Biden Wants To 'Make America California.' Here's Why That's a Terrible Idea.
So many people are leaving the state that it will soon lose a congressional seat.

I was surprised to read [in the Los Angeles Times] that the Biden administration's "role model for America" is…California! He wants to "Make America California."
That's a terrible idea.
Californians now rush to move out of California.
Some hopeful folks still move there, but so many more leave that California now loses more than 10,000 citizens every month. In fact, the state will soon lose a congressional seat.
Why do Californians leave? "Exorbitant tax rates, high crime rates, the failing public school systems, the exorbitant cost of living," says reporter Kristen Tate in my new video.
So many Californians move away that there's now even a shortage of U-Hauls. Renting one to go from Los Angeles to Houston costs four times as much as it does to go from Houston to LA.
"People are just emptying out!" says Tate.
But this seems crazy. California has great weather and all kinds of natural advantages.
The state's politicians drive people away with bad policies.
Asked by Stossel TV whether it's a bad idea for President Joe Biden to "make the U.S. more like California," Governor Gavin Newsom's office replied with a statement saying, "Before the COVID pandemic, California saw job growth and record low unemployment."
Wow. Really?
Oh, it was a record for California. Before the pandemic, the state's unemployment was 12th worst in America. Now, it's 3rd worst.
The statement continues, "We remain the fifth largest economy in the world…home to 20 of Fortune's fastest growing companies."
But that only means California was hospitable to business years ago. Now Oracle, Tesla, and many other companies are moving operations to other states.
A big reason is California's onerous regulations. They make it hard to create anything new. It's also a reason housing costs so much.
California passed a law raising its minimum wage from $13 to $15 an hour. That's one reason many Californians can't find any legal work.
A good thing about America having 50 states is that when states fail, we can learn from their mistakes. People defeated by California's rules move to Nevada or Texas. But if the federal government adopts California's rules, where can we move?
The Congressional Budget Office says a national $15 minimum wage will help some people, but it will cost 1.4 million jobs.
Yet, Biden wants the higher minimum.
Biden's plan for America also includes a new version of Cash for Clunkers, the absurd program that once paid people to junk old cars. California has its own version, which the state claims helps reduce emissions.
"But most of the cars that were turned in were not even actively registered," says Tate. "It means they probably were just going to be scrapped anyway! These programs are failures…but they make environmentalists feel good."
Like California's "clean energy" rules. How long until all American motorists pay the $4 per gallon Californians pay? Or the $7 people pay in Norway and Denmark?
Biden also picked lots of Californians for his administration.
When Vice President Kamala Harris was San Francisco's district attorney, she oversaw 1,900 convictions for pot offenses. Yet, she's since joked about her own marijuana use. When the Biden administration fired staffers for using marijuana in the past, Harris was spared.
"Unfortunately, there's been a trend in the Biden administration of giving jobs to people who might check [race and gender] boxes," says Tate. "But they have horrendous track records."
Biden made Alejandro Mayorkas America's new secretary of Homeland Security even though he was cited by the inspector general for pressuring his staff to approve visas for politically powerful Democrats.
"In government, you always fail up," complains Tate.
The Los Angeles Times wrote that Biden wouldn't nominate California Labor Secretary Julie Su because "rampant levels of fraud scuttled [her] prospects." Biden then made her deputy secretary of labor.
"If we make America California," concludes Tate, "we are all going to be paying for it."
At least Californians can move to other states.
But I don't want to leave America.
COPYRIGHT 2021 BY JFS PRODUCTIONS INC.
Editor's Note: As of February 29, 2024, commenting privileges on reason.com posts are limited to Reason Plus subscribers. Past commenters are grandfathered in for a temporary period. Subscribe here to preserve your ability to comment. Your Reason Plus subscription also gives you an ad-free version of reason.com, along with full access to the digital edition and archives of Reason magazine. We request that comments be civil and on-topic. We do not moderate or assume any responsibility for comments, which are owned by the readers who post them. Comments do not represent the views of reason.com or Reason Foundation. We reserve the right to delete any comment and ban commenters for any reason at any time. Comments may only be edited within 5 minutes of posting. Report abuses.
Please
to post comments
I thought California was reason enough for why it's a bad idea to make America California.
