Trouble in Paradise

I have this pet theory as to why Adam and Eve were REALLY kicked out of the Garden of Eden. If you stay in Eden, paradise, your mom's basement, you stay stupid.

More evidence in support:

SAN DIEGO - A federal jury Monday convicted San Diego's new acting mayor and a city councilman of taking payoffs from a strip club owner to help repeal a "no-touching" law at nude clubs, the latest embarrassment to a city awash in scandal.

Michael Zucchet, who became interim mayor over the weekend, was found guilty of conspiracy, extortion and fraud on his first business day in office. He was immediately suspended from the position, his attorney said.

Yes that's right, the man was to replace Mayor Dick Murphy who, in typical Republican "good government" mode, had recently resigned after helming "America's Finest City" into a $1.7 billion iceberg of debt.

I was born and grew up in San Diego and I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for the city now too aptly called "Enron by the Sea". But for years San Diego landowners have benefitted from a combination of prop 13 tax savings and sky-rocketing land values, and the Republican dominated city council has been loathe, in the Republican mannner, to raise taxes.

And while "borrow and spend" may work (for a while) for BushCorp™ on the national level, it is clearly NOT a good model for local government.

So, at the moment, San Diego's best hope for fiscal sanity is a Democratic surf-shop owner.

Well, at least the Padres are having a good season.