New figures released by the BEA, incorporating annual benchmark revisions, indicate Wisconsin has been growing more slowly than previously thought; Q/q growth in 2018Q2 was ranked 48th in the Union. This outcome is illustrated in the following map.
Further, note the substantial downward revisions in the level of GDP over the last three and a half years.
Figure 1: Log real GDP from 2018Q1 release (red), and from 2018Q2 release (blue), both normalized to 2011Q1=0. NBER defined national recession dates shaded gray. Walker I and Walker II administration beginnings at dashed vertical lines. Source: BEA, NBER, and author’s calculations.
Before the revision, Wisconsin real GDP growth was 2.0% per annum, 2015Q1-2018Q1. After revision, it was 1.39%.
More fake news?
A new report by Los Angeles-based commercial real estate services and investment firm CBRE Group Inc. names Milwaukee as one of 10 up-and-coming tech markets for office space.
https://www.biztimes.com/2018/industries/real-estate/cbre-names-milwaukee-as-an-up-and-coming-tech-market/
Menzie, interesting that the first quarter revision came out after the election.
The one-quarter GDP picture remains subject to future revision. In the first quarter of the year the state grew at a 4.1 percent rate, the best in the Midwest, according to revised data. That was a drastic revision from when initial first quarter data was released in July, showing Wisconsin growing at a 1.2 percent annualized rate, which was among the worst in the county.
https://www.biztimes.com/2018/biztracker/wisconsins-economic-growth-among-nations-slowest-in-q2/
Jesse Livermore: There are data releases before and after elections, all the time.
Regarding Q1 growth w/revised data, that’s why I plotted the data, so implicitly you could do ocular moving averages.
@ Menzie
I give you enough “flattery” as it is (all of it sincere), so you know who I think Tony Evers should choose as either his official or “unofficial” “go to guy” on economic policy for the state. If you are hearing any rumors on who Governor Evers will “tap” for his head of economic policy or have had it confirmed in your local paper, would greatly appreciate you passing that info jewel off here at the blog.
Also, and I know it “puts you on the spot” and in an “unfair position”, if you could give your personal/ somewhat subjective opinion on if that head of policy knows what he/she is doing or is worth a cr*p that would be cool also.
Moses Herzog: Very kind of you to think I could do such a job. As a int’l macroeconomist, I’m ill equipped. Can’t say I know who would be the adviser — I’m too much out of the loop of Wisconsin economic policymaking.
Gov. Brown was considering having California secede from Trump’s America. If he ever does this – California could have its own currency and he would need an international specialist on his team of economic advisers. Moving back to Cali would have its benefits especially during winter!
pgl
Other than the currency issues, seems like a good idea. Although possibly short-sided in view of the roughly 8 year limit on presidential time. Gavin Newsom (did I remember the name right??) no doubt needs help also, and the Cali job would have more stature and social position.
*short-sighted. I was halfway out the door to get some tacos and return some library books. Cut Moses some slack here people.
If anyone knows a link or place where I can DL or print this Lazard bank report, would you please put it in this thread?? I have nothing to offer in return but my appreciation and good karma vibes:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/its-now-cheaper-to-build-a-new-wind-farm-than-to-keep-a-coal-plant-running/
This isn’t the exact Lazard report I was looking for, but still interesting and thought I would share it. If other states don’t start following California on its more recent energy practices instead of passively watching—more states—Texas, Oklahoma, and many western states may find themselves battling wild fires in much the same way California has in recent years. It’s a national problem created by bad use of knowledge related to carbon dioxide emissions that we have had for decades and ignored because bastards like donald trump keep telling the village idiots what they wanna hear—and some day, it’s going to be too late for your children—there’s going to be no turning back, if we aren’t there already.
https://www.lazard.com/media/450337/lazard-levelized-cost-of-energy-version-110.pdf
Windfarms aren’t part of the answer …. they are part of the problem!
