California’s tragic death spiral

That such a state – blessed not only by nature, but by the drive and ingenuity of many of its residents, past and present – should continue unabated in its headlong rush to disaster, will surely be a matter for sociologists to study for decades to come. Joel Kotkin sadly shakes his head over California’s infatuation with economic and political suicide:

California's dominant ruling class—consisting of public-employee unions, green jihadis, and Democratic machine politicians—has no real use for science as Gilman saw it: as a way to create prosperity for its citizens. Instead, the prevailing credo of the state has been how to do everything possible to return to its pre-settlement condition, with little regard for what that means to the average Californian.

And how are many Californians reacting? As you would expect - by voting with their feet:

Many Californians who aren't slumbering are moving out of the state—and not only the pathetic remains of the old Reaganite majority. According to the most recent census, those leaving the state include old boomers, middle-aged families, and increasingly, many Latinos as well. Outmigration rates from places like Los Angeles and the Bay Area now rival those of such cities as Detroit.

There are few examples in American history that so strongly underscore the destructiveness of leftist utopianism and heavy-handed government as modern-day California. Whether the state will prove to be an object lesson, or a template, for the rest of the country remains to be seen.