79-14-B2
- Main Page \ Reagan Radio Commentaries \ 1979
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California[edit]
Transcript[edit]Those who love California have had a hard time lately fighting an unattractive image that has come upon the Golden State in the closing weeks of summer. First there were the long lines at the gas stations dutifully shown on nationwide television. Some commentators had a field day with that one. Californians were portrayed as gas greedy road hogs in a panic at the prospect of not being able to drive in their usual profligate way. It was pretty hard to get the truth across that on a per driver basis Californians averaged less mileage per month than their fellow Americans in Maryland, Virginia, and even in the limited area of the District of Columbia. It was even harder to convince the Department of Energy that basing California's gasoline allocations on the 1972 census was an error of sizeable proportions. California has some four million more automobiles than it did in 1972. But it was nature that give California its latest pasting. In a spell of weather not experienced in more than half a century a heat wave settled on the state. The cooling ocean breezes off the Pacific stayed well out in the Pacific. The nights, which even in summer are usually 20 to 30 degrees cooler than daytime temperatures, stayed at almost the same level as the baking days. Born of the heat, an inversion layer settled in at 400 feet. And since the mountains surrounding Los Angeles are higher than 400 feet the smog just piled up under that inversion layer until the air was thick enough to stir with a spoon. Then, and also born of the heat, brush fires started, adding billowing smoke and ashes to the smog. Well, the heat wave broke, the inversion layer lifted, the fires were doused as they always are and apparently the crisis was over. The Trojans of Southern California were rated the Number one football team in the nation and things seemed to be pretty normal. This came the unkindest blow of all. One of the summer sports most Californians are denied is swatting mosquitos. Oh - there are a few places where the little monsters can be found - when Spring comes to the High Sierra, for example, but certainly not in Southern California. That is - until this very unusual year. Now the San Diego area-particularly the community of Imperial Beach-has been invaded by swarms of large, economy size "skeeters." Like the plot of a horror film the source of the plague has been located. It is several hundred acres of swamp in Tia Juana river estuary. So you say -- like in those same movies -- "happy ending". But no -- the federal government is in the cast of this story and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuses to allow (on environmental grounds) spraying of the swamp. Meanwhile the humans in the area are being eaten alive. But never sell California short. The Mayor of Imperial Beach has declared the swamp will be sprayed even if it means going to jail. And he has declared he'll be at the nozzle of the first sprayer-jail or no jail. This is Ronald Reagan. Thanks for listening. |
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