No Time Yet for Blame Game
Author: Greg Valliere
January 9, 2025
ONCE THE EMBERS COOL, THERE WILL BE PLENTY OF TIME, in the months and years to come, to analyze why fire hydrants ran dry, whether California was prepared, and why evacuation routes were clogged.
BUT THE INEVITABLE blame game has already begun, and this is not the time to politicize a disaster that will reverberate for years, as southern California rebuilds.
THE FIRES ARE STILL RAGING, so it’s premature to begin talking about a recovery, but soon it will be time to address one major variable — the need for tens of thousands of workers to help house people and then rebuild.
WHAT AN IRONY — there soon will be an enormous need for skilled labor, as a labor shortage persists. The idea of a massive deportation plan will be scaled back or killed. And it seems almost trivial to see Congress arguing about whether tax and spending bills will be packed into one piece of legislation, or two.
AMERICA HAS ALWAYS SEEMED to have a love-hate relationship with California, with its beauty and relaxed vibe confronting a U.S. aversion to activist policies and ever-soaring taxes.
THESE ISSUES will intensify over the next few years, crowding out efforts to cut taxes and reform tariffs. There will be plenty of time to debate these issues, and whether something like this devastation can ever be prevented.
CALIFORNIA HAS THE FIFTH BIGGEST ECONOMY IN THE WORLD, so a rebuilding is inevitable. But it’s too soon for a blame game — not until the embers cool.
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