| Paradise Lost: California's Experience, America's Future Contributor(s): Schrag, Peter (Author) |
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ISBN: 1565843576 ISBN-13: 9781565843578 Publisher: New Press OUR PRICE: $22.50 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: April 1998 Annotation: In the years after World War II, California, always regarded as an experiment for the American future, became an encouraging model for the nation. It was admired and envied for the quality of its education system, its environment, and its progressive social outlook. However, beginning with the passage of the tax-cutting Proposition 13 in 1978, and continuing through a barrage of voter initiatives, the state has pursued a determined course of retrenchment and reaction, sending it tumbling to the bottom of the nation's "quality of life" rankings. In Paradise Lost, Peter Schrag examines the relationship between the politics of that retrenchment and the great demographic changes of recent decades. His book makes a powerful case for reinvigorating our traditional structures of representative government against the increasing power of a "populism" that is often disdainful of minority rights and interests. It shows that California is still a test for the nation, and a frightening indicator of our society's readiness to assimilate and serve its new citizens. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Political Science | American Government - State - Political Science | Public Policy - Social Services & Welfare |
| Dewey: 320.979 |
| LCCN: 97030790 |
| Physical Information: 1.44" H x 6.48" W x 9.57" (1.49 lbs) 344 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - 1980's - Chronological Period - 1990's - Cultural Region - Western U.S. - Cultural Region - West Coast - Geographic Orientation - California |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: In the years after World War II, California, always regarded as an experiment for the American future, became an encouraging model for the nation. It was admired and envied for the quality of its education system, its environment, and its progressive social outlook. However, beginning with the passage of the tax-cutting Proposition 13 in 1978, and continuing through a barrage of voter initiatives, the state has pursued a determined course of retrenchment and reaction, sending it tumbling to the bottom of the nation'squality of life ratings. In Paradise Lost, Peter Schrag examines the relationship between the politics of that retrenchment and the great demographic changes of recent decades. His book makes a powerful case for reinvigorating our traditional structures of representative government against the increasing power of populism that is often disdainful of minority rights and interests. It shows that California is still a test for the nation, and a frightening indicator of our society's readiness to assimilate and serve its new citizens. |