Posted on 04/28/2025 2:58:31 AM PDT by delta7
20% of Japan makes stuff.
California is an “air ball” of paper castles, but does grow people food.
World’s fourth-largest economy and still can’t pay it’s debts begging the feds for nearly money for everything.
Panhandling the feds is the only thing keeping the state going.
Drugs are not cheap!
Fourth largest economy and is bankrupt.
Not for long as Texas (54) will eclipse Cali in the very near future. Most likely Gruesome Newsome trying to look good for the upcoming 2028 election... LOL.
Apple, Google, Facebook, Nvidia, etc., have created a staggering amount of wealth. The beneficiaries of this wealth are willing to pay a premium, essentially tribute money, for the privilege of living there. Their wealth also shields them from much of the crime and dysfunction in the state.
"California Becomes World’s Fourth Largest Economy"
Given unconstitutional federal domestic and foreign spending and debt for decades imo, I question largest economy statistics.
"Congress is not empowered to tax for those purposes which are within the exclusive province of the States." —Justice John Marshall, Gibbons v. Ogden, 1824.
“If the tax be not proposed for the common defence, or general welfare, but for other objects, wholly extraneous, (as for instance, for propagating Mahometanism among the Turks, or giving aids and subsidies to a foreign nation, to build palaces for its kings, or erect monuments to its heroes,) it would be wholly indefensible upon constitutional principles [emphases added].” — Justice Joseph Story, Commentaries on the Constitution 2 (1833).
The 16th Amendment (direct taxes) is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for organized crime imo, and needs to be repealed along with the 17th Amendment, popular voting for federal senators.
We'll call the repeal amendment Trump's Boston Tea Party II Amendment.
As more and more businesses flee the state or just shut down, this will rapidly drop and I mean quickly. 2 refineries are shutting down as we speak and I expect more to follow as CA has banned gas cars in a few years.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.