The elegant simile

Similization

Like the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, our Valley economy is an especially fragile ecosystem and investment capital has long been our most endangered species. Although we have aspired to economic diversity, the truth is that most of our Valley's capital is still quietly tucked away in farms, orchards, F-150's and processing plants.
The real value of that capital is vaporizing with every drop of water that doesn't reach our land and every day that passes without a predictable picture of what those flows will look like in the future. (Fresno Bee, 3-14-10)

The only problem with this elegant simile, likening the processes of capital investment to Nature, is that it is a lie, in a long line of lies about the "natural" inevitability of capitalism that go back to the dim beginnings of the Industrial Revolution to justify the enormous cruelty to man and the destruction of Nature "self-regulating, free markets have always entailed.
As any child can see, before it has been brain-washed by education, is that snow and rainfall naturally vary. It should not be too difficult for the child to then reason out that agriculture dependent on the varying amount of precipitation will itself vary in the amount of crops it can produce. From that point on, we leave childish things and move on to senior and junior water rights on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley south of the San Joaquin River, as in Westlands Water District's water rights are junior. Westlands is not guaranteed a constant flow of water regardless of the number of permanent orchards it plants to make the political argument that it must have a constant flow to keep them alive. The Orchard Bluff has been called. We would imagine that banks and hotshot young venture capitalists like Lawrence, CEO of Mighty Oaks Capital

MightyOak is a venture capital firm and holding company headquartered in the beautiful Sierra Nevada Foothills of California. Our foremost mission is to efficiently and creatively deploy our capital to achieve lasting cash flows as a holding company. MightyOak enjoys unique business advantages that drive our long term investment and operating strategy. As the premier venture firm in Central California, we aspire to build the best companies, invest in the top projects and recruit the most talented entrepreneurs and managers in our region.

might not value too highly an agricultural parcel with a dead orchard on it or even a living almond orchard (given prices today) or -- let the saints preserve us? -- one more bankrupt dairy. California is tops in almond and dairy production as well as other fruit and vegetable crops. California is big in every way -- largest population, largest agricultural production in the nation. Since statehood, California leaders have preached the virtues of the largest economic scale possible. Now it is the state's greatest vulnerability.
Lawrence strokes his gypsy violin:

The real value of that capital is vaporizing with every drop of water that doesn't reach our land and every day that passes without a predictable picture of what those flows will look like in the future.

What venture capitalist Lawrence wants is a sure thing. Regardless of water rights, the amount of precipitation and the damage to the Delta's ecology and commercial fishery from over-pumping, he wants Westlands to be guaranteed a "predictable" flow of water even in drought years. To do this, west side federal water rights must be changed to accommodate the desires of Westlands farmers, suspension of the federal Endangered Species Act must be made a routine function of California precipitation, and the California commercial salmon fishery must be sacrificed so that Lawrence and his investors can find some growth potentials in Fresno commercial real estate. He must also blow up the San Joaquin River Settlement on the east side, caused by a federal court ruling that, according to environmental law, water must flow in the San Joaquin River from the east to the west side of the valley.
Presenting venture capital in the Valley as the pitiful victim of merciless environmental law and regulation, through the elegant simile of likening venture capital to the endangered natural resources, is a species of the corporate sentimental brutality practiced by the advertising and political propaganda industries slowly but surely overwhelming American democracy. Pity the poor capitalist, sayeth this bright, young thing: so much money and in so few hands in the aftermath of the Great Bust of the speculative real estate boom, the largest fraud capital ever pulled off in world history. Where are profits to be made now in this sea of toxic assets?
Lawrence expands his elegant simile:

Like a living system, the various segments of our economy are connected organically. As our capital base shrinks, so does financing, jobs, population, innovation and philanthropy.

There is nothing organic about the connection. The connection is financial credit, not rainfall, soil fertility or even organo-phosphates pesticides. It may look like there is a drought in credit today, but it is not driven by Nature; it is driven by a culture that accepted economic greed as the highest human virtue.
Badlands Journal editorial board
3-14-10
Fresno Bee
CASE LAWRENCE: Our Valley's economy is endangered...Case Lawrence. Case Lawrence, a Fresno native, is a venture capitalist and founder of CargoBay...3-13-10
http://www.fresnobee.com/2010/03/13/v-print/1858030/case-lawrence-our-valleys-economy.html
Like the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, our Valley economy is an especially fragile ecosystem and investment capital has long been our most endangered species. Although we have aspired to economic diversity, the truth is that most of our Valley's capital is still quietly tucked away in farms, orchards, F-150's and processing plants.
The real value of that capital is vaporizing with every drop of water that doesn't reach our land and every day that passes without a predictable picture of what those flows will look like in the future.
This is not just an ag problem. Like a living system, the various segments of our economy are connected organically. As our capital base shrinks, so does financing, jobs, population, innovation and philanthropy.
Start-ups don't get funded, homes don't get built, city budgets are decimated. Unlike Delta water, the negative fall-out from our capital devaluation will trickle down to every segment of our economy.
With 20% unemployment, things are bad already, but there is a growing danger that a unique combination of the housing market implosion, the national recession and the devaluation of our agricultural capital will create a perfect storm that deals a permanent knockout blow to our economy.
When a regional economy hits a tipping point, it can spiral downward into permanent depression and never fully recover. Detroit and New Orleans are poignant examples.
But when it comes to water, our fate is not yet cast. In a recent speech, U. S. District Judge Oliver Wanger made it clear that a solution can only come from Washington. That's bad news because it requires a fight the Valley is especially ill-prepared to wage.
Let's face it, the Valley is an orphan in national politics. It has become embarrassingly clear that local Democrats have absolutely no chops within the national party, the Obama administration, or even fellow caucus members; and lack of any current Republican power makes the leadership of Rep. Devin Nunes valiant, but currently insufficient.
Increasingly, the battle looks less Republican versus Democrat and more "Us" (the Valley) against "Them" (outside regional and environmental interests).
It seems that every day we are served up a fresh plate of condescension from a Bay Area politician or environmental special interest group intent on imposing their priorities upon our way of life without any regard for our basic economic health. Straight up: The Valley is being tread upon!
We have already exhausted our usual political playbook. The time has come to identify some form of bold and united community action that can create pressure in Washington and force movement in Congress.
Here's one idea: Fresno State should boycott the 2010 football season in unity with the "Green V" and to create national awareness of the Valley's plight. Sound dramatic? Then we are on the right track. So, too, will be the human cost if our local economy goes extinct.
The reality is that Fresno State is our only recognizable national franchise and the Green V our most unifying symbol. Even the timing would be perfect as the college season ramps up to crescendo just before the November elections.
Truth is, when the goal is awareness, sports boycotts can be stunningly effective. Read up on the 1936 Long Island hoops squad, the 1980 Olympics or Tommie Smith's 1968 medal stand salute.
Even the NFL is likely to face a boycott (strike) or lockout in 2011 over relatively silly issues like revenue sharing and guaranteed contracts.
Many will argue that a boycott would unfairly burden the university and the football program specifically. But be honest: Given Fresno State's history with athletic priorities, would publicity from a boycott in the name of human rights and regional economic survival be a bad thing for the university? Just asking.
More likely, coach Pat Hill and the entire football program would emerge as heroes and the Valley would stash away decades of political capital to fight off regional oppression in the future.