CENTRAL VIEW for Monday, January 17, 2022

Suppy chain blocked? Blame the Caliban

In normal times, Container Ships coming to America’s West Coast head for the Los Angeles Port Complex that includes Long Beach and San Pedro (pronounced peed-dro), which is used mainly by cruise ships.

The container ships line up at either L.A. or Long Beach and wait for hours for their turn at the unloading Cranes. Problem One: Not enough land can be added to support more Cranes. Even though the Port of L.A. encompasses 7,500 acres, environmental restrictions imposed by the Caliban (AKA the state, county, and local governments of California), act to prevent the addition of more Crane-supporting hardstand.

Next, big semi-trailer trucks line up to receive their Containers (called "Cans" in the trade). Problem Two: The shortage of Cranes means the truckers spend many hours waiting for their Cans. The Union-Member Truckers are paid by the hour. They don’t mind so much sitting in their cabs listening to the radio or playing games on their smart phones. The Independent Truckers are not paid by the hour. They cannot afford to wait in long lines. They go elsewhere to earn a living.

Problem Three: Only trucks that are in strict compliance with the environmental standards imposed by the Caliban may enter the Port of L.A. For many truckers, the Port of L.A. requirements are too expensive . They don’t comply.

But sometimes there is a costly and time-consuming workaround: Trucks that meet the Caliban enviro-standards will take their Cans from the L.A. Ports to a neighboring state where a small Crane is waiting to put their Cans on trucks that do not meet the Caliban standards. Of course, all these added costs must be paid by the ultimate consumer of the goods. Higher fuel prices caused by President Biden’s* abandonment of President Trump’s energy policies cause some truckers to park their trucks and stay home.

But wait, there’s more: For Americans living west of the Mississippi River, most of their fresh fruits and vegetable come from land occupied by the Caliban. Problem Four: To pick up fruits and vegetable and any goods in Caliban-occupied land, Truckers must wear masks and be tested for Covid. Those who test positive for Covid can be quarantined in place for several days of lost wages. Many truckers refuse to wear masks or be tested over and over. Consequently, many truckers refuse to work under the Caliban.

Meanwhile, American consumers are seeing gaps in grocery shelves. The added expenses imposed by the Caliban are passed on to the consumer as higher and higher food prices.

So, there you have it. A man-made supply-chain crisis. The last truly Republican governor of California was Pete Wilson who left office in 1999. With the exception of Gov. Schwarzenegger’s wacky eight-year reign, the liberal Caliban have been and remain in control of California.

Having crapped in their own mess kits, as we military say, thousands of Californians have had enough of Caliban rule and are fleeing to the conservative Red States. Pray those refugees leave their Caliban politics behind and won’t turn the Red States to crappy Blue States.

*Election increasingly disputed.

Suggested reading: Harbor Nocturne by Joseph Wambaugh, 2018.

©2022. William Hamilton.

Dr. Hamilton can be contacted at:

Email: william@central-view.com