Posted on 07/03/2014 7:06:13 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
For the past six years, the Tax Foundation's "State Business Climate Index" has named California 48th in the nation. CEO Magazine has placed it dead last for the past eight years in its "Best and Worst States for Business" rankings. The causes of California's business climate struggles are well-documented: high, overly complicated, and numerous taxes, expensive property, increasing energy costs, burdensome labor and environmental regulations, and a state legislature indifferent to business concerns, among others.
So, when rankings like CNBC's show California more competitive, it raises questions. Why? And is there hope for California? While most rankings look narrowly at a few specific areas (for instance, the Tax Foundation looks just at state taxes), rankings like CNBC's "America's Top States for Business" examine the business climate more broadly including all the components a business might evaluate before making location decisions.
Released last week, CNBC's 2014 rankings, which encompass ten categories - cost of doing business, economy, infrastructure, workforce, quality of life, technology and innovation, business friendliness, education, cost of living, and access to capital - put California at #32; still in the bottom half, but at least not in the bottom ten where California typically finds itself.
However, the better score isn't necessarily cause for celebration. Examining both California's category ranks and trends since before the Great Recession (in 2007, California ranked 28th overall), shows weaknesses for the Golden State, particularly in areas on which the state has historically relied. 2007 ranks are used as the baseline since the recession has forced companies to be even more discerning when assessing locations in which to do business.
(Excerpt) Read more at realclearmarkets.com ...
“My sister (who owns a small restaurant in CA) was in tears yesterday because the minimum wage went up a dollar. She will close this year.”
She should tape a large poster inside the windows of her vacant establishment explaining why she closed. “Closed due to state-imposed wage controls. Enjoy your unemployment!”
Fantastic idea.
I hope not! Spoken by a life-long resident of the tottering state.
Regardless, I know history will marvel at how long California lasted in its (relatively) brief fling with the "Idiocracy," some might even say "Mobocracy."
You are welcome.
She obviously realized that CA the home for nuts and fruits was the place to be, Maryland must have been too stable for her.
Have you greenies outlawed cars yet?
What I love about CA is you folks weigh energy down with huge taxes, then put on price controls to make it ‘affordable’
Then when the lights shut off because you cant just set your own price you blame the oil companies.
Fruits and nuts!
It takes some serious thought and reflection to understand how such a great state, literally, blessed by nature could end up so screwed up and still survive this long.
Much of California is blessed with mild temperate climate, in addition to the thousand-mile coast, to high deserts and snow-covered mountains.
On the negative side, it developed areas of very high business concentrations, mostly small, but many very large, generating enormous amounts of tax revenue. Up to now these large corporations and other businesses, simply ignored whatever tax rates the had to pay, with the simple expedient of passing it on to their clients. San Francisco and Los Angeles were accidentally the first such concentrations, and, to a lesser extent, the Sacramento area. But this historical accident has its limit too. Imagine the Bank of America and the Transamerica pyramid, with "for lease" signs all over them. It's just a matter of time.
In the meantime, the millions in suburbia dependent on these businesses enjoy the fallout of benefits.
The charities in San Francisco can't spend their share of taxes fast enough. Shower buses for the homeless and the palaces that the SPCA has built for itself are just the most egregious examples. But there are many more. In Los Angeles, multiculturalism and egalitarianism play the major role; the parasite cultures.
Meanwhile, the remainder of the state is literally falling apart, both physically and economically. The central Valleys, once producing 80% of all the fresh vegetables consumed in the entire country has largely reverted to desert, all to protect a pretty useless fish. Dams, which made the valleys bloom, and developed over a hundred years by rational people with a view of the future (no longer considered 'hip') have been destroyed as sacrifices to environmental gods, with a relatively small human price.
National and state environmental laws were created at an age when "people," human beings, was their most essential consideration. Over the years, this fundamental goal was perverted, and people became the least important consideration of all. We are surrounded by the results. Astronomical unemployment, choked highways, uncertain water supplies to deal with survival and health (yes sewage treatment is an essential human need, too.)
All to allow the least rational and creative in the local society to enjoy their supply of drugs, their sexual perversities and the protection of their pot farms. Marin County, once the richest county in the U.S., is essentially dope county today, mostly the western part, where other people (outsiders) and legal businesses may no longer enter, or continue existing, without fear. They have had a strangle hold on the state's economy for almost three generations, now. And the slide continues.
A hundred years ago, human beings in California were one community, thoughtful, responsible and took the future seriously. Today multiculturalism, excess and indolence has been the new California "normal" for much too long now. A testament to the underlying physical resiliency of the state.
Is there Hope for California?
An excellent question!
It may surprise you to learn that there is a huge body of Californians who agree with you.
Unfortunately, it only takes a minuscule majority of permanent clueless to maintain the image of a state gone insane.
One can only hope.
“Well end up being the next Detroit. Its only a matter of time.”
Same here in NJ (CA on a smaller scale - same problems). Businesses/Anglo taxpayers fleeing, and illegals and the permanent unassimilated underclass in their place. A few bright spots, but not enough (and they’ll be extinguished by the Bolshevik persecution of the profit motive).
The unmeasurable and subjective “quality of life” was thrown in there to give Kalipornia an artificial boost.
How does she vote?
Kalipornia deserves a lot of that
that would be a good viral campaign.
Print out signs and post then on vacant businesses:
“CLOSED DUE TO OBAMA-TAX
ENJOY YOUR UNEMPLOYMENT”
RE: quality of life
I’ll give California props — GOOD WEATHER. That’s nothing that liberals can take credit for.
Other than that.... what is quality of life anyhow?
Is driving through endless traffic in the Los Angeles highway quality of life?
Look how long Venezuela, Argentina and Zimbabwe have been hanging on. Not to mention Cuba.
Active Network leaves San Diego for Dallas, Texas.
I watched a really old show the other day, the highway was new back then and it was not crowded. Must have been amazing, and I bet it felt like part of the USA back then too.
That's the general idea. High enough taxes will drive the middle and lower classes out of Kaleephornya....leaving it all to be bought for a song by the very, very wealthy.
Betcha all this environmental junk will disappear right afterwards.
“What I love about CA is you folks weigh energy down with huge taxes, then put on price controls to make it affordable”
What’s this “you folks” crap. You seem to think that everyone here is like the stereotype in your mind. Why don’t you drop the Robinsons a line and let them know that you consider them to be “fruits and nuts.”
BTW, You might want to read up on the D’Alesandros. After all, Nancy learned what she came West with on her father’s knee when he was mayor of Baltimore. I think he tried out for governor but lost and ended up being found guilty of some political corruption scheme. The hard fact of the matter is that Maryland has been corrupt far longer than California. But then there’s always New Jersey for you guys to point to and say, “see we aren’t the bottom of the barrel, only right next to it!”
Not my family...the Republicans leadership.
lol
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