of opposition from unions because if the construction is basically being done at central factories, that means no local jobs programs, with money being diverted to Democrat campaigns, etc.

    • #37
  8. LibertyDefender Member
    LibertyDefender
    @LibertyDefender

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    #VoteDemocrat

    @ garyrobbins

    This is funny.

    Dead aim – bullseye.

    • #38
  9. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    LibertyDefender (View Comment):

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    #VoteDemocrat

    @ garyrobbins

    This is funny.

    Dead aim – bullseye.

    I am sympathetic to Gary’s point of view, but that is not the way things are. Study Austrian economics or something. Forget any traditional GOP or GOPe thinking. That all went away 20 years ago or more. I have explained my point of view over and over.

    The guy running principles first is a fool and he can’t rationalize anything he has done or he is going to do.

    • #39
  10. LibertyDefender Member
    LibertyDefender
    @LibertyDefender

    Rjcarell (View Comment):

    I moved to San Francisco in October of 1978. …

    Talk about a different time. My fiance had a studio apartment in the Marina for $300 a month which included parking. Our college friends would come in from NYC and were amazed HOW CLEAN THE STREETS WERE! … Unlike Manhattan, there were no squeegee men, and you didn’t need to put a “No Radio” sign in your parked car. 

    I moved to California in 1981, and after 3 years in the central valley moved to San Francisco, where I stayed until 1991. I had a one bedroom in-law apartment in the Sunset District, for $450/month.

    While I was there, two different established New York newspaper columnists relocated to San Francisco, and both raved about HOW CLEAN THE STREETS WERE! One of the two wrote in her introductory column that the curbs were so clean that they looked “as if they’d just been boiled.”

    Rjcarell (View Comment):
    We had “hippies” and unhoused “street people”, but mostly confined to the Haight.  

    Or Civic Center. That was where I discovered firsthand that Tourette’s Syndrome is a thing, not just some made-up plot device for an L.A. Law episode.

    Rjcarell (View Comment):
    People ask me now “is San Francisco as bad as Fox News says it is?”  I tell them “not that bad, but it’s pretty bad”.

    You might be unintentionally biased by your status as a native. Listening to Victor Davis Hanson, it strikes me that a visitor to San Francisco cannot avoid the hellscape. One example that stands out is VDH’s story of being asked by the concierge at a high end hotel to let the concierge inspect the soles of VDH’s shoes, since there is so much human feces on the sidewalks. If this is what happens to every tourist on the way to have a drink at Top of the Mark, it’s as bad as Fox News says it is.

    • #40
  11. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    OMG LOL

    • #41
  12. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    My favorite was, I was listening to talk radio and when they had 80 guys strong-arm a bunch of stuff out of a department store that was three blocks from a police station in Walnut Creek California, they said that Walnut Creek was a—>

    Democrat Hellscape™

    lol 

    If you’ve ever been there that is an incredible statement. 

    My sister’s family is getting the hell out of there in moving to Iowa. lol

    Voting for Democrats is stupid. Living in democrat controlled areas is stupid.

     

    • #42
  13. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    My favorite was, I was listening to talk radio and when they had 80 guys strong-arm a bunch of stuff out of a department store that was three blocks from a police station in Walnut Creek California, they said that Walnut Creek was a—>

    Democrat Hellscape™

    lol

    If you’ve ever been there that is an incredible statement.

    My sister’s family is getting the hell out of there in moving to Iowa. lol

    Voting for Democrats is stupid. Living in democrat controlled areas is stupid.

     

    But if you live in a Democrat-controlled area and vote for Democrats, you should have to stay.

    At gunpoint if necessary.

    • #43
  14. Taras Coolidge
    Taras
    @Taras

    kedavis (View Comment):

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    My favorite was, I was listening to talk radio and when they had 80 guys strong-arm a bunch of stuff out of a department store that was three blocks from a police station in Walnut Creek California, they said that Walnut Creek was a—>

    Democrat Hellscape™

    lol

    If you’ve ever been there that is an incredible statement.

    My sister’s family is getting the hell out of there in moving to Iowa. lol

    Voting for Democrats is stupid. Living in democrat controlled areas is stupid.

     

    But if you live in a Democrat-controlled area and vote for Democrats, you should have to stay.

    At gunpoint if necessary.

    As Donald Trump learned the hard way, votes and ballots are two very different things. Especially in California.

    • #44
  15. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    kedavis (View Comment):

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    My favorite was, I was listening to talk radio and when they had 80 guys strong-arm a bunch of stuff out of a department store that was three blocks from a police station in Walnut Creek California, they said that Walnut Creek was a—>

    Democrat Hellscape™

    lol

    If you’ve ever been there that is an incredible statement.

    My sister’s family is getting the hell out of there in moving to Iowa. lol

    Voting for Democrats is stupid. Living in democrat controlled areas is stupid.

     

    But if you live in a Democrat-controlled area and vote for Democrats, you should have to stay.

    At gunpoint if necessary.

    lol

    • #45
  16. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    Taras (View Comment):

    kedavis (View Comment):

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    My favorite was, I was listening to talk radio and when they had 80 guys strong-arm a bunch of stuff out of a department store that was three blocks from a police station in Walnut Creek California, they said that Walnut Creek was a—>

    Democrat Hellscape™

    lol

    If you’ve ever been there that is an incredible statement.

