Surprise surprise, a comment thread about one of my favorite people ever going moving out of state turned into a slapfight confusing and conflating a bunch of terms.
- Is California socialist? No.
- Is socialism always inept and bureaucratic? No.
- Does having things like a competent government-funded health system mean you're a socialist country? No.
- Is California using a fucked up system of wannabe-socialist bureaucracy watered-down and ineptly run by plutocrats? Yes.
Anyway, now that we can all agree on that last item: Helmut and Linda are amazing, and frankly I wish they'd been charging way more money for their services. Last year I finally achieved my dream of buying a Helimot suit (snuck in just before the deadline), and honestly for the quality I would've paid at least a grand more. For a full custom suit of the quality he makes . . . it's unreal. I'll miss stopping by the shop at the end of a Palomares or Mines Road run and shooting the shit. I wish them the best of luck and will be buying at least a couple pairs more gloves before they go.