The Fault(s) in our State

California. Land of dreams. Sunshine, Sand and Surf. Add a smattering of palms to date - eat em or just have one under its shade, and all the botox money can buy to help the stars shine in Hollywood.

Land of innovations from putting a computer in your pocket to having a chariot show up on demand and drive without a driver, to finding any piece of information with a voice command, it is everything a marketing postcard might have and then some.

Majestic vistas from close to 15,000 feet to hundreds of feet below in a deathly valley in a matter of minutes, snow in season to waves year round. Can it get any better?

It could get worse. From our politics to our reality check of unintended consequences to the homeless crisis and crap on the street we have of course many faults. Bribing colleges for admissions (that sent some stars to temporarily set) to cutting off recycling stations; poor infrastructure coupled with gross mismanagement of capex are all but pages in the sad saga of California's populace.

Then we have our Hayward and San Andreas. Faults that is.

Recent rumblings from down under (as in the magma under the crust) when a magnitude (approx) 5 quake rattled parts of northern California woke its denizens to the reality of 30 years ago to the day.

Back in Oct 1989 the so named Loma Prieta quake took down freeways and broke buildings. It also took lives. Since history is fleeting, the calm decades that followed led to a sense of complacency in the crowds (some 40 million strong) across the state. It takes but a gentle 5 pointer to remind us of looking hard at ourselves and see the fault in our stars.

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