[tkojames]

I wonder if there is correlation between what people think of as incompetence and the population of the state. Would be interesting to look at. I have no data to support this just a guess but I would guess when population increases you get things like this. I mean Texas is the second most populous state and is literally politically the opposite of California. There power grid was 5 mins away from literally crashing completely. So it sure is not what"side" the government picks. Both have struggled with power distribution.

[systemvoltage]

Well I think it is perfectly ok to criticize and point out issues in Government whether it is Texas or California. I really don't care about "sides". What I care about is that ROI of tax revenue that the state forcefully takes from me. We should expect return on what we pay. Good roads, education, good infrastructure, forward looking plans and instead of asking for more funding, Governments should look inward to improve efficiency. There is a lot of low hanging fruit. I am also OK with more taxes as far as Governments are functional and serve the public. I really don't want to pay for some Gov official that sits on his ass all day getting paid $550k in compensation.

Danger is when we stop criticizing governments and keep tooting the party lines.

I want drastically more accountability for California government. Extreme levels of auditing and shaming, completely take off Emperor's clothes.

[tkojames]

That is what I am trying to get at. I think atleast here in the United States the bigger your state gets with population the more your going to see issues like you describe. Unfortunately I just do not see any government looking inward to improve efficiencies at this rate. I agree with everything you state and want the same.

Honestly I just think this how all governments operate.

In theory we can vote them out and replace them. Then the new people will do the same things most likely.

You can shame them all you want but if they still hold office, they will not care.

We should still keep trying though. Maybe we can find the right leader's that look out for everybody and do all the above. But I am pretty cynical about it.

I like to think Churchill quote about democracy is right. We have been struggling with this issue forever. Plato's republic and all that.

You are right being able to criticizing governments is really important.

I guess we just keep trying. Wish I had better answer.