California reminds me of the pre-revolutionary France #. Huge country easily dwarfing its neighbors in size and population, yet hopelessly entangled in a gridlo

California reminds me of the pre-revolutionary France #. Huge country easily dwarfing its neighbors in size and population, yet hopelessly entangled in a gridlock of various special interests to the point of strangulation. Each one pursues its own best interest, collectively dooming their host to suffocation, and none willing to budge. And it's not just the real estate, and not just California. Healthcare system comes to mind as another clusterfuck - no individual actor seems malevolent or dangerous enough, yet the total is much worse than the sum of the individual participants. # I highly recommend The Revolutions podcast by Mike Duncan.