Zócalo's Connecting California
A good prune isn't just for seniors
When your garden grows wild, you cut it back. But Zócalo columnist Joe Mathews says that practice doesn't apply to state government, which is overgrown with a thicket of ever-expanding rules and regulations that make living and doing business here more difficult than it should be.
By Joe Mathews • • 4m ListenJoe Mathews says his late grandmother, Frances Mathews, should be role model for California. You see, Grandma Mathews was a serial pruner – no plant or tree was safe in her presence. That could lead to some uncomfortable situations, like when she wanted to prune other people's plants without their permission. But Joe says cutting back on old-and-no-longer-relevant growth is not just good for gardeners, it's also good for government. Unfortunately, California political leaders seem not to have learned that lesson.