Preface. This means that the talk about renewables being so much cheaper than anything else isn’t necessarily true. If wind were profitable, more turbines would be built to replace the old ones without subsidies needed. Unless they can be dumped in the 3rd world, they’ll be modern civilizations Easter Head icons.
Summary: A large number of Germany’s 29,000 turbines are approaching 20-years-old and for the most part, they are outdated [my note: 20 years is the lifespan of wind turbines]. The generous subsidies granted at the time of their installation are slated to expire soon and thus make them unprofitable. By 2020, 5,700 turbines with an installed capacity of 45 MW will see their subsidies run out. And after 2020, thousands of these turbines will lose their subsidies with each passing year, which means they will be taken offline and mothballed. So with new turbines coming online only slowly, it’s entirely possible that wind energy output in Germany will decline in the coming years.
It’s impossible to recycle composite materials because the large blades are made of fiberglass composite materials whose components cannot be separated from each other. Burning the blades is extremely difficult, toxic, and energy-intensive. So naturally, there’s a huge incentive for German wind park operators to dump the old contraptions onto third-world countries, and to let them deal later with the garbage.
Read more at: http://energyskeptic.com/2018/germanys-wind-energy-mess-as-subsidies-expire-thousands-of-turbines-to-close/
Who is the author of the “energyskeptic” blog??—->> what is their FULL NAME and credentials??
you wasted my time with your energskeptic link. full of opinion, and unscientific at that. the author needs to educate him/her/self on wind turbines before writing such an uneducated article. that is the problem with the blogosphere-too many corevs and peaktraders out there masquerading as experts in topics in which they are technically ignorant.
“I have rewritten — often several times — every word I have ever published. My pencils outlast their erasers.” — Vladimir Nabokov, Speak, Memory, 1966
Since 2010, per capita GDP has grown faster in Wisconsin than in Minnesota
October 09, 2018
https://www.americanexperiment.org/2018/10/since-2010-per-capita-gdp-has-grown-faster-in-wisconsin-than-in-minnesota/
Peaky has a first – an actual link to credible data! Of course he picks only one comparison between the two states. Here are the facts he choose to omit:
Figure 1: Growth in Total Nonfarm employment, Minnesota and Wisconsin, December 2010 to August 2018, December 2010 = 100
Wisconsin trails badly.
Figure 3: Population growth, Minnesota and Wisconsin, Q4-2010 to Q2-2018, Q4-2010 = 100
“The reason for this is that population growth in Minnesota has outstripped that in Wisconsin. As Figure 3 shows, since the fourth quarter of 2010, Minnesota’s population has grown by 5.6% compared to just 2.0% in Wisconsin.”
Now here is the fuller account of what Peaky said:
“So, this looks like 2-1 to Minnesota. But we shouldn’t stop there. The point of economic growth is to grow incomes in per capita terms. This means producing more per person, not simply throwing in ever more people. And here, on this more fundamental measure, Wisconsin has performed better since January 2011. As Figure 4 shows, between the fourth quarter of 2010 and the first quarter of 2018, GDP grew in real terms by 11.3% in Minnesota but by 12.3% in Wisconsin.”
Yes a small difference by this one comparison.
“When we add in Wisconsin’s lower rate of population growth, the divergence in per capita GDP growth is even more stark. As Figure 5 shows, between the fourth quarter of 2010 and the first quarter of 2018, per capita GDP grew by 10.1% in Wisconsin compared to just 5.6% here in Minnesota.
Figure 5: Real per capita GDP growth, Minnesota and Wisconsin, Q4-2010 to Q1-2018, Q4-2010 = 100”
But wait – why did Peaky choose Minnesota? His own link concludes:
“As we noted in our report The State of Minnesota’s Economy: 2017 last year, Minnesota’s workers are less productive than the national average. This needs to change for the economic well-being of the state. The same goes for the new Minnesotans too.”
So we have two parables here: (1) Peaky chooses an economy this is not doing that well to tout how great Wisconsin is doing by comparison; and (2) Peaky still refuses to be honest with us.
Never trust anything Peaky says as one should always review his source in detail – when he bothers to provide a source.