[ PART TIME JOB FOR USA ] Making money online more than 15$ just by doing simple works from home. I have received $18376 last month. Its an easy and simple job to do and its earnings are much better than regular office job andASW even a little child can do this and earns money. Everybody must try this job by just use the info
on this page…. Visit Here
Actually, transforming this country into 50 Californias is exactly what Koch / Reason libertarians — especially our demand for open borders — will ultimately accomplish.
California has a racially diverse population, single-party Democratic government, and one of the highest poverty rates in the nation. What's not to love?
#LibertariansFor50Californias
And yet, Koch Industries is headquartered in.....Kansas.
#LibertariansFor49CaliforniasWhileHeadquarteringInKansas
Yes. A high immigration rate (high legal immigration rate + high illegal immigration + eventual amnesty) ultimately leads to more Democratic voters. And I'm assuming election fraud is a rare event.
According to liberal Californians moving out, the state’s problems were due to republicans.
I kid you not.
Do not let these sun-baked idiots vote in your states.
Too late. They're overwhelming the neighboring, much smaller (population wise) states as we speak. They're even going as far as TX.
It's like disciples going out amongst the masses to proselytize. It's like mold growing on a loaf of bread.
And, those other states have already seen the results!
They're doomed!
The rich ones won’t be moving to New York either.
California losing population for the first time since the 16th Centiry and the pandemics brought by the Conquistadors.
Most of California's American history has been exponential population growth.
Your namesake invented a new molecule yesterday. Sodium Dichloride, or NaCl2 - a molecule which cannot physically exist.
Nice try, big guy. The invention of NACL2 is clearly on your shoulders.
I can go dig up the comment where you said the dumb thing if you like.
Go ahead. And then go 1 comment up and see where you originally posted it.
Oh wow!
White Knight is such a fucking clown.
The Devolution of White Knight
1. The chemical formula for dihydrogen monoxide (water) is HO2.
2. Fights like hell despite being ridiculed by the commentariat.
3. Claims that H2O and HO2 are "technically the same"
4. Again, fights like hell.
5. "It was a typo"
6. It wasn't me, it was Tulpa.
7. Claims NaCl2 exists, even though there's no way to synthesize that molecule.
8. "I didn't say it, you said it!"
9. CACLLs
linky, please
The No-Fly List Is a Civil Liberties Nightmare
Towards the bottom:
The White Knight II: The White Knight Rises!
April.6.2021 at 11:47 am
Hey, it’s NACL2 Dude!
This is the first known claim of NaCl2's impossible existence.
Guys, I don't care about the politics, but don't talk about chemistry if you don't know what you're talking about. NaCl2- has been physically observed as a gas phase ion https://aip.scitation.org/doi/10.1063/1.478386
Not that diWhite Knightoxide knew this or anything but yall should google the chemistry before taking a stand.
Interesting factoid:
As a student of California history in the 1970s, we were told by a prof that, so many people these days want to go back to "living on the land". "They should note", he told us, "that at it's zenith before the white man came, the 'land' here in California was only able to support about 325,000 indigenous peoples statewide".
He wondered where all the "back to the landers' were planning to live self sufficiently.
As a Colorado resident, I can tell you that Californians do ruin everything. They are like upright, flightless, talking locust.
A local dispensary sells wildly popular t- shirts that say, "Nobody cares how you did it in Cali". They sell like hotcakes.
They don't just come from California, they bring California with them wherever they go. They constantly brag about the very place they had to leave. At no time do they consider that their stupid ideas are the reason that California is no longer habitable. They are too proud and too stupid to acknowledge that this state is now desirable only in the areas that they do not invade.
They don’t just come from California, they bring California with them wherever they go.
Allow me to point out that these are no more Californians than Gypsies are Egyptian. These are New Yorkers who came to California before they came to you.
New Yorkers.
They really are the worst people, I think.
every Yanks game @the Big A was a sellout in the late 80s
New Yorkers invade Maryland, too. And they really don’t have to. We already have the Peoples Republic or Montgomery County types, who flee from their own crime and high cost of living to recreate the same BS in counties like Frederick and Carroll. The people who want a quaint house in the country but freak out about the sound of guns and 4 wheelers, and the smell of working farms and quarries.
Cali should have sold t- shirts back in the thirties that said, “Nobody cares how you did it in Okie”.
