California in 2021 is a progressive dream come true (2 of 2)

Progressives like AOC will often complain about Republican obstructionism.

If Republicans couldn’t oppose our agenda, we could implement the changes needed to make America more equitable and prosperous etc.

The reality is that we don’t have to wait until the Democrats have a filibuster proof Senate Majority to know what their progressive dream actually looks like – for that, we can just look at the great state of California. 

California has a Democratic governor and a super majority Democratic legislature coupled with a whole slew of billionaires from Hollywood to Silicon Valley who keep the state bluer than blue with their political donations. California in other words is what happens when you wipe out Republican opposition and replace it with the benign rule of progressive plutocrats.

So, how did all that turn out?

The answer is quite terribly.

It starts with crime, an issue that disproportionately impacts the young and poor. Prior to the pandemic, California was ranked 12th in violent crime per capita (despite having the 6th highest GDP per capita). As progressive policing policies accelerated in the aftermath of George Floyd, crime and civil disorder have soared faster than the national average – homicides are up an astounding 50% year over year in Los Angeles (see here).

Beyond violent crime, California is seeing rising social disorder which is best exemplified by the homeless population, which is now almost 3x the national average (see here). From 2005 to 2020, Miami, Phoenix and Houston (all warm weather cities) saw their per capita homelessness decline by 39, 17 and 74% respectively while San Francisco’s soared by 34%. This is entirely due to progressive policies like de-criminalizing drugs and disempowering police departments – which allows homeless access to cheap drugs and no bothersome cops. San Francisco now has the 4th highest drug overdose rate of any major city – rising 8-fold on a per capita basis since 1985.

The homeless problems are further compounded by the progressive resistance to shelters. Progressive advocates like Jennifer Friedenbach of the Coaltion on Homelessness view them as “demeaning” – preferring longer term housing solutions instead – “everyone deserves a granite countertop” is literally a rallying cry. As a result, San Francisco suffers the highest rate of unsheltered homeless of any major city according to San Franci-sick: Why Progressives Ruin Cities. And even if presented with a home, many homeless turn them down – as it takes them away from their easy access to drugs.

The problems for California don’t stop with crime and disorder.  As this NY Times piece points out, progressive policy makers have also layered in a housing crisis by making housing very unaffordable through onerous zoning restrictions.

A perfect example of this comes from the city of Palo Alto, which is both incredibly rich and incredibly liberal. Like much of California, it is zoned almost exclusively for single family homes – which keeps the density low and continuously appreciates the current housing stock. The town recently looked to take a tiny two-acre parcel of land and re-zone it for an affordable housing complex. This small move triggered a massive political protest with the progressive rich folks of Palo Alto eventually succeeding in killing this proposal (see here).

If you can avoid getting shot and failing behind on escalating rent, your next hurdle is dealing with California’s tax regime. California has the highest income tax rate in the US (see here). If you’re a rich plutocrat, most of your wealth accumulates tax free in your house or the stock market. You don’t care if your state makes life hard for a W2 earner.

What if you want to forget about earning a wage and build a business instead? Then you contend with some of the most onerous regulations when it comes to hiring and firing workers. Today, California is the most heavily regulated state in the country (see here). The birthplace of Hollywood and Silicon Valley is now seeing businesses depart at an accelerating rate (see here).

With all these head winds, what is a young ambitious person to do?

The answer is simply leave and that is exactly what they are doing.

For the first time in California state history, more people are leaving than coming (see here). California is becoming Detroit with nicer weather – a once prosperous place that has become down right blighted due to well-meaning progressive policies.

One would think that watching a disaster such as this unfold in real time would trigger some questioning, but we still are not seeing a backlash by the woke revolutionaries against these progressive plutocrats – instead they are focusing their energies on trying to cancel John Wayne.  

Their revolution, in other words, is confused.

For our nation’s elite, it is better that it stay that way.