Notice that Peaky mentions “per capita”, the problem is that Minnesota has added 140,000 more people than Wisconsin has over the same time period. It’s also why Wisconsin’s unemployment is low despite lousy job/GDP growth – NO ONE WANTS TO MOVE HERE (other than to “liberal Madison”).
https://jakehasablog.blogspot.com/2018/09/why-wisconsins-low-unemployment-isnt-as.html
Maybe that’ll change now that an actual teacher that believes in education will be in charge, instead of Governor Dropout.
Wisconsin Democrat voters……. Blue Wave……. we wanna “Thank you”.
https://youtu.be/4AcI_bHRjD4?t=114
Jake, your statement is almost as dumb as Pgl’s.
And, I didn’t write the article.
It’s not politically correct to talk about the true state of California. It has attracted a relatively small group of high-skilled and rich people from the rest of the country and the world, and has attracted a relatively large group of low-skilled and poor people mostly from Latin America. The highly skilled and rich live in gated or segregated communities, while the low skilled and poor are scattered about and live very poorly. Many communities near the beach have become unaffordable to the middle class, while poorer communities have become run down and crowded. California is no longer a great place to live for the middle class, and many have fled the state.
“It’s not politically correct to talk about the true state of California.”
Peaky’s motto is why talk when one can incessantly lie. How Peaky – what is income per capita in Minnesota v. California? C’mon Peaky – a little more research from you and a lot more dishonesty.
Median family income by state 2011-2015 shows California’s had grown to $64,500 ranking 10th in the US:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_and_territories_by_income
If Peaky write something – guaranteed the opposite is true. Which is why this serial liar refuses to provide sources for his BS.
pgl, as in business models, you need to look at the cost side as well as the revenue side.
http://www.city-data.com/forum/city-vs-city/2582388-cost-living-u-s-state-2015-a.html
While the median income in California may be somewhat higher in California than the average U.S., the cost of living is a third higher.
As in business where profitability is the measure, for individuals affordability is the measure. https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/opportunity/affordability
So, yes, you are correct that incomes are higher in California, but Peak Trader is also correct in his assertions.
Here is the closet thing to the intellectual garbage I could find:
https://lao.ca.gov/laoecontax/article/detail/265
California Losing Residents Via Domestic Migration
A lot of data but simply put – people move to California from other states and people move from California to other states. Happens all the time. OK – the latter is a wee bit great than the former but then people move from other nations (China, India, Mexico, Japan etc.) TO California. And more people are born than die each year so California’s population keeps growing by EVERY source one can find.
Look Peaky is a bald faced liar but let’s give him some slack. Those people moving to Arizona are his white neighbors and the people taking up their residents are Asians and brown people. And we know how Peaky is terrified when he sees someone other than a whitey!
“California is no longer a great place to live for the middle class, and many have fled the state.” Let’s check the last facts:
http://worldpopulationreview.com/states/california-population/
California’s population is now up to 39.78 million. How do you tell when Peaky is lying? His lips are moving.
Pgl, obviously, you have no clue about California.
Median disposable family income is low, given the high cost of living. Living standards of the middle class have declined substantially, since the 1980s. Many millions of unskilled and poor legal and illegal immigrants, since then, also reduced living standards of the middle class, although those immigrants may be living better in California than staying in their impoverished countries. A family income of $100,000 a year doesn’t mean you’re not struggling. An individual earning $50,000 a year typically lives very poorly. Housing prices and rents have skyrocketed. One family often cannot afford a house or apartment. So, two or three families live in one house. There are all kinds of taxes, fees, and regulations. Individuals making over $150,000 a year are doing ok or well.
Oh, PT. You have no clue about California Or much of anything else. I say this as a 62 year resident, state university graduate, and middle class retiree living a comfortable life in the Sierra foothills. No gated community necessary, although there are two in the area where many are residents much like me.
