California Dreams
Comedian Trevor Noah once said about America’s 50 States: The USA is fifty little countries pretending to be one.
Here are three things I truly love from my home state of California:
1. Nobel Prize Parking
“Reserved Parking For: Nobel Laureate At All Times”
Parking sign at my first alma mater, the great example of your California Tax Dollars at Work, funding researchers at the University of California, Berkeley (Go Bears!) And, go cars, electric and otherwise!
2. Pay Us in Equity (as Beyoncé sort of said)
You don’t have to like California, but you really cannot ignore California…
If California were a country:
California’s $3+ trillion GDP is an enormous figure, no matter how you slice and dice it. Larger than certain nations’ economic output, and way up there with powerhouses like Germany, but born into its own form of democracy, and a thirst for gold, born with women and men striving, not enslaving. In 1849, Californians sought statehood in the USA of the day…and, after heated debate in the U.S. Congress arising out of the slavery issue, California entered the Union as a free, non-slavery state by the Compromise of 1850. California became the 31st state on September 9, 1850.
3. California Dreams on Film
California is the home of Hollywood, of course. And Hollywood is at once global and California.
I remember seeing the film “Thank You For Smoking” (2005) in Sweden. The film is a satirical comedy follows the shenanigans of Big Tobacco’s chief spokesman, and speaks truth about marketing genius and tragedy, with some fun jokes about Congress and the 50 little states. In Stockholm, the audience did not get the regional USA jokes about Vermont and Wisconsin. That’s OK, we love you Sweden and your IKEA global supply chain genius, even if you don’t understand Cheddar Cheese distinctions, it’s ok.
America The Beautiful, in all the states, let freedom ring far and wide. Here’s to a more perfect union.
