The always interesting Michael Barone writes for the Law & Liberty website detailing in one long column the political and social history of California. His title for the column: Paradise Lost.
As a CA native and long-time resident who paid attention, I didn't learn a lot that was new. OTOH, I didn't see much with which to disagree. He begins in the early 1800s with Richard Henry Dana of Two Years Before the Mast fame, and brings it right up to today.
As instant history, it is a darned good cautionary tale. See how a place that had it made, that was the cultural leader of our nation, snatched disaster from the jaws of victory starting just over 60 years ago.
If you're less familiar with the story than I - a native and long-time resident - you may find it absorbing. I found it very sad. Hat tip to John Milton for the title.
