Its Thursday.... is California still alive?

I just noticed that some people are selling state issued IOU's on Craigslist and eBay. I guess some people think those notes are worth more that their face value. Recession? What recession.... its a full blown depression.

The state has up and running a website with links to almost every database the state maintains. It includes everything from health and employment, county by county demographics and projections to the year 2050, transportation data and lakeside marinas. If you are a data nut, this site is for you go to http://www.ca.gov/data.html

Pomegranates. Love them. They are filled with lots of good things and their juice makes an excellent addition to an evening cocktail. They also provide the raw material for making grenadine, a "must have" flavor in any cocktail bar. Most of the pomegranates grown in the United States are grown right here in the Golden State. About 250 farmers have about 35,000 acres in pomegranate production. The harvest is worth about $75 million annually.

The largest producer and distributor of this fine stuff is POM Wonderful, named after one of the varieties of pomegranates they grow. Here is where it get political. The owner of POM Wonderful is Stewart Resnick who just happens own The Franklin Mint, Teleflora, and Paramount Farms. He is a billionaire, and a significant figure in California Politics. He is a major donor to legislators of both political parties, and political campaigns. In 2007-2008 he donated $197,000. So what? Well, there is a bill pending in Sacramento, SB 190 that would define what 100% pure pomegranate juice is. Big deal you say. Many marketers of juice cut their product with juice from other fruit. It helps keep the cost down and the profits up. If this bill passes, it would freeze out other produces of this juice because their product would not meet the chemical profile in the bill. As it is with the legislative process, this bill has been changed many times, but it would still favor POM. Critics say this is a matter for the Feds, not the state because juice production is regulated by the FDA. They also say this bill would tie the hands of California processors. Notice this is not about helping all people, its about protecting one company and its vertically integrated economic model. Shades of Carnegie and his steel operations at the turn of the 20th century. Politics... As Patrick Shannon wrote, "Everything is political." Think I'll go get juiced...