California Here We Come...Go

I worked in California from 1993 to 1995. Specifically San Francisco. I commuted Sundays and Fridays. It was the beginning of the great boom in client-server computing and the attendant class of road warriors it created.

San Francisco has the best climate in the world. It has a great symphony orchestra and an outstanding opera. There are many fabulous restaurants. Much to see and do. But it is a nasty place. I am not talking about the gay pride parade or its seamy Tenderloin District.

I am talking about its attitude toward the working aspirational poor. California, and particularly San Francisco, hates these people. Crazy poor are okay for atmosphere but working aspirational poor are a blight on the environment. They don't drink wine and worst of all they have babies. Savages. San Francisco is too historic to make room for this class of people. Actually California is too beautiful to mar with people who work in factories and live in houses and go to school and want recreation in parks and mountains. They spoil the view. California is systematically driving these people out. There is still room for shoe shines, barbers, cooks, dishwashers and waiters who can live in slums and commute with BART but a rapidly diminishing number of factory jobs that were the traditional path to the middle class.

Victor Davis Hansen comments on the California phenomenon in his postBeautiful Medieval California.It is quite worth the read.