California’s geography and demography make your stereotypical babbling laughable. The state extends 1000 miles from Mexico to Oregon, with disparate regions and lifestyles. San Diego is not Bakersfield. San Francisco is not Redding. San Luis Obispo is not Susanville. Palm Springs is not Sacramento. Tahoe is Tahoe.
Is California expensive? Of course.
Is there no middle class? Seriously?
Are all my middle class neighbors leftist lunatics? Only in your addled, close minded world.
Are millions of u nskilled immigrants stealing the thousands of high skilled tech jobs available in both Northern and Southern California ? Again, really?
Your nonsense is just that. Nonsense.
Advising you to get a clue is clearly a fool’s errand.
Noneconomist, most of your rant has nothing to do with what I said.
I’ve been to the Central Valley. It’s cheaper to live there, although most houses are beat up, you don’t mind hot and humid weather in the summer, lots of bugs, and few good jobs. You sound like you live in the middle of nowhere near the Nevada border. That’s not the California most residents know. You need to get out more and actually see where most residents live. I lived in and visited more California cities than you can imagine.
all cities have neighborhoods you desire to live in and neighborhoods which are beat up. there is nothing special about california in this regards, peak, even though you continue to write like this is something special on the west coast. it costs more money to live in the desirable areas, and less money in the least desirable areas. that is life, and the market economy at work-which you should appreciate. people make choices-like moving to denver or phoenix because they feel priced out of california. been to both cities, and it is quite obvious why most of the people are staying in california rather than moving out of state-california is a better place to live. you bailed out of california because you could not hack it-that is your choice. quit trying to rationalize your move out of state by vilifying those that remain in california.
PT: most of what you said has nothing to do with reality, but what’s new? (if I lived in the middle of nowhere—near Nevada— it would not be the Sierra foothills, located on the west slope, not the east. Nice grasp of geography.)
You’ve been to the Central Valley? That means you’ve missed the areas and regions where the other 36 million Californians live. No surprise your “expertise” begins in Bakersfield, toots along through Fresno and ends with a bang in Stockton.
It’s obvious you know more than nothing. But not much.
“I lived in and visited more California cities than you can imagine.”
I hear you have been banned from Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco. The only town where you’d be welcomed is Stockton.
This place looks like a living hell:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DJT87RSYTY
I think I dun did figurd out you Califuhmucornia liburl guys’s problem. You liburls in foot hills (I din’t taint seen no feet in them thar hills yuh dahmd cuck snowflake) need one uh them thar coal facteries er shale fracking outfits. It’s pert of the MAGA bootification prowgrem trump done did figurd out. You don’t done did need ner siuhntist with ner fansy duhgree to done did tell you wut ter do. You can dun did now figer it owt uhn yer own. If yuh sees eny them thar skunks in the foot hills (no damned feet thar in those hills!!!) yer done did holler “Peak!!!” and sees if thuh skunk dun did turn their head. That’s I as a kumeelian skunk. I’ll dun did gives you me skunk wink.
Yuh damd bunch damnd did done did it blatherers.
“Individuals making over $150,000 a year are doing ok or well.”
Yea I have a good salary. Now we know your lack of competence here so I guess you need that government dole to get by on!
@ pgl
There’s a difference between population growth and migration.
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/the-conversation/sd-california-losing-low-income-people-gaining-wealthy-people-per-report-20180221-htmlstory.html
Back away slowly from the Barkley Rosser Jr. opiates. Very slowly, back away from the Barkley Rosser Jr. opiates. Nobody has to get hurt today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hci3fWEx-JA
I still can’t figure out How William Shatner got the hot chicks on that show more than Adrian Zmed. It was the wallet?? Must have been the wallet.
For the past few years, California has been losing those who fill lower skilled jobs and gaining those who are more skilled and educated. The main culprit is higher housing costs, the main driver in higher cost of living. Middle class income taxes, as I have noted, are less than those in Oregon, Idaho, and Utah, though other taxes and fees are not.
There’s been a constant increase in those seeking jobs that pay $100k/yr.-plus and a decline in those filling jobs that pay $50k/yr. or less.
Generally, not a positive.
