The following was overheard at the keynote dinner for the Free Market Forum, held this year in San Diego, California.  The author was willing to be identified as Sy Lotsoff, a California resident:

“California is the Garden of Eden, but here the snakes are in charge.”

Having seen just a small part of its natural beauty, I can understand why the state has been called the “Garden of Eden.”  But knowing its political orientation, it is pretty obvious why the speaker said what he did.  Thanks to my colleague Jeff Haymond, who asked Sy to repeat what he had said.  If only more people in California truly understood.