Lawmakers in Sacramento are trying to address their state's $19.1 billion deficit and unsustainable fiscal policies by cutting benefits, lowering 200,000 state employees' pay to minimum wage levels, and plugging holes with federal "stimulus" money. Imagine my surprise when I heard such measures failed to meet the June 30th deadline, leaving the state government to spend $52 million each day the budget remains in question and, more importantly, leaving CA taxpayers in a fog of uncertainty. Then, amidst what should be a time officials are racing to hash out a negotiated budget, state senators took a break to pass a bill to dethrone serpentine as the California state rock.
The bill stirred up a hornet's nest, pitting health proponents, saying the rock is a "grim symbol of the deadly cancers associated with asbestos," against geologists, who claim the bill is a moneymaker for politicians and lawyers. Chrysotile, a form of asbestos, is generally not harmful unless its dust is breathed in repeatedly and is found in serpentine rocks. Opponents are worried the bill will open the door for lawsuits against museums displaying serpentine and owners private property where the stone is found.
The true symbol of California is not a greenish rock but the Californians themselves. If there are no taxpayers left in the state, changing an official rock would be like writing a new book in Sanskrit or building another Stonehenge. It's time California passes a taxpayer-friendly budget so businesses can get back on their feet and citizens can rightfully keep more of what they make – without the constant threat of IOUs. That's a symbol no one can take for granite.