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California Fleeing
INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY ^ | Monday, August 11, 2003

Posted on 08/09/2003 12:28:10 AM PDT by nickcarraway

California: The Golden State's recall vote won't be held until Oct. 7. But the state's citizens already began voting quite a while ago — with their feet.

For Californians, the recent report from the Census Bureau was a shocker. From 1990 to 2000, the Census found, the number of Californians leaving the state was greater than the number of those arriving from other states — a first.

Even during the high-tech boom, people left. From 1995 to 2000, 1.4 million Americans moved to California. But 2.2 million left.

"Unprecedented" is how Hans Johnson, a demographer with the Public Policy Institute of California, described the trend to the Los Angeles Times. Sadly, we agree. And it's not a good thing.

California's image has long been built around it being a place of refuge for the creative, the restless, the underappreciated, the hard-working — a place where people, whatever their pasts, could remake themselves and create a better life.

During the 20th century, Americans from other states poured into California. And the once tiny, underpopulated farm state grew into a giant of 35 million people, with the fifth largest economy on Earth.

Now many of those who helped build the miracle are leaving.

Why? Riots, earthquakes and a steep recession early in the 1990s left many fed up. So they moved to neighboring states, such as Nevada, Arizona, Oregon, Washington, Utah, even Texas.

For many reasons, the exodus continues. It may not end soon.

The state faces an uncertain political future with its recall vote. Its $38 billion deficit has become a symbol of fiscal recklessness. A two-year energy crisis has left businesses and consumers with energy bills way above the national average.

As for taxes, Californians have the fourth highest overall tax burden in the U.S., 10% higher than the national average, according to the Tax Foundation.

Businesses? They're fleeing, too. Facing onerous environmental rules in places like Los Angeles and San Francisco, they can't grow. In a recent small-business survey, more than half said they've stopped hiring and expanding, due to soaring workers' comp costs.

As a result, not enough jobs are being created — and not enough homes are being built. In just the last two years, the state has lost 14% of its factory jobs, while its population has surged 1.6 million.

The state needs more than 200,000 housing units a year just to keep up with population growth. In recent years it's been lucky to get even half of that, thanks to local "growth controls" and run-amok NIMBYism that have helped home prices soar out of reach.

As for immigrants, California still has plenty of them — from outside the U.S. (It's no accident that three of the leading contenders for governor speak English as a second language.)

Among the state's people, 26% were born in another country. Unlike Arnold Schwarzenegger or Arianna Huffington, they're on average poorer, less educated and have higher welfare participation rates than people born here. Will they be able to run an economy based on high tech, health care and entertainment? We doubt it.

We have no easy answers. We wish we did. But in hemorrhaging its best and brightest to other states, California faces a demographic disaster. Small wonder its citizens want to recall their governor.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Government; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; Philosophy; Politics/Elections; US: California
KEYWORDS: business; calgov2002; california; crime; demographics; exodus; farming; grossmismanagement; illegalimmigration; politics; population; recall; taxes
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To: nickcarraway

21 posted on 08/09/2003 6:22:43 AM PDT by autoresponder (PETA TERRORISTS .wav file: BRUCE FRIEDRICH: http://tinyurl.com/hjhd)
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To: dagnabbit
You have that right it's why we call it mexafornia
22 posted on 08/09/2003 6:22:45 AM PDT by Vaduz
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To: BradyLS
Among the state's people, 26% were born in another country. Unlike Arnold Schwarzenegger or Arianna Huffington, they're on average poorer, less educated and have higher welfare participation rates than people born here. Will they be able to run an economy based on high tech, health care and entertainment? We doubt it.

I think they're starting to figure it out but it may be too late. Some people, even Conservatives seem to believe the Mexicanization of large areas of the USA is a good thing but many Americans move when they find themselves living in area that resembles Mexico more than it feels like the USA. Americans are fleeing the entire border region ---- here they're starting to discuss "brain drain" because so many doctors and professionals are leaving. It's gotten so bad you can go a complete day and hear almost no English spoken.

23 posted on 08/09/2003 6:49:15 AM PDT by FITZ
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To: nickcarraway
Californian immigrants changed Austin from weird to "Starbucks Chic."
24 posted on 08/09/2003 7:13:59 AM PDT by sam_paine (X .................................)
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To: ETERNAL WARMING
It was the eastern influence of elite liberals that swamped Calif in the past 20 years. Between the airhead wealthy libs ( thinking there is no problem) and the influx of illegals...conservative hard workers are leaving. We have an over abundance touchy feeeeely dopes and Mexicans now.
25 posted on 08/09/2003 7:23:11 AM PDT by jetson
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To: sam_paine
Californian immigrants changed Austin from weird

There is still the Keep Austin Weird slogan here. I live just outside Austin, and can't stand the IDIOTS running the city. Thank God Gas-Guzzler Garcia is not the mayor anymore. He screwed this city so bad, it may never recover. I moved out of the city limits in 1983, but still have to come in for work. We are still getting plenty of Kalifornia transplants here. Not as bad since the dot.com bust happened. I had some kin visit from Kalifornia, and they are so tired of Davis. He has ruined that state, just like Gas-Guzzler has ruined Austin.

26 posted on 08/09/2003 7:43:41 AM PDT by Arrowhead1952 (Clone Ann Coulter, the woman sent by God)
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To: nickcarraway; *calgov2002; fooman; PeoplesRep_of_LA; Canticle_of_Deborah; NormsRevenge; ...
calgov2002:

calgov2002: for old calgov2002 articles. 

calgov2002: for new calgov2002 articles. 