We tried. Stienbeck even wrote a book about it. And, one of Henry Fonda's first movies was based on that book.
But, no luck.
I'll take the Okies anyday over the BLM types and their elitist supporters any day though. (Someone please insert a picture of the vice president here.)
Same here in Idaho. We recently had a town council meeting where an ex-Cali was complaining about open carry in public. Wanted "something" done. They look down on the locals because they generally have more money.
Where do you live in Idaho? The cool part(north of Lewiston) or the shithole Mormon part.
I'd rather have asshole Californians than southern idaho mormons.
Hey. I'm not fond of the Mormon faith but I've got to say, having spent some time in Southern Idaho and rural parts of Utah, they really are nice people and easy to get along with. Even if they reject my "liberal" ways. They don't reject me nor bother me about our differences. In fact, they shared with me freely.
Cuz they want to convert you.
Hey Bob:
Californian here. Fourth generation. Lifelong resident. Over 60 years old.
One of the things I can tell you about most Californians is that they are completely elitist when it comes to state of residence and look down on all other states.
Just the other day, my stepdaughter, who is white, about to marry a black man and has an adopted half white/black daughter told me how much she hated the south because they were so racist. We had just met her neighbor who was kind and genteel and from Alabama originally. And, he was black. My stepdaughter had commented on how nice he was and her mother and I pointed out that we had long ago noticed in our interactions and travels that most Southerners were in fact, very nice and polite.
When I asked her if she had ever been there she said no.
She bases here opinion on the stories of the Jim Crow south and the news stories from the 1960s civil rights actions there she has seen.
Want to trigger a Californian? Just tell them you like Texas. They'll start foaming at the mouth and go off about gun toting rednecks and that stupid governor of theirs. But, just like my stepdaughter, if you ask them if they've ever been there, they'll just quietly say "Nope. Don't need to. Have seen it on TV and in the news".
Talk about narrow minded bigots! We can make Archie Bunker look downright liberal!
"They don’t just come from California, they bring California with them wherever they go."
You nailed it perfectly.
You might be surprised to know that they even do that within CA itself.
I've spent a lot of time in the Gold Country and up in the Sierras in small towns. Have a few friends that are lifelong residents in those areas as well.
Over the years, lots of Bay Area residents have purchased second homes or outright retired to these beautiful, rural areas. They almost always say they are glad to get away from the Bay Are rat race.
And, just like you are seeing in CO, they start bitching about how things in their new place of residence are lacking compared to what they were used to. They want to import all the crap they left behind and were fleeing from..............that rat race.
From trouble free water services to public transit to 24 hour stores. They just have no concept of rural living. And, they lack any sense of self awareness to see the folly of their ways.
"Renting one to go from Los Angeles to Houston costs four times as much as it does to go from Houston to LA."
I think I've found my retirement job.
It is hard to find one in Chicago too. The "denizens of the ghetto" are renting them locally for looting sprees downtown.
UHAL at $616.30 per share. I bought 9 shares at $434.68. Up 40$ in 6 months. $249.5 52 week low.
I occasionally rent trailers from them so I do not need to buy a truck. Pull with my 2004 6 cylinder SUV when I need to move stuff. $15-$22 a day for me.
Here, in the Bay Area, when the flatlanders of Oakland go on burglary and looting sprees in the expensive hillside enclaves, we refer to that as them "going shopping". 🙂
get paid over $190 per hour working from home with 2 kids at home. i never thought i'd be able to do it but my best friend earns over 15k a month doing this and she convinced me to try. the potential with this is endless.....www.scansweb.com
>I was surprised
this is not something requiring reading between the lines, John
Jimmy Buffett said it all on the song "Fruitcakes": "They riots, fires, and mudslides! They got sushi in the mall! Waterfalls! Brontosaurs! Chinese Modern Lust! Shake and Bake like Quiff and Quake! The secret's in the crust!..."
Thanks Joe Biden, "America Is Back!" Back of the line about 30 paces behind Zimbabwe
It already is.
Clusters of scumbag progressives making rules for everyone.
Single party rule.
Failed public sector.
Facist government dictates over the private sector
When the Biden administration fired staffers for using marijuana in the past, Harris was spared.
"Harrumph! Unlike those staffers, she was elected by The People!"
