Many say Golden State lost luster
Many say Golden State lost luster
- October 4, 2010
- David Meyer, sociology professor, is quoted in the OC Register September 30, 2010
-----
From the OC Register:
Ronald Knowles still wears his Chicago Bears T-shirt, but he's long been out of his
home state of Illinois. Knowles, 67, arrived in Orange County in 1965, along with
tens of thousands of Midwest transplants arriving each month who were lured by well-paying
jobs and heavenly weather. Knowles and his wife settled in Fountain Valley, and people
on his street were plumbers, electricians and auto mechanics. "This was the paradigm
of middle-class America," Knowles said in an e-mail to The California Project, describing
those early days. "There was a lot of opportunity out here. Everything was new....
But David Meyer, a sociology professor at UC Irvine, doesn't buy into the notion that
there was a grand consensus in the past, some "mythic idea" that everybody was on
the same page. He puts the blame for the state's problems directly on the voters.
"The government used to have the capacity to get things done," Meyer said. "Over the
years, 30 by my count, the voters have steadily eroded the ability of government to
do anything. So no matter who they elect, they can't accomplish what they are supposed
to do. So we always end up disappointed."
For the full story, please visit http://www.ocregister.com/news/-90409-ocprint--.html.
-----
Would you like to get more involved with the social sciences? Email us at communications@socsci.uci.edu to connect.
Related News Items
- Careet RightDCF says it learns from child deaths in CT. The public can't always see how
- Careet RightBridging data systems, AI models and computing
- Careet RightCalifornia childcare costs can be range from $10k to $25K a year for one child, study finds
- Careet RightHow immigration policy is shaping the lives of Latino college students in California
- Careet RightLanding in Place