George Rebane

Nevada County is the home of record to one of the largest covens of non-governmental organizations and 501c3 foundations.  Most of these organizations are devoutly leftwing and doing their best to bring forward and implement the objectives of UN’s Agenda 21 (while loudly decrying anything of the sort).  Their work product has contributed to California’s regulatory pandemic that has placed the state at the bottom of about every national metric which rates tax/fee burdens, business environments and personal liberties.

As if the state’s embrace of socialism (aka progressivism) was not almost totally complete, our little Nevada County wants to do more of its part to contribute to this demonstrably ideological disease.  The county has announced that it will make available an online system to enable existing and wannabe NGOs and foundations unlimited access in searching for private and public sector grant monies.  From the 16aug14 Union we read –

Nevada County, in partnership with the Center for Nonprofit Leadership, is now providing a new grant-searching database tool free of charge for local government, community partners, nonprofit organizations and the public. The grant searching database, EfficientGov, focuses on grants and foundation funding for municipalities and nonprofit entities, making it possible to identify thousands of opportunities for entities to leverage their current assets and programming through additional financial sources.

You have to love names like ‘Center for Nonprofit Leadership’ and ‘EfficientGov’ in a state with an exodus of for-profit leaders and oxymoronically named databases.  The doubtful benefit provided by such county services is that we taxpayers have to purchase ‘EfficientGov’ and then foster local anti-growth, anti-liberty organizations that attract employees, adherents, and members addicted to operating with other people’s money.

In the same issue of our beloved Union we also hear from Mr Steve Frisch, long time RR critic and CEO of the NGO calling itself the Sierra Business Council.  Mr Frisch, one of the county’s leading leftwing intellectuals, maintains that California businesses need stronger federal clean water rules.  Now anyone who has some semblance of knowledge about how business and economies work would know that at this stage of regulatory inundation, the last thing California businesses need is “stronger federal rules”, especially to promote something like clean water.

(Quietly complying with added state and federal regulations is termed by the local Left as ‘working with Sacramento’ and ‘building bridges to the coastal regions’ which are the banners under which the northern counties are to fall in line under a uniformly socialist state while we succumb to the harmony and solidarity long sought by our collectivist masters.  As this ship of state sails onward toward a brave new shore, those in the deck chairs would wish those in steerage to make a bit less noise.)

In the article Frisch makes no case for the water being dirtier or unacceptably dirty.  The touted and new EPA proposal for expanded regulation is called ‘Water of the U.S.’, and after quoting some water statistics on sources and uses, the suggested solution to a blatantly absent problem is more regulations.  These will supposedly be welcomed by “a whopping 80% of small business owners” as reliably polled by – wait for it – the American Sustainable Business Council, an organization whose business credentials no doubt match those of the SBC.  (more here)

Mr Frisch goes on to give his bona fides to such credentials by citing “Senator Feinstein’s demonstrated support for California businesses”.  I venture that most business people in the state don’t know how much more of such support they are able to endure.  Many have and continue to vote with their feet.  More of the SBC maven’s understanding of economics is revealed by his causal connection of Silicon Valley’s growth to potable water.  Well the entire bay area grew because California’s generous water supply from the Sierra is available to its farms and cities.  And the growth, being mainly due to a good climate and proximity to good schools, took place under a much thinner regulatory regime.  Now Silicon Valley companies are expanding everywhere except in California where the likes of SBC and the ASBC seek an ever more comprehensive and constricting regulatory environment.

Although there is not a shred of evidence presented that dirtier water exists and is impeding business growth, the ideology that touts ‘More Regulations, Better for Business’ continues to run rampant across socialist America.  It makes one recall the pernicious ‘Arbeit macht frei’ signs erected over concentration camp gates that today still remind us of socialism taken to its extreme.

And finally, Mr Frisch cites the now proud progressive statistic of how its policies have benefitted California by reminding us that “Silicon Valley accounts for 28% of our income tax base.”  This picture of progressive pride is seen by more sober economists, business people, and (both national and international) observers  of today’s faltering economy as California’s Achilles’ heel.  Such unfortunate concentration of the tax base epitomizes the disparity between the state’s makers and takers, a gulf that liberal politicians are doing everything in their power to widen in a state that is already a leader in all numbers relating to poverty, welfare, and the (invited) ingress of even more illegal aliens.

In California the people who don’t drink the kool-aid purveyed by the likes of Mr Frisch have long realized that they have no representation whatsoever in Sacramento.  And given the inevitable dynamics of ‘democracy’ in California, there is no hope that this minority’s vote will ever have an impact in the halls of government through anything but voting with its boots.