Comments on California's Plight

We have heard a great deal about California's budget and revenue problems at the state government level recently. Government spending is clearly out of control. But there are other problems as well. The 29 August - 4 September issue of the Economist, notes that

Byzantine regulations, high and complex taxes and legislative gridlock are driving out businesses, while high personal taxes are driving out the rich and a disintegrating social safety net is pushing away the poor.

The Milken Institute reports that California is losing its manufacturing industries to such states as Arizona, Nevada, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Oregon, Texas, and Washington. It says that California would have had to create another 1.2 million jobs between 2000 and 2007 than it did to have maintained its population relative to that of the rest of the United States. Total migration to California has been positive since 1996 due to foreign immigrants, but the state has a net outward migration of U.S. citizens.

The biggest single reason for this is housing affordability, but housing costs are so high because the same socialist/environmentalist cabal that is causing California's other problems is causing the limited land available for housing to rise in cost to unholy heights. The poorer citizens are the most likely to leave the state. 1.73 households paying little in taxes are leaving for each such new low income household entering the state. Among the richest state citizens, 1.09 households are leaving for each household arriving.

Is the real socialist/environmentalist aim to cause the poor to leave your state and move to another state? Environmentalists do seem to be very fond of wishing for population reduction! If so, they are apparently succeeding in California.