Is California Over?
Why the Golden State is losing people, business, and a congressional seat
For well over a century, California was synonymous with the American dream. By the early 1960s, it had become the most populous state in the country. Now its population is declining for the first time in recorded history.
The reasons behind California's decline aren't hard to fathom.
California ranks 8th in combined state and local tax burdens, forcing residents to kick in an effective rate of 11.5 percent of their income just for being alive. What do they get in return? Public schools that rank 37th in the country, insanely expensive housing, rolling blackouts, and power shortages. An above-average violent crime rate and the nation's highest poverty rate.
Gov. Gavin Newsom faces a recall election in the fall partly due to his hypocrisy regarding his own stringent lockdown rules. Rather than grapple with his state's sinking status, he has chosen instead to deny reality.
As California loses a congressional seat, Texas is picking up two; demographers predict it may become the most populous state by 2045. Texas may not have the beaches, the forests, the celebrities, or the glamour. It'll just have the jobs, the companies, the forward momentum, and the people.
Produced by Regan Taylor; written and narrated by Nick Gillespie.
Music Credit: "You Wanted so Much More Than That—Instrumental," by Assaf Ayalon
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