The Great California Exodus

Posted by Beachboy , Mon, Apr 23, 2012, 10:52:54  Reviews by BeachboyArchiveMain BigDoggie.net site
Great article in the WSJ and Joel Kotkin's analysis of the Californication going on in our most beautiful state. We knew that the place was going in the shitter, but I didn't realize it was happening so fast. Seems like the productive people are all moving to Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, and Utah. From the article:

"Now, however, the Golden State's fastest-growing entity is government and its biggest product is red tape. The first thing that comes to many American minds when you mention California isn't Hollywood or tanned girls on a beach, but Greece. Many progressives in California take that as a compliment since Greeks are ostensibly happier. But as Mr. Kotkin notes, Californians are increasingly pursuing happiness elsewhere.".....

".....And things will only get worse in the coming years as Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown and his green cadre implement their "smart growth" plans to cram the proletariat into high-density housing. "What I find reprehensible beyond belief is that the people pushing [high-density housing] themselves live in single-family homes and often drive very fancy cars, but want everyone else to live like my grandmother did in Brownsville in Brooklyn in the 1920s," Mr. Kotkin declares."....

According to Mr. Kotkin, these upwardly mobile families are fleeing in droves. As a result, California is turning into a two-and-a-half-class society. On top are the "entrenched incumbents" who inherited their wealth or came to California early and made their money. Then there's a shrunken middle class of public employees and, miles below, a permanent welfare class. As it stands today, about 40% of Californians don't pay any income tax and a quarter are on Medicaid.

"....It's "a very scary political dynamic," he says. "One day somebody's going to put on the ballot, let's take every penny over $100,000 a year, and you'll get it through because there's no real restraint. What you've done by exempting people from paying taxes is that they feel no responsibility. That's certainly a big part of it."....

I never thought that the Democrats could completely ruin such a beautiful place. No, they needed the Republicans to help them. Thanks, Arnold.

Beachboy
Related link: Joel Kotkin: The Great California Exodus

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