Written by Josh Imes
I was scrolling through Facebook one day and happened to come across a meme that jokingly called out the waves of Californians flocking to Boise. Later that day, I was approached by my fiancée, who was born and raised in San Diego, and she asked me if I’d ever considered moving to Boise. Keep in mind that I moved to North County San Diego only months prior to this conversation, so my initial response was a definitive “No.”
I became inquisitive about the whole subject and come to find out, my fiancée’s extended family became part of the droves of Californians moving away from the state. But why?
Well, you don’t have to dig too deep to find the steep gas prices, overwhelming housing costs, and stifling taxes that are the quintessential part of being a Californian, or so it seems. To make matters even worse, the taxes punish businesses and drive the cost of living through the roof. The love of the great weather and beautiful sunsets doesn’t seem all that sweet anymore.
From 2004 to 2013, more than five million native Californians abandoned their beloved state and moved to places like Arizona and Idaho, where politics and day-to-day life aren’t dominated by suffocating Democratic policies. To add to the mass exodus, thousands of businesses have either reduced investment in California or left for much more business-friendly states like Texas.
Shockingly, some polls show that California voters are happy with the one-party dominated state of California. The truth hides behind the facade of the polls, with this grievance being projected in the hasty exit of millions of Californians. The issue is that the policies that have brought California to this point are championed by the ones who have gone unchecked by the voters: elected Democrats.
California has become a sinking ship and the smart ones are those who have already gotten out while they still can. To make matters even more confusing, 50 percent of Californians are still considering the move, which begs the question: How can you be happy with the failed policies forwarded by the Democratic leadership of California’s de facto one-party system?
