Such a thing as society

A friend from interstate warned us that if we wanted to come and stay we’d need our own car - there’s no public transport where he lives because of budget cuts. He also said that if we wanted to go into State Archives, it’s only open one day a week (more budget cuts). As for Oakland, a lot of the pavements around here don’t seem to have been fixed since the 30s – I know because they’re dated. I wonder if many Americans realise that this sort of shabbiness reflects on civic pride? But what can be done about it? The Constitution mandates low taxes. Apparently.
On Saturday, we drove down to San Luis Obispo, down the Royal Way, the 'camino real', lined with bells, the route the monks took when they established all the missions. It was a great cultural experience. At one point, probably around Greenfield, where asparagus and lettuce fills the distance, we had the choice of six FM stations broadcasting in Spanish. I enjoyed listening to them in the hope of learning something. ‘Cinque cento uno? Aha, 501!’ At a roundabout in Morro Bay, as we sat behind an SUV sporting a Central Coast Tea Party bumper bar sticker, I saw a ‘Volunteer Police Vehicle’. Are things really that bad?  But then, as we drove into San Luis Obispo I saw a banner advertising the Civic Ballet of San Luis Obispo’s production of The Firebird. It strikes me that all these towns have quite impressive arts organisations. Sacramento has a Philharmonic and an Opera. Santa Rosa and San Jose have Symphonies. As one of the local CEOs told me it’s one of the first things that is established in a town - a symphony and a chorus. And they’re mostly all financed by private donation. The donor lists are huge.
I noticed driving back up to San Simeon that there is a program called Adopt-a-Highway. Part of the highway north of Cambrio was funded by the San Luis Obispo Republican Party. The next sector was funded by the employees of Hearst’s Castle. Is this how it’s meant to be done?  Great institutions and facilities funded by people and organisations voluntarily deciding where to allocate their funds? But how do you ensure funds are distributed where they’re desperately needed? And isn’t there a shortfall? There just doesn’t seem to be sufficient private funding to fix all potholes. What’s heartening however is that there is apparently a desire to contribute, regardless of the attitude to private and public funding.