It should be noted: RE prices are rising fast in favored out migration areas, specifically northern Nevada and Idaho. Both areas are also home to rising tech employment, jobs that often require more skills and education than those leaving California possess.
Noneconomist, a lot of your statement is misleading. The middle and lower classes are living much more poorly than in the past. Prices, not just housing, and taxes are higher compared to other Western states. I found it interesting, seafood, for example, in Colorado is cheaper than in California, most likely from excessive regulations. I can name many other examples. It has become much more expensive to live in California.
“I found it interesting, seafood, for example, in Colorado is cheaper than in California, most likely from excessive regulations.”
Canned tuna is cheaper than sushi but for good reason. Maybe Colorado has low quality seafood whereas the seafood in San Francisco is just better. Damn – you write some of the dumbest things ever. Move to Arizona now. You may like it the all white neighborhoods as well as the heaping servings of spam.
More PT babbling but no brook, just a swamp where facts and common sense go to dry up and die.
Who said California isn’t expensive? No one would argue that but your inattention must be because your reading skills are, oh, never mind.
Middle class income taxes ARE less in California than in Oregon, Utah, and Idaho. I’ve done the math on a taxable income of $100k. For joint filers–i.e., for families–a California couple pays less than a comparable couple in those three states. Other fees and taxes are, generally higher, although property owners in Oregon and Idaho might differ depending on location(s).
Any list of the wealthiest–and well off- counties in California would include Placer (#6) and El Dorado (#8). Both are suburban rural FOOTHILL counties whose residents benefit greatly from their proximity to the Sacramento metro area.
Unemployment in Placer is 2.8%, 3.2% in El Dorado. Both were solidly in the Trump column and both supported John Cox over Gavin Newsom.
Wealth? The median household income in Placer is around $77K, Eldorado $73K. Both gained population in the past year. (Yes, housing costs are high even with considerable building occurring in both. Schools are among the best in the area)
While a $150K income might be necessary in many Bay Area locations, that obviously is not the case in most counties to the north. In the Central Valley–home to around 4 million residents– you’re so familiar with, that income would be quite welcome. In “My Kevin” McCarthy’s Kern County, it would finance a very good lifestyle.
And since you’re think you’re capable of speaking for me, I’m “earning” less than I did while working–as are many of neighbors–but we’re far from the poor house and from pulling up stakes and moving. You might have missed it but 56% of California voters voted to RETAIN the added 12c/gallon gas tax and higher registration fees to improve/rebuild travel infrastructure.
Oh, if you’d like, I’ll provide an itinerary of my California travels for the past five years and compare with yours. Dr. Chinn would likely reject my 10-year list as too cumbersome and would outright reject the 20 year one as space prohibitive.
But do babble on. You’re so, so good at it.
“There’s a difference between population growth and migration.”
My point exactly. When one counts people moving to California from abroad, there is net migration in. But Peaky does not consider people from Asia or Latin America as people. They are ALIENS.
Now your link explains a lot. People with income and wealth love California. Now if the free loaders like Peaky leave – good riddance!
@ pgl
I think we basically agree on this topic, at least 80%+. So I’m most likely nit-picking here. But my understanding of the MAIN disagreement between you and PeakIgnorance (on this topic) is whether California is a good place to live (i.e. desirable place to live) or not, and closely related, had the recent Democrat Governor and Democrat legislature done a good job overall in making laws conducive to it being a good place to live. I think the only people you can count on that score are documented residence in the migration pattern (moving from one U.S. state to another U.S. state). Why?? Am I saying undocumented immigrants “don’t count”?? Am I saying we don’t count undocumented immigrants because they are “sub-human”?? NO, not saying that. But most of them, like 90%+ are in desperate situations. So you wouldn’t necessarily count the inward migration of undocumented immigrants as “proof” or a “weighting factor” in the question of if California has a low cost of living or a high cost of living or is a desirable place to live.
“Based on what??” someone might ask. Based on the fact that the alternative choice for undocumented immigrants is—to put it in words other than the current resider of the White House would put it—-uuuuuhh, not Shangri La.
