How do you explain where things are today?  Said Michael Barone recently, “Even as California-based tech companies have reached market capitalization of $1 trillion, its state and local governments have sunk to levels of incompetence associated with underdeveloped countries.”  There is an effectiveness gap and it should trouble us.  Something is deeply fractured in our politics when people can get elected without competence.. . .

Let’s start here.  It is an exposé on just how bad of a failure Gavin Newsom’s “Solar on Multifamily Affordable Housing” program actually is.  It is a toxic stew of incapability, bureaucratic entanglement and corruption.  Like most “bright” ideas in California, it is impractical to begin with and only grows worse in the execution.  When I moved to California in the 1980’s it was because of the opportunities available to anyone.  Now the only opportunity lies at sucking on the government teat in a corrupt and decidedly Democrat manner.  But Governor Hair-gel’s latest bright

So, Jill Biden thought hubby Joe, then POTUS, was stroking out when he debated current POTUS Trump in 2024.  Raises a thousand question does it not?  Like, why didn’t she stop the proceeding and have a doctor check him out?  Why was he allowed to continue in office?…. . .

So, the Pope has issued an encyclical on A.I.  Here’s a link – I have scanned, but not read thoroughly.  John Ellis’ newsletter this morning contains a link to an NYTimes piece that notes the makers of A.I. are greeting the Pope’s input with, at best, a yawn.  I think that both sides of this forming debate are missing the point to some extent.. . .

Hints began appearing as the weekend warmed up.  There is a new definition of “liberal” shaping up, and it is rather ugly.  In the weekly discussion with Ben Domenech last Friday, Domenech brought up the fact that the mess that is health care these days belongs with Democrats (think Obamacare), even if, oddly, Republicans somehow get blamed.  Later in the same interview the host described the DNC’s “autopsy” as actually being an alibi.  (You can read it here if you need a nap.)  That’s when things really started to click.  But yesterday a piece appeared that made it all too plain.. . .

Jesus said: “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this, that a person will lay down his life for his friends.  You are My friends if you do what I command you. Return the

So another crazy took a shot at or near the president yesterday.  The lack of news coverage is stunning, but then there is little actual news to report and the commentariat is enjoying the holiday weekend.  And yet, it is becoming so common as to drain such events of their news value which is what I think is the actual news here.  The real story is in our reactions to events, not the events proper.. . .

Of note, there is currently a chemical emergency in Garden Grove, California.  Upwards to 40,000 people have been evacuated.  One L.A. TV Station is providing frequent updates, but they are not terribly informative.  The first article (first link) I encountered described the beginning of this event this way, “The leak occurred around 3:30 p.m. Thursday when the 34,000-gallon storage tank containing methyl methacrylate overheated and began venting vapors into the air at the facility, which is located at 12122 Western Ave.”  The vapor release occurred because the tank overheated – for reasons that have not