Excellent post, and a well-written articulation of California's dilemma.
I left my native California in 1993 and took my small business with me. It was the smartest move I ever made. When the productive leave, the socialist bastards are left to eat themselves, which is what is happening now.
It's fun to watch when you are on the outside, not having to pay for their idiocy.
No doubt there are thousands of ex-Californians who could offer similar reasons for leaving the state.
I do give credit to the hard-nosed individualists who chose to stay and do battle. I'd be one of them if I didn't have a family to support. They come first.