SHOCKER: Californians Leaving the State in Droves

There are some discoveries that shock us and create a paradigm shift for humanity.

The sun as the center of our solar system; the power of the atom; Bruce Jenner becoming a woman…some things just shock us to our core and change the way we look at the world around us.

Perhaps the least shocking discovery this week is that Californians are fleeing their state in droves.

According the Census Bureau, over 138,000 Californians fled the state for more affordable “pastures” like Texas, Nevada and Arizona. The situation is so bad even outlets like CNBC have been forced to report on the exodus.

Based on the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey data, “lower income Californians are the ones who are leaving, not higher income,” said Christopher Thornberg, founding partner of research and consulting firm Beacon Economics in Los Angeles.

He said housing is the chief reason people are leaving California, pointing out there are frequently bidding wars for what limited inventory of homes is available.

A USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times Poll of Californians last fall found that the high cost of living, including housing, was the most important issue facing the state. It also found more than half of Californians wanted to repeal the state’s new gas tax, which raised fees by 40 percent.

“The rate at which California has been losing people to other states has accelerated in the past couple of years, in part because of rising housing costs,” said Jed Kolko, chief economist with employment website Indeed.com.

Of particular interest is the note that higher income Californians are staying put. Poorly thought-out liberal policies almost always lead to a greater gap between the rich and poor, squeezing out the middle class. There is no place in America more imprisoned by poorly thought-out than California. Alarmingly, the housing crisis and oppressive tax structure is leading to a situation where the only people who can afford life there are those too rich to care about taxes or too poor to care about taxes.

Everyone else is just a freeloader, according to Governor Jerry Brown. They can fend for themselves.

Recently the California legislature passed a 40% gas tax increase in the dead of night, with several Republicans flipping in exchange for public funds for their districts. When citizen activist groups moved to repeal the lawmakers who betrayed their constituents, the legislature once again underhandedly passed new legislation limiting the ability of voters to repeal and raising the qualifications for the repeal process.

California has also been experiencing a rise in crime due to a new law that releases violent criminals back into the population to ease prison overcrowding. In addition, the state provides funding for illegal immigrants to retain legal services, get driver’s licenses, and go to college for free…all as they openly defy federal law with their “sanctuary state” status.

In short, the government of California has become openly hostile to it’s own taxpayers. It is no surprise so many have left and more are desperate to leave.

California native Melissa Mann says her family could no longer ignore the opportunity for a better lifestyle elsewhere.

We left California because my husband could get a better job with better pay. We bought a house with 3300 sq feet that was 80 percent LESS than a house where we lived in California. We have a back yard now! Gas prices are less, grocery prices are less. And the most important reason? We no longer run the California rat race of keeping up with everyone else. It is great!

In an informal Facebook poll (aren’t they all) many Californians replied that they’d already packed up and left after rising housing costs forced out. Still others said they are desperate to move and just waiting for the opportunity. After all, moving isn’t cheap and when you’re living paycheck to paycheck it can be a daunting task.

In other underreported news, water is wet.

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