Pgl, you’re easily mislead by noneconomist, which is not surprising. And, all Asians and Latin Americans aren’t the same in your one size racial segregated world. Many Asians and Latin Americans moved to California over a hundred years ago and their children are as American as the white Americans you hate. However, over the past few decades, most of the legal and illegal immigrants to California have been unskilled and poor people, mostly from Latin America, with low levels of education and tend to have more children, because they’re Catholic. Those are facts you can’t accept. Maybe, you believe, if they were poor white Eastern Europeans, that would make a difference to me. It wouldn’t, except I believe most Latin Americans are harder workers and underpaid. You don’t seem to understand how excess regulations raise prices and taxes can be too high, and poor people require more government services.
“any Asians and Latin Americans moved to California over a hundred years ago and their children are as American as the white Americans you hate.”
You really are one stupid old fart. I’m a white dude. Irish in particular. And yes I married someone who moved from Asia to Berkeley where she got a degree in biopharma. I’m sorry Peaky that she is about 10 times smarter than you. And a lot more honest and polite.
Any more pathetically racist comments from the peanut gallery today?
Although I realize I may be incriminating myself on this, color me mildly shocked.
I had always assumed “pgl” was most likely Asian female. Now, not 100% assumed, but let’s put it this way…… I probably would have placed a large wager on it in Vegas. I don’t know if this puts me in the “PeakIgnorance” category of foolishness. I like to view myself as relatively broadminded (I’m probably actually MILES better on racial issues than gender issues if the truth be told), so obviously I hope I am not as bad as “PeakIgnorance” on that. But I will a smidgeon shamefully confess I had assumed pgl was Asian female. So, I apologize for that. I was I guess largely going on stereotypes and statements and that was wrong of me.
I also feel I largely know how women write, and can pick out in every day writing (maybe not academic writing) a male’s writing from a female’s writing, so maybe that put a dent in my theory on that as well, because pgl’s writing style has always struck me as a feminine style of writing. I’m probably making this worse now, so I’ll just stop here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsWDohWkkC0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvSOgB-JPy0
It appears to me the big problem for California is lack of affordable housing. Now, I don’t know if lack of affordable housing is something you can lay at the feet of state or municipal government—especially if you are a Republican who believes in “private sector solutions” as the answer to every problem under the sun. Theoretically, if the private sector could provide solutions to every problem under the sun—the problem would already be solved. One could argue that high cost of housing is a deterrent to illegal immigrants moving into any state. (if you believe illegal immigrants are “a problem”, a topic I admit to having “mixed feelings” on).
Not trying to be humorous when I say that maybe drinking and bathing water could be a directly related problem–related to both affordable housing and outward-migration. In a state that has perennial water shortages, one would have to ask how arduous it is, just to hook up (i.e. supply) any single new housing residence , let alone a residential zone, to a dependable water supply, and this could also be a road block to the construction of affordable housing units.
https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/mckinsey/featured%20insights/Urbanization/Closing%20Californias%20housing%20gap/Closing-Californias-housing-gap-Full-report.ashx
Trump blames the California fires on forest management not raking the leaves? God – he is an idiot! This guy gets it:
https://twitter.com/vpkivimaki/status/1063896392928829440
“I perhaps wouldn’t compare Finland and California climate-wise… And besides, 80% of the country is classified as forest land. We don’t exactly manicure all of it.”
Of course Trump was good enough to say the people in California are good people. Hey Peaky – Trump is contradicting you here as we know you hate your neighbors! Maybe you should move to Arizona!