Other Bump Lists at: Free Republic Bump List Register



27 posted on 08/09/2003 7:57:04 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach (All we need from a Governor is a VETO PEN!!!)
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To: Got a right to Life? . . Huh?
"I registered a lot of former Californians to vote Republican here in Oregon."

Good for you! We are moving from California to Washington early next year. Both me and my wife are staunch conservatives, and intend to join you in registering Republican voters.

Life is great! 1st we get to recall Davis in CA., and then we get to help defeat Murry in WA.

28 posted on 08/09/2003 8:02:58 AM PDT by An Old Man (USMC 1956 1960)
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To: varon
Are the remaining people breeding like rabbits OR are illegals swarming across the border, hmmmmmm?

Both...

29 posted on 08/09/2003 8:27:41 AM PDT by citizen (Tom Tancredo for President!)
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To: BradyLS
Well, which is it??? Shrinking population or surging population?

It's not a mistake. Less people are moving in than moving out but the population is still expanding because of birthrates.

30 posted on 08/09/2003 8:37:03 AM PDT by #3Fan
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To: Arrowhead1952
I arrived in Austin in 1994 and folks were complaining then about the influx of Califonrians over the previous two years. I can remember traveling I-35 on almost any hour of the weekend and traffic was light. (During the bust of the early 90's, I can imagine it was next to nothing on Sundays.)

Anyway, the traffic is damned congested when not merely heavy almost any hour of the day. Folks are in such a hurry anymore, running red-lights by all manner of people is almost a daily topic of conversation.

Thanks to an influx of people from just about anywhere you can think of, Austin is rapidly ballooning into-- and picking up the problems of-- a Houston/Dallas/San Antonio. Austin is no longer 'weird.' It's wonky!
31 posted on 08/09/2003 8:45:12 AM PDT by BradyLS
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To: Luke21
Arizona ... I heard the other day on a local talk radio show which had this as a topic (CA folks fleeing to AZ, etc.) and many of the callers ARE ex-CA folks who are conservative and are running AWAY from Socialism. Very heartening!

g in Phx AZ

32 posted on 08/09/2003 8:46:06 AM PDT by Geezerette (... but young at heart!-)
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To: Geezerette
I know that a lot of people move to Arizona to retire and that there is an illegal immigration problem in the state, too. How do the old and the immigrants vote? Are conservative Ex-Calis a more powerful bloc?
33 posted on 08/09/2003 8:51:13 AM PDT by BradyLS
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To: BradyLS
Sad to say, AZ is no longer a conservative state as a whole. We, too, have libs who have come from the East coast and tons of illegals.

Case in point ... we now have a democRAT "lady" governor who is a close buddy of the klintons. She started her reign of terror this past January by shoving Executive orders on us, doing an end-run around our narrowly Repub. Legislature. She dragged her feet on the budget they proposed, and used some slick, slimy moves to get her way on their proposals.

Three more years of Janet NapoliReno will put our state in the same slip-slide to socialism as CA. And she loves the illegals!!

g

34 posted on 08/09/2003 9:04:19 AM PDT by Geezerette (... but young at heart!-)
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To: BradyLS
P.S.

Yes, older people come here in droves ... bringing their greedy-geezer, FDR trained mindset with them.

I used to ride the bus to work, and it made me nauseous to hear the libs on the bus. It was during the klinton dark ages, and it was really sickening.

Arizona may be a lost cause like CA, but not quite so bad that we conservatives will bail ... yet.

g

35 posted on 08/09/2003 9:10:28 AM PDT by Geezerette (... but young at heart!-)
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To: BradyLS
..Well, which is it??? Shrinking population or surging population?..

The shrinking population numbers refer to US citizens moving from state to state, into
or out of California, which has been a net loss of 800,000 over the last 10 years

The surging population figures refer to the overall population of California, which
includes increase due to the illegal immigrants from Mexico and the assosiated
increase from their high birthrate.

Middle class taxpayers left; replaced by much higher numbers of government dependants.

36 posted on 08/09/2003 9:10:45 AM PDT by MrNatural (..".You want the truth?!"...)
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To: nickcarraway
Even during the high-tech boom, people left. From 1995 to 2000, 1.4 million Americans moved to California. But 2.2 million left.

ONLY 2.2 million? Jeez, a third of those must currently be in Las Vegas...Californians taking their money and running for the border. The state seems to be turning more conservative because of this trend, but the taxes appear to be following them over from the west.
37 posted on 08/09/2003 9:23:02 AM PDT by Fausto
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To: nickcarraway
Seen the gay movie SWAT last night and since I can remember the original series all I can say is that LA totally looks like crap compared to what it looked like in the seventies TV dramas.
38 posted on 08/09/2003 9:30:23 AM PDT by junta (Xenophobia a perfectly reasonable response to the feckless stupidity of globalism.)
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To: Got a right to Life? . . Huh?
"I worked at a Republican Fair Booth today. I registered a lot of former Californians to vote Republican here in Oregon. The majority of CA transplants I have met are conservatives."

Yes, living in California for any length of time will make anyone (with a brain) conservative.

39 posted on 08/09/2003 9:37:27 AM PDT by moehoward
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To: ETERNAL WARMING
Well, for a good thought...maybe they'll leave and just the original conservative core of California will be left to fix what the liberal masses destroyed with their Green/socialist policies. Then I'll move down there from Washington. Their weather's a damn-sight better than up here and this place has been whacko leftist for its entire history.

But probably, when everyone else leaves, the Mexicans will just take over...

40 posted on 08/09/2003 9:37:45 AM PDT by Scott from the Left Coast
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