[California]’s per capita electricity usage [has] remained flat while it’s increased 50% in the rest of the country. If you look at total per capita energy use, it’s actually declined since 1970 (compared to a modest increase in the rest of the country). At the same time, smog levels in Southern California have been substantially reduced. And do you know why? Largely because California has passed laws forcing it to happen.
Of course, we all know the result, don’t we? As the Republican Party and the corporate community are so fond of declaring, regulation like this inevitably leads to economic disaster. Businesses fail, incomes drop, and the economy goes into a tailspin. It’s nothing short of a disaster.
I don’t want to spoil the surprise but does anyone really think that California in the 80s, 90s, and today is an economic basketcase?