Just a point of clarification here. The cost of living in California is very high, but California does not have the highest tax burden of all U.S. states (that’s New York), and the elevated tax rate that we do have is for many things, including a strong (if sometimes inefficient, e.g. the state unemployment department) social safety net. California has problems, and they stem from overpopulation of the coastal areas, which, coupled with poor local and state public policy, has created a housing crisis. I don’t disagree with the spirit of the post, I just have to correct the record when people try to attribute California’s woes to the state’s progressive tax system when they often aren’t related. It’s the citizens of California themselves, in individual communities, who consistently oppose proposed multi-family housing solutions and policies that favor those solutions when they are presented as an option in the communities. And they do the same with proposed homeless shelters; you will see this in communities that are comprised primarily of Democrats and in communities made up mostly of Republicans. Once people achieve their dream, they see others attempts to achieve theirs, or to merely survive (in the case of the homeless), as a threat.
People want to live here, or at least they did for decades, and public policy concerning housing never caught up. So if you’re thinking about moving here, or if you’re considering leaving, just know that while costs of living are high, little of those costs have to do with the state’s revenue structure. It’s because of you and your choice to live here, or others and their desire to prevent you from living here.
Colby |
El Centro, CA |
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