I probably overuse this word in my everyday life—so why not overuse it online as well??? Uhm, donald trump’s discussion of fire management is completely asinine. He has the same childish attitude on California as he did on Puerto Rico, and the offering of sacrificial human life in the case of Fethullah Gulen. Literally offering up the death of Fethullah Gulen on a silver platter to Turkey. donald “The Great Inheritor” trump has shown in multiple events that human life means nothing to him, and trump’s own son going to prison in place of himself means nothing to trump as well. Some people think trump is a narcissist. And yes he has those traits–but trump is actually worse than a narcissist. He shows strong sociopathic tendencies, which is something that Mitch McConnell and Lindsey Graham don’t seem to understand the extreme danger of. Even many narcissists will feel guilt after the fact of the consequences of their actions. Sociopaths differentiate themselves by having no guilt or negative emotions from inducing pain or death on others. THAT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS
https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2017/09/06/the-terrifying-physics-of-how-wildfires-spread-so-fast/#2df3b9f87791
FREE pdf research paper on ember spreading—–>> https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=2ahUKEwiumcuC1d7eAhWN7Z8KHQZxD2oQFjABegQIAhAC&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mdpi.com%2F2076-3417%2F6%2F6%2F177%2Fpdf&usg=AOvVaw3xHu2TpflBeRdJY9FLDVGk
http://texasforestservice.tamu.edu/uploadedFiles/TFSMain/Preparing_for_Wildfires/Prepare_Your_Home_for_Wildfires/Contact_Us/EDITED%20emberswed.pdf
What donald “The Great Inheritor” trump doesn’t understand is embers from a fire can travel over 1 mile. You’re not clearing away out of control weeds in your backyard. This is forest land with humongous sized trees that nearly incinerate in a few minutes after they catch fire. Imagine just trying to clear thick forest land for one mile (certainly not enough) over a 500 mile stretch. That’s not going to get it done as it’s not going to give you a defensible line anyway. But on top of it, you’d still have 300 more miles to go to get to the southern border. The idea that you can do 100% margin of safety “fire management” while jackasses like trump and Mitch McConnell are running around telling everyone we need more coal factories and shale fracking—is ridiculous.
Look at any map of California and at the number and extent of national forests therein.
Paradise is on the edge of the Plumas NF. The fire, aided by 70MPH wind gusts moved, according to some accounts, two miles in two minutes. Many of the residents (wife has relatives there) had fire-proofed their properties as much as possible. But when you have embers “as large as rocks” hurtling down on buildings from miles away, all previous planning may go for naught.
The “raking leaves” comment is so tragically stupid, especially given the destruction we’ve seen.
BTW, for California haters: Paradise gave Trump 55% of its vote, Butte County about the same. Of course, he originally wanted to punish them.
Also, BTW: the state has allocated $1 Billion over the next five years to aid thinning. The legislature will likely approve more. Matching fed funds would help.
“over the past few decades, most of the legal and illegal immigrants to California have been unskilled and poor people, mostly from Latin America, with low levels of education and tend to have more children, because they’re Catholic.”
Let’s unpack the latest racist garbage from Peaky. First he is angry that people in California and well educated, well paid, and driving up property values. After all – we know even with government dole he cannot afford a studio outside of the slum areas. But now he is more worried about poor people from Latin America. Oh wait – these are his neighbors. And Lord know Peaky is very scared when he sees a brown person! But they are Catholic Peaky – the brown people are non violent so no need to be so terrified!
Or is it that Peaky cannot have children as no woman will go out with him!
This is an actual tweet message from the so-called President of the United States:
“So funny to see little Adam Schitt (D-CA) talking about the fact that Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker was not approved by the Senate, but not mentioning the fact that Bob Mueller (who is highly conflicted) was not approved by the Senate!”
Republicans have a lot to answer for inflicting this obscene abomination on American citizens.
Since Trump equates “t” with “f”, I have 2 words for him – Tuck You!
Couple of interesting links here. Menzie, if you trust me, neither the story or the video link has anything that crosses the line of good taste (vulgarity wise). They both are mainstream type media sites. That’s to save you time reading or watching it all before posting—that being said, they also both happen to be worth watching/reading:
https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/whitaker-disqualifications-run-deeper-than-sketchy-work-history-1373198915941
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/11/was-gary-hart-set-up/570802/
The latter story (in digital print) is especially fascinating if we think of all the Republican claims of a “liberal biased media”.