Article: The Great California Exodus (San Diego: sales, to buy, income)

[shmoov_groovzsd]

Interesting points here, although if you follow politics or run a business may not be terribly surprising.

Agree with this op-ed? Do you think it applies to SD?

The Weekend Interview with Joel Kotkin: The Great California Exodus - WSJ.com

[ScottKag]

So California can be fixed by flooding the mountains and beaches with cheap housing and freeing business from the tyranny of government regulation? My opinion is that Mr. Kotkin's cure may kill the patient.

[AADAD]

As I have posted before California sucks in every way except the weather. I just finished two meetings with the infamous FTB over back payments which were made (have posted checks) for which they are trying to get it again. Whopping state income taxes, sales tax, gas tax all force people to be at odds with the state. If my family were not here now, I would not be.

As a comparison Alaska has no state income tax. None. If you earn 100K you keep the 8% = $8000.00 that you would pay here in California. There is no sales tax. If you buy a vehicle for the same price you don't pay sales tax. My 2007 Toyota would be $400.00 to register here for 1 year. Alaska? $140.00 for two years....and on and on.

While I have grown to like it a bit more here, I can't wait to leave again. In Alaska one feels as a citizen should, respected by the government. Here? Forgetaboutit.

Rant Button to OFF.

[hitman619]

Its been know for years that California is the worst state to start a business.
The worst!
And some of the big corporations that are here take advantage.

[shmoov_groovzsd]

Originally Posted by AADAD

As I have posted before California sucks in every way except the weather. I just finished two meetings with the infamous FTB over back payments which were made (have posted checks) for which they are trying to get it again. Whopping state income taxes, sales tax, gas tax all force people to be at odds with the state. If my family were not here now, I would not be.

As a comparison Alaska has no state income tax. None. If you earn 100K you keep the 8% = $8000.00 that you would pay here in California. There is no sales tax. If you buy a vehicle for the same price you don't pay sales tax. My 2007 Toyota would be $400.00 to register here for 1 year. Alaska? $140.00 for two years....and on and on.

While I have grown to like it a bit more here, I can't wait to leave again. In Alaska one feels as a citizen should, respected by the government. Here? Forgetaboutit.

Rant Button to OFF.

AA,

I dont think you got your point across clear enough

You make some great points. I can see that being a tough pill to swallow especially when you have lived it and can make a fair comparison with taxes between both states.

I have never really lived anywhere that DIDNT have exorbitant taxes, so for me, I dont know any different and it seems about status quo with a populous state or country.

As opposed to Scandic countries, which have a VERY high quality of life, they pay for it through the nose, there is something tangible to be seen.
Its dizzying to connect the dots here in CA.

[AADAD]

Well I do try....

I don't believe the dots are connected here. High welfare/social costs combined with low services is a recipe for disaster year after year. And it's worse in Northern Ca. Driving down from Oregon last January large Ford dealerships built four years earlier were shuttered. They waited ten years to build that, then it imploded. In Grants Pass hundreds of homeless in downtown what used to be a paradise little town. Unreal. Those people all use hospital services and pay nothing. The state simply cannot afford to continue in that way. Perhaps the only business in Cali that is profitable is the prison system...now what does that tell ya?

The beaches are wonderful, the sunshine is bright and clear and the people are generally ok here in San Diego.

Wherever the states got the idea that their residents should become clones for resources is beyond me...maybe the Matrix.

[AnotherBravesFan]

for many of the reasons stated in the article. Yes, I do miss the climate, but I certainly don't miss the high taxes, high housing/gasoline/water costs, traffic, etc. But it is especially nice to have escaped the liberal, big government policies and their effects on working class people like us.

[AADAD]

Originally Posted by AnotherBravesFan

for many of the reasons stated in the article. Yes, I do miss the climate, but I certainly don't miss the high taxes, high housing/gasoline/water costs, traffic, etc. But it is especially nice to have escaped the liberal, big government policies and their effects on working class people like us.

Word up.

[tonyinsd]

So his solution is to sprawl up, until every single city in California is a clone of LA. Yeah, that's what I want.

As for not being able to buy a house, that's bullcrap. I'm making around the median household income and I'm looking to buy a place next year when I have a down payment saved up.

People leave California for a number of reasons. Sprawling up is not the solution to that -- if you even consider it a problem.

[sponger42]

I left too. Upwardly mobile, white-collar, stable-family, productive postgraduates.

But...

We can't wait to come back!!

We'll take all of California's faults over those of the rest USA. Right now we're stuck in Boston. If you think LA/SF/SD are backwards societies, you should see this place! I have never--not travelling to, and living in, 30+ other countries seen such a ridiculously upside-down society.

The Midwest is no better, nor the Southeast, and even NYC sucks compared to LA. As for the WSJ; it's laughable that anyone who writes for the WSJ would dare to suggest OTHERS are "out of touch" for fear of being crushed by a hypocritical avalanche of very black pots.

Here's some gems from this particular article:

Take Salt Lake City. "Almost all of the major tech companies have moved stuff to Salt Lake City." That includes Twitter, Adobe, eBay and Oracle.

Oracle who? Twitter is a major tech company SINCE WHEN?! eBygone? Right. Next this guy is going to suggest we divest ourselves of google stock and buy RIM.

Indianapolis has become a very nice city.

So that's why we drove to Chicago every chance we got? Oh, but the SS guy in the editors office won't let you mention Chi-town as being part of the vaunted Midwest, though--in truth--it's perhaps the one bright spot.

Environmentalists are also more powerful than they used to be.

Oh dread. All those state beaches (anyone is legally entitled to access anywhere below the mean high tide line!), nature preserves, and lack of toxins make California such a terrible place to live. Try living in a state where the EPA is a absent as the WSJ'ers wish it were (I have) and see how long you are willing to tolerate the carcinogens. For us it was at least T-9 months to having kids. We were the lucky ones; wealthy enough at least to leave even if we weren't WS bottled-water filtered-air bubble wealthy.

Well, there's much more in this article to take issue with, but I've got better things to do--like planning a return to CA. For those of you that left/are leaving; thanks for clearing a space for us. Be happy in whatever crappy state you end up in.

For those staying; smart choice. CA has tons of problems and it might not be the best place in the world, but it's still pretty darn great.