More Evidence of California Gnosticism

The Gnostics were a loose group of (mostly) ex-Christians and Jews who believed that the key to spiritual enlightenment was the discovery of special hidden knowledge (Gnosis) inside of each of us. It tended to lead people in strange and irrational directions, following their internal urges rather than dealing with external reality.

It seems that the 'progressive' movement and it's leading American polity: California has a bad case of Gnosticism. The CA legislature keeps passing policies that viewed economically are insane. One is its mandating of 100% 'renewable' electricity generation - primarily wind and solar. The result has been constantly escalating retail electricity prices (by contrast Texas, CA's biggest competitor has retail rates around 7 cents).



And the tragic (but for a conservative like me, funny) thing is that careful economic analysis in Germany (which is also beset by wild energy Gnostics) shows that the 100%  goal is unachievable. Well at least by an economy that wishes to remain 'advanced' and 'wealthy'. This is in spite of the grand announcements that 'renewables' are getting cheaper than even natural gas. The problem of course is that 'renewables' aren't reliable. So to deliver reliable electricity every MW of renewables must be backstopped by a MW of quick starting natural gas generators. Or many MWs of even more wildly expensive and environmentally dubious 'storage'.

But why let reality invade the fantasies of Coastal California? Where electricity is probably less important than any other place in the world. Warm winters and cool summers seem to breed madness. Or at least self centered cruelty.