I'm a fan of NBC's "The Office." But my blood boiled while watching last night's episode.
The problem was a throwaway line delivered by Steve Carell, who plays Michael Scott, the office's leader. Scott spends the episode engaged in a contest with one of his employees to see which man is smarter. Other staffers offer to help prep Scott about subjects, including politics.
Scott replies that he knows politics and then, in a poor Schwarzenegger impression, says, "California is bankrupt."
No, it isn't!
Profitable California-based businesses -- and "The Office" qualifies as one -- should stop telling people that the state is broke when, as we've noted here, it's wealthy. The state government has problems that are mostly of its own making, but it's not going to declare bankruptcy or default on its obligations. If "The Office" staff is worried about this, they should use their celebrity to argue for higher state taxes on rich people such as themselves.
