California Goes Over the Edge

 

 We’ve known for a long time that California is the land of fruits and nuts. Many of us have thought that it would be difficult for them become more insane. But recent actions by the Democrats in Sacramento lead us to understand that there is no limit to leftist insanity. And that shows that the same applies in D.C. As long as Democrats are in power, no one is safe.

 

The Solons of Sacramento have already passed regulations that will ban the sale of gasoline or diesel cars in thirteen years. But that’s not enough. In four years, over a third of all new cars sold will have to be electric. It doesn’t matter that electrics cost more than gas-powered cars. It just sounds so good and righteous. We’re going to clear all the pollution out of our air!

 

Low end electric cars start at about $40,000, roughly twice the price of economy gasoline cars. Average EV prices run $63,000. With inflation approaching double digits and paychecks not keeping pace, one has to ask where less prosperous members of society will find transportation. California is big, and mass transit is pretty minimal, taking that option off the table for most. Fortunately, they would be able to purchase used cars. But with the new car market shrinking due to costs, the price of used cars would rise. And who says the California Air Resources Board won’t ban used cars as well?

 

These are the pincers of the Socialist Scorpion in Sacramento. Plebeians of the public would have less and less ability to control their personal costs. With everything becoming more expensive, out-migration would accelerate. Escape to free states will be their only option.

 

All this begs a different question. Where will Californians get the electricity to charge up their wonderful zero-emission vehicles? It has to come from somewhere, and solar, wind, and hydro aren’t up to the task. Those “renewables” only provide part of the total energy demand. The rest has to come from nuclear or fossil fuels. With “nuclear” a bad word, coal, oil, and natural gas are the only hope left for keeping the lights on. But even that’s not enough.

 

California’s regulators have driven Pacific Gas and Electric into bankruptcy, and PG&E has been forced to postpone maintenance on its electricity distribution network. The citizens of the town of Paradise found out how well that worked when faulty PG&E equipment started the forest fire that burned their whole city to the ground. Of course, the fact that California’s forest fires released as much carbon dioxide as an entire year of electric generation is lost on the CARB. Apparently only automotive CO₂ matters.

 

But somehow Commiefornia has neglected to notice the elephant in the room. Not only is the distribution network failing, the state lacks electricity to distribute. So at present, EV owners are prohibited from charging their cars during peak hours in order to prevent power outages. How’s this supposed to work when the number of EVs jumps eight times? By the way, we haven’t begun to discuss EV battery replacement, rare earth mining, and total process carbon footprints.

By Ted Noel

 

Source: American Thinker