(From the L.A. Times) Last week brought a blizzard of polling on how Californians feel about their government and the economy. In two words: dislike and despair. The fine print suggested we should save a little distaste for ourselves.

A survey by the Public Policy Institute of California found that, overwhelmingly, Californians want themselves — not the governor or the Legislature — to be in charge of big budget matters.

It also found that, even more overwhelmingly, Californians haven’t a clue where the state gets its money or how it spends it — basic essentials for people who want to run the show. This is, of course, after years of headlines and hand-wringing about California’s fiscal crisis, budget cutbacks, IOUs and the potential for one of the world’s biggest economies to go belly up.

Read more here: Ignorance bites California in the wallet