April 16, 2020
I DON'T THINK THAT WORD MEANS WHAT YOU THINK IT MEANS:
Why California is a Model of Economic Nationalism (Mimi St Johns, 4/16/20, Stanford Review)
When a state or nation has large agricultural, manufacturing, and tech sectors, as California does, it does not have to rely on foreign entities to save it in times of emergency. This makes the state an outstanding model for a self-sustaining and nationalist economy. The benefits of economic independence are becoming even clearer during this crisis.California has benefitted from having the greatest manufacturing capacity of any state. Governor Newsom has secured a supply of over two hundred million masks a month, from both non-profits and California-based manufacturer BYD North America. Meanwhile, the federal government is currently working to secure a supply of six hundred million masks for the entire country. A significant amount of personal protective equipment (PPE) and ventilators come from California, even as California has comparatively fewer cases.Silicon Valley has also come to the rescue during the crisis. Facebook has built an open-source page for COVID-19 medical supplies, Tesla is using its California factories to build ventilators, and a company has even created rings which monitor medical workers for coronavirus symptoms.On top of all this, California is the top-producing agricultural state in the nation. Two-thirds of all US fruits and a third of all vegetables come from the state. California ranchers and farmers are not only feeding a majority of their own state but large portions of others as well.
Not coincidentally, 27% of California's population is foreign-born (double the national average); it has the largest number of employees working for foreign-owned businesses; and, it is the number 1 importing and number 2 exporting state in the nation. Its economic strength is based on policies that are the exact opposite of Trumpism.
Posted by Orrin Judd at April 16, 2020 12:00 AM