Serious question: How many of those staffers were Black?
SleepyJoe is too racist to have black staffers.
It's only a matter of time before Biden pardons Leland "Machine Gun" Yee and appoints him to SCOTUS.
It only took two months and reason worries that maybe Biden is not the guy they hoped for.
It sounds like an accusation—as in: “c’mon, face it! Biden just wants to turn the whole country into California!” And his media hacks rolling their eyes as they moan about “We are so sick of the right wing claim that Biden wants to do that!” But no, they’re not just saying it, they’re boasting about it. Scary, very scary. —Posted from Sunnyvale, California (HELP!!!!!)
I love Stossel. But, I have to be disappointed here.
The leaving CA meme is so overblown. Simple arithmetic will explain.
Total population of CA = 40,000,000
Net Pop loss per month = 10,000
Percentage change = 0.025%
Completely and utterly insignificant other than this is the first time in CA history that there has been a net outflow of any amount.
As a lifelong resident, watching the state's population more than double in my lifetime, I only wish a mass exodus were true.
And the Tesla/Oracle/HP leaving CA is also grossly overstated. Hasn't anyone noticed that Tesla is continuing to expand their Fremont plant during all this BS about leaving CA? And, Larry Elison hasn't exactly sold all his expensive RE in CA. Plus, hasn't his focus been on that Hawaiian Island he owns?
It is sure to be short lived. As reflected on the ongoing, ridiculous bubble in housing prices brought to you by Fed policies of guaranteed low interest rates. And, very soon to burst once again.
I have little doubt I could get $1M for my house within 30 days should I list it. In the meantime, I'm attempting to buy a 1/3 acre property nearby with a run down shack on it to use as a giant garage and garden for myself. It's listed at $325. Offers are due by next Monday. And, based on the level of interest, I can see it going for north of $400,000.
As my old bumper sticker says, "Welcome to California. Now, go home!".
Sorry Stossel, I expect better from you.
My neighborhood is all 1-acre lots. Recently, a developer built prefabs on half a dozen lots -- the first homes built here in about 20 years. All of them sold while still being assembled. All of the new owners came from California.
You say that the population doubled within your lifetime? It has gone from 10 million to 40 million in MY lifetime, and now is losing 10,000 people per month, despite the influx of illegal aliens settling there. That's a pretty significant reversal, don't you think?
A friend of mine recently moved from California. He was unable to reserve a U-Haul for a one-way move to be done on the week that he wanted it -- none available -- so he flew to his destination state, got a driver's license there, then rented a truck for a LOCAL move. He drove that truck to his old home in Cali, loaded it up, drove to his new home and turned the truck back in at the agent in the new town. He then flew back to Cali and picked up his car. He paid LESS to do this (including the extra miles and fuel) than he would have paid for the one-way rental that he had originally planned.
Thank goodness people are leaving California! Overpopulation has ruined it since I first arrived here 50 years ago. You need reservations just to park for day visits at parks and wildlands where you used to be able to casually drop by, camp, and commune quietly with nature. Silicon Valley wealth has made the Bay Area unaffordable for normal working people; let the e-moguls disperse to other more affordable corners of the country! Stossel neglected two other huge factors that have ruined quality of life here - the flood of homeless people, and the ongoing visible degradation of the environment aggravated by overpopulation and climate change. Anyone who has lived through the last few years of unprecedented wildfires and droughts can tell the time is coming when there won't be any redwoods, otters, abalones or kelp forests left here, though fortunately I won't live to see it.
Man, Reason is all about "the economic cost" and such except when it comes to California being like the 5th largest economy IN THE WORLD.
It has issues but acting as if it's all terrible is pretty dumb. I mean, where would the majority of people rather live- a democratic ran California or a republican Alabama? The results already speak for themselves.
What's so terrible about California? There's:
* De facto open borders
* Shooting up drugs on the streets of San Francisco
* Lots and lots of cheap labor for all those billionaires
* Big capitalist corporations have the freedom to cancel anyone they want
Sounds like a Reason paradise!
Making money online more than 15$ just by doing simple work from home. I have received $18376 last month. Its an easy and simple job to do and its earnings BVC are much better than regular office job and even a little child can do this and earns money. Everybody must try this job by just use the info
on this page.....VISIT HERE
Touche'!