    My sister’s family is getting the hell out of there in moving to Iowa. lol

    Voting for Democrats is stupid. Living in democrat controlled areas is stupid.

     

    But if you live in a Democrat-controlled area and vote for Democrats, you should have to stay.

    At gunpoint if necessary.

    As Donald Trump learned the hard way, votes and ballots are two very different things. Especially in California.

    Yep. 

    Listen to the last two interviews of David bossy on Breitbart SoundCloud. Also listen to the interviews of the guy from 2000 mules which I can’t think of his name on Breitbart and the truth about lady on Breitbart which I can’t think of her name. 

    They cover Zuckerberg and the ordinary fraud that everybody is talking about perfectly. 

    If you can afford it, I cannot recommend Breitbart News Daily on SiriusXM enough. They definitely have the best and most accurate editorial position.

    • #46
  17. LibertyDefender Member
    LibertyDefender
    @LibertyDefender

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    I was listening to talk radio and when they had 80 guys strong-arm a bunch of stuff out of a department store that was three blocks from a police station in Walnut Creek California, they said that Walnut Creek was a—>

    Democrat Hellscape™

    lol 

    If you’ve ever been there that is an incredible statement. 

    I’ve been to Walnut Creek. In the late 80s I’d have described Walnut Creek as the archetypal upper middle class community. At that time you couldn’t have found 8 guys in Walnut Creek – let alone 80 guys – who would be willing to break the law so brazenly.

    • #47
  18. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    LibertyDefender (View Comment):

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    I was listening to talk radio and when they had 80 guys strong-arm a bunch of stuff out of a department store that was three blocks from a police station in Walnut Creek California, they said that Walnut Creek was a—>

    Democrat Hellscape™

    lol

    If you’ve ever been there that is an incredible statement.

    I’ve been to Walnut Creek. In the late 80s I’d have described Walnut Creek as the archetypal upper middle class community. At that time you couldn’t have found 8 guys in Walnut Creek – let alone 80 guys – who would be willing to break the law so brazenly.

    I hate it that my sister is moving back to Iowa. I love East Bay and San Francisco to visit. lol

    • #48
  19. Lesley Lincoln
    Lesley
    @Suzukimom

    Rob’s plea finally got me to join after being a listener for 7+ years!

    • #49
  20. Alex Rosenwald Inactive
    Alex Rosenwald
    @alex

    Lesley (View Comment):

    Rob’s plea finally got me to join after being a listener for 7+ years!

    Thx you for your support Lesley!!!!! Much appreciated. 

    • #50
  21. EHerring Coolidge
    EHerring
    @EHerring

    Alex Rosenwald (View Comment):

    Lesley (View Comment):

    Rob’s plea finally got me to join after being a listener for 7+ years!

    Thx you for your support Lesley!!!!! Much appreciated.

    Alex, where is the page with the different membership levels we can choose?

    • #51
  22. Alex Rosenwald Inactive
    Alex Rosenwald
    @alex

    EHerring (View Comment):

    Alex Rosenwald (View Comment):

    Lesley (View Comment):

    Rob’s plea finally got me to join after being a listener for 7+ years!

    Thx you for your support Lesley!!!!! Much appreciated.

    Alex, where is the page with the different membership levels we can choose?

    https://ricochet.com/membership/

    • #52
  23. EHerring Coolidge
    EHerring
    @EHerring

    Alex Rosenwald (View Comment):

    EHerring (View Comment):

    Alex Rosenwald (View Comment):

    Lesley (View Comment):

    Rob’s plea finally got me to join after being a listener for 7+ years!

    Thx you for your support Lesley!!!!! Much appreciated.

    Alex, where is the page with the different membership levels we can choose?

    https://ricochet.com/membership/

    Thank you. I didn’t know I needed to click on the form button to get there. 

    • #53
  24. Alex Rosenwald Inactive
    Alex Rosenwald
    @alex

    Alex Rosenwald (View Comment):

    EHerring (View Comment):

    Alex Rosenwald (View Comment):

    Lesley (View Comment):

    Rob’s plea finally got me to join after being a listener for 7+ years!

    Thx you for your support Lesley!!!!! Much appreciated.

    Alex, where is the page with the different membership levels we can choose?

    https://ricochet.com/membership/

    Also, if you know anyone who is interested in joining, thx to our partnership with America’s future, offering 50 percent off new memberships. Just have them go to ricochet.com/special,  code future :)

    • #54
  25. Taras Coolidge
    Taras
    @Taras

    Alex Rosenwald (View Comment):

    Alex Rosenwald (View Comment):

    EHerring (View Comment):

    Alex Rosenwald (View Comment):

    Lesley (View Comment):

    Rob’s plea finally got me to join after being a listener for 7+ years!

    Thx you for your support Lesley!!!!! Much appreciated.

    Alex, where is the page with the different membership levels we can choose?

    https://ricochet.com/membership/

    Also, if you know anyone who is interested in joining, thx to our partnership with America’s future, offering 50 percent off new memberships. Just have them go to ricochet.com/special, code future :)

    And to make membership more attractive, give us the option of following comments as well as postings.  I figure I see only a tenth of what the people I follow actually contribute.

    • #55
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