I'm sure that wealthy Americans flock to California for the moral superiority of the average Californian and not, say, the weather. /s
https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/donor-state...
I don't see what's wrong with that. Does the parent comment not like progressive taxation, or do they not like welfare?
You and subiculumcode are wrong.
First, the state of California does not pay a cent to another state or to the federal government. It is residents of California that pay federal taxes, which in turn provide funding and services to states and individuals.
Second, the Rockefeller Institute (<https://rockinst.org/issue-areas/fiscal-analysis/balance-of-...>) shows that, as of 2018 (the last time I checked this data; I see that 2019 is now available), the 10 states at the bottom of the per capita list—that is, the states that benefit from the most federal spending per person compared to how much each person pays in federal taxes—are
2016/2020 Hillary/Biden-voting states: VA, NM, MD, HI, 1/2 of ME
2016/2020 Trump-voting states: KY, AK, AL, WV, MS, 1/2 of ME
It's not so much "blue states" as frequently claimed, but taxpayers of four very wealthy Northeast states (the Tri-State area plus Massachusetts) that account for the vast bulk of citizens paying more than they receive from the federal government. After them come CO, NE, UT, and MN, of which half voted for Hillary/Biden and half for Trump. All other states, including CA, are net beneficiaries of the taxpayers in the top eight (and, again, really, it's the top four).
I think California deserves more praise for how it protects people. Net Neutrality is effectively upheld by state-by-state regulation, because the federal gov couldn't secure this for us.
At the end of the day though, people _are_ weighing the pros and cons and deciding to leave. Perhaps it’s not the right conclusion but it’s not like people are leaving due to mere “rumors” or “bad press” - Texas/Florida have been punching bags for the past two years and people keep moving there.
My personal opinion is just to live where you want to live. If the cost of regulation is too high for you, move to a less regulated place. You’ll lose culture and entertainment but you’ll gain freedom.
If you prefer the regulations, stay, at the cost of some freedom.
But honestly, if everyone is happy in their own state I consider that a win… now rn I’m “stuck” in the “actual” worst state, hands down, which is Virginia ;)
Maybe housing? But that’s almost literally the Woody Allen joke, “nobody goes there anymore, it’s too crowded”.
Why start a business there vs another state? Lots of empty office space rn and I can only assume remote won’t help with that.
When the value of the location goes down, could easily start an exponential exit. Cities aren’t forever, just look at Detroit. Not saying that will happen to California but I really do think it peaked for tech last decade.