Disinformation engineers and their wealthy overlords target “easy” voters in the arena we now call democracy. After democracy is supplanted by authoritarian control, their need to persuade and convince will be unnecessary. They will be like the throwaway politicians from Trump’s first term (e.g., Jeff Sessions and Michael Pence).
How do these victims not see their ultimate loss of freedom and self-determination? Why do they let themselves be fooled by disinformation and propaganda? The most likely answer is intellectual laziness. These people are not stupid, just lazy. They fall for “truth” the way many fall for fast food. It is cheap, fast, and they love the fries.
I will cite a straightforward example that is a recurring theme or a broken record I’ve heard for the last 50 years. When I moved to New York City and then to California, many of my friends and relatives thought I was crazy. Don’t you know New York City will go bankrupt? Funny thing, New York City did actually go bankrupt. However, the City rebounded dramatically, and my wife and I benefited financially from our New York experience. Likewise, when we moved to California, everyone said we were crazy. While California has had its ups and downs, it would still have the fifth-largest economy if it were a country.
Still, many continue to throw stones at California’s windows. They tell us that it will go bankrupt any day. They say people are leaving California in droves.
Most retirement-age conservatives who leave California have milked it for all it’s worth and move to a lower-tax state with fewer amenities. They move into a big house on a hill, but they find themselves in places like Utah or Nevada. I have nothing against Utah or Nevada…they are very fine states.
California has a weird problem. A very conservative movement led by Howard Jarvis passed a California ballot initiative known as Proposition 13. This capped real estate tax increases. The long-term benefit was that retirees who lived in their homes for a long time had dramatically lower tax bills. Thus, homeowners were likely to stay in their homes longer. This is good for retirees but bad for young people. With less housing turnover, housing prices have become artificially high. Therefore, many young people are forced to move out of state or commute long distances within California.
Despite all the negative press and implicit envy, California persists. I will now demonstrate how many people continue to underestimate or don’t think through California’s situation clearly.
Newsmax and Fox News regularly report on California’s demise. They tell us there is a mass exodus. Given the cost of living for young working adults, I am amazed that California does not have a mass exodus for the reasons listed above. However, the reports of California’s demise are greatly exaggerated. The reality is as follows: In 2000, California’s population was 33.9 million. In 2010, it was 37.3 million. In 2020, it was 39.5 million. Today, the latest estimate shows 39.1 million.
Yikes, the latest 2024 statistics show that California lost 600,000 residents to other states. Maybe Newsmax and Fox are correct. However, before we slap a sign on our homes saying “We’ve moved to a Red State,” let’s read the following: Florida lost 500,000 residents to other states, followed by Texas with 483,000. Do Newsmax and Fox report these statistics? In reality, the numbers reflect the fact that these are the larger states. In reality, states like West Virginia and Mississippi have lost a larger share of residents than other states.
In the real world, California is among the states with the most loyal citizens. Only 1.7% of Californians left the state in 2024. Texans were also loyal, with only 1.6% leaving the state. However, Florida’s exit rate was 2.2%, ranking 30th nationally.
It is important to listen to all sides and THINK. Listening exclusively to fast-food news networks can be hazardous to your political and economic health.
How many long term undocumented individuals are living in the larger population states? How many of them are counted in the census? How many population estimates are derived by water taps and other utility sign ups? Do all states and entities use the same formula for determining population numbers? Do red states count everyone within their borders, but their leaders swear “we are getting rid of the illegals” yet secretly only support getting rid of undocumented persons in blue states? The answers to some of these questions, to me at least, are as my mother used to say, “are as clear as mud”!