|
January 13, 2009
The disappearance of the real world
Yesterday it was 72 degrees and sunny. T-shirt weather. As I worked outside, I remembered a reader's recent charge that I am enjoying a vacation of sorts, and while that was not true, I must admit that yesterday's balmy weather (in contrast to the coldness and dampness which characterized most of this trip) generated something akin to a vacation-like feeling which was wholly inappropriate, and downright disruptive of the Puritan work ethic which has haunted me all my life with its constant lurking. This disruptive sensation was aggravated by the fact that I am in Berkeley, California, a place arguably not even in the real world. (And where John McCain received 3-4% of the vote.) On top of that, I hear that back at home in Ann Arbor, the temperatures are now in the single digits or lower! What's a transplanted Californian to do? More and more of them seem to be retransplanting themselves: The number of people leaving California for another state outstripped the number moving in from another state during the year ending on July 1, 2008. California lost a net total of 144,000 people during that period -- more than any other state, according to census estimates. That is about equal to the population of Syracuse, N.Y.It doesn't help much that the statist busybodies who run things are regulating normal life out of existence; just last week a plumbing supplier told me that hot water heater prices are going way up in a couple of months because of new "green" anti-nitrogen technology (although I see that the new rules are spreading eastward.) I've kvetched about the mandatory pet neutering movement, mandatory CFL lightbulbs, and more, but I wonder whether moving to flee statist regulation is a workable long-term solution. Pretty soon no one will be living in the real world. posted by Eric on 01.13.09 at 11:23 AM |
|
January 2009
WORLD-WIDE CALENDAR
Search the Site
E-mail
Classics To Go
Archives
January 2009
December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 May 2002 AB 1634 MBAPBSAAGOP Skepticism See more archives here Old (Blogspot) archives
Recent Entries
They Kidnap Americans Don't They?
The disappearance of the real world EEStor Not Meeting Its Goals Room Temperature Superconductors? War Profiteers Victory Is Near Halting The Cartels Hamas Is Weakening 15 Seconds Last Chance For No Chance
Links
Site Credits
|
|