[BillSaysThis]

Note: I've lived in the Valley since 1996.

One thing most people don't factor in is that everything is more expensive here and that to attract workers to skilled but not professional jobs the salaries are higher than elsewhere. My wife is a staffer (not a lawyer or in a position requiring certification) at a well-known law firm and I'd bet her salary is 40-60% higher than if the office were in, say, Portland or Austin.

And real estate, to put supporting buildings like train stations and repair yards, is similarly more expensive.

We do have some real doozies planning projects. For giggles look at the so-called high speed rail project being 'built' to link San Diego to San Francisco, with a price tag that has gone from $30 billion to north of $100 BILLION before a shovel's even gone in the ground. But only if you have an hour or so to roll around on the floor laughing.

On the plus side, Jerry Brown seems to have actually done some practical good since coming back into the governor's office. He's been very pragmatic and considering how much he's had to struggle against legislators, bureaucrats, unions and other entrenched interests, I think Brown has been the most effective governor CA's had since I got here in '96.

[jmilinion]

Silicon Valley is known for having some very smart people solving very complex problems. Do you think there was any way for them to have limited the damage from California over the years?

[BillSaysThis]

Sadly because of gerrymandering and pandering to interest groups, SV hasn't had nearly the influence it might. Also, remember that Cali's issues have been building since the mid-'60s or so and the Valley has only been a significant force for maybe the past decade.

[jmilinion]

How about Silicon Valley itself? How much influence does Silicon Valley have for it's own land?