Today is the inauguration of Barack Obama, who will be the first president of the United States who is biracial, at least that we know of. He won’t be the last. Journalists are covering the historic event like a blanket and there is little room for an amateur like me. I wasn’t invited to any parties in D.C. and I don’t know what the beautiful people will be wearing, eating, drinking or what they will be dancing to, but there are observations worth making from afar.
Those who supported the Obama campaign should enjoy themselves – that’s what victory parties are all about. Those who were in other camps should celebrate another peaceful transition of power; let’s hope it stays that way. However, this is an inauguration, not a coronation and the president’s power to do things domestically is limited constitutionally and politically. The primary problems the new administration will face have been many decades in the making. They are not going away merely because there is a new group in Washington.
Our society was built like a house of cards. For every piece placed intentionally, a half dozen were later placed to balance, compensate and modify the effects of the original. Every change affects the fine-tuning of all the parts; therefore, we must be very careful that the law of unintended consequences does not sink our best intentions.
A perfect example would be CEQA, the California Environmental Quality Act. To quote the act: “CEQA requires public agencies to review the environmental impacts of proposed projects, to prepare and review environmental impact reports (EIRs), negative declarations, and mitigated negative declarations, and to consider feasible alternatives and mitigation measures that would substantially reduce significant adverse environmental effects.”
If you’ve had any interest in development, from roads to homes to businesses to parks, you’re probably familiar with the CEQA requirements. I think it’s safe to say that it’s is one of the most contentious of California’s many contentious laws. Complying with the act in a way that hurdles significant legal challenges is one-third science, one-third art and one-third luck. The the act is designed to slow everything down and it surely does. You may love it or hate it, but it is what it is.
Should we just declare an emergency so we can ignore the provisions of CEQA that have been torturing private interests? Surely, a heavily traveled road misplaced in the heart of the community, like the Highway 25 Bypass, has more of an environmental impact than a small hotel or a couple of homes no matter who does the building. However, if we continue to implement CEQA, many of the truly big projects we need, such as additional power transmission capacity, will not move any faster than they are moving now – which means hardly at all.
I suppose we could skirt the issue by going into the repair mode. We certainly need significant repair of our transportation infrastructure, but doing extensive repairs on a two-lane bridge, when what’s really needed is a four-lane bridge, is a waste of resources
We need fundamental reform, without it everything we do is a patch and a bad one at that. Everyone and every level of government must start living within their means or our economic problems will repeatedly boil over. We’re giving billions in aid to financial institutions that can’t do their business, to the failed portion of the automotive industry and now to the state and local governments that have not shown the ability to manage their affairs – or ours. I hope the revelers at the inauguration balls have a good time, but they should not overdo it because when they wake up Wednesday morning, they will need to be stone-cold sober to handle the problems that are waiting for them.
Marty Richman is a Hollister resident. His column runs Tuesdays. Reach him at [email protected].
