OPINION:
We’ve been seeing a plethora of news articles congratulating California for its ideas on environmental reforms and COVID-19 strategy. The state gets so much political coverage it’s sometimes hard to remember there are 49 other states.
I still vividly remember the travails of my now-departed 76 Volare stalling at intersections halfway through the warm-up cycle during Buffalo winters. Why? Its carburetor mixture was factory-set to satisfy the temperature and pollution standards for Los Angeles’ heat inversion. How glad I was when the carburetor finally went and I was able to install a rebuilt, adjustable one. It was like getting a completely new car that was functional in winter.
It seems we never learn. Without considering the needs and requirements of all our diversified states and people, we completely fail to take advantage of our dynamic, united entity.
Our importing policy is well-suited for California’s seaport. Our current immigration policy appears tailored to the state’s location next to Mexico and its economic and labor requirements (though San Francisco has colossal homelessness and vagrancy problems). Our current trade and economic policy with its lower incomes, supply problems and burgeoning $30-trillion national debt seem to appeal to California’s proclivity for fantasy.
With its gigantic movie and media industry, California is the super sales capital of the U.S. But is its product best for the entire country?
LOUIS L. BOEHM
Orchard Park, New York
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