Smelt Are For EATING!

I woke this morning to the news that some jackass in Sacramento is proposing adding another 15 cents to the price of a gallon of gas to "fight global warming".  Gee, what great timing.  Just as we prepare for our annual "pantsing" by the IRS and their equally voracious vampire brotheren at the state franchise tax board they want us to take it in the neck once again at the gas pump.  It wouldn't be so bad if the money actually went to something useful but, no matter what the feds or the state stooges say, tax money is always destined for the pockets of constituents who promise to re-elect the criminal dipshits in charge.  Since I arrived in California in the late 70's there have been countless taxes imposed to either fix our highways or educate the kids and in spite of it all the roads are worse than ever and the kids in public schools can't do long division, tell you who we fought in World War II, or find their ass with a flashlight.

Our delta smelt are doing just fine, thank you.  You may have heard that we are having a dry year here in the Golden State.  We actually have reservoirs and a system of aqueducts and storage tanks designed to hang on to rain and mountain runoff during the wet years to help out when we have a dry spell.  HOWEVER, because of environmental special interest loons, we have essentially dismantled the system by diverting water meant for the farms in the Central Valley to flush the ever popular delta smelt all the way to the ocean.  Three million acre feet of water splashed away for smelt while we take a $45 billion dollar hit to agriculture as farm land goes fallow.  Farmers are going under and workers are losing their jobs but liberal idealists sleep comfortably because they "feel good" about saving their little fish friends.  Also, our dithering and ever "assessing the situation" president has promised $2 billion in relief from the bankrupt federal coffers.  Just what a taxpayer wants to hear--an out of town two party too small check from a deadbeat relative.

Wow!  That felt good to vent.  I return to my tax chores refreshed and excited because I know we have made the right decision to leave this state.  Later this year my wife and I head north to join other California expats in the panhandle of Idaho where taxes are low, people are friendly, and the smelt--rolled in cornmeal and fried in olive oil-- are for eating.