How wealthy people have made California beautiful


As a history adventurer, I like to look at things from various points of view. Big or small, rich or poor, celebrities or nobodies (like me) all matter to me. And oddly enough, a point of view I don't hear much about is wealthy people who have made California beautiful, and continue to do so. I'll see if I can explain.

To me, it all depends on your definition of wealth. Speaking for myself, when I first moved to California, and wanted to register my car there, I found that I couldn't unless a particular part was replaced, which was part of the anti-pollution controls that the previous owner of my car had removed. My question was simple, "What if I couldn't afford it?" And the answer was just as simple, "Then you can't drive that car in California." And that was my introduction of how money was used in California for beautification - this case, air quality. Of course a lot of people don't see it that way, they see it as just part of a conspiracy, man, with government lining their pockets. When those people start ranting, I just smile gently, and ease away.

We all know about the cliche rich and greedy person who is so obsessed with attaining more wealth that they destroy everything around them, in search for the all mighty dollar. And yes, there are a lot of people like that, but I've never different types of wealthy people. I've met people who have made a lot of money and want to live in a beautiful place, with clean air, and safe places for their children to play. These are the people who seem to be kind of like old hippies, that you would never suspect were outrageously wealthy when you meet and talk to them on a hiking trail.

These people aren't just interested in increasing their bank balance, they want to live in a California that they enjoy. They want open spaces left open, and are willing to donate large sums to get them. They're the people who quietly buy up large chunks of land ostensibly as investment property, and then do nothing with them.

If you've ever become angered about a place that you love becoming ugly, and you wonder why "they" don't do anything about it, there really is a "they", and they do.
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