California’s Million-Dollar Conundrum

California, The Golden State, symbolized the spirit and curiosity of America for decades. California was the American dream. California now exemplifies much of what is wrong with America, and how it is declining could be a harbinger of America’s future.

In new data published by the Census Bureau this week, California’s population shrunk by approximately 113,649 people from July 2021 to July 2022. There was a net gain across the state in “Natural Change,” the number of births (420,000) and deaths (318,000) during that time frame. That only tells part of the story. California’s population shrank by 508,903 people during the first two years of the pandemic, second behind only New York. A half-million people leaving California, which has a population of more than 39 million, isn’t exactly a large-scale departure — but it does have some policymakers concerned about the state’s future. 

The final piece of this equation is difficult to quantify. Businesses and tax-paying residents are leaving and replaced by illegal immigrants pouring over the Border from Mexico. These new residents are placing a burden on housing, social services, and education. The other intangible is the impact on crime as these immigrants flow into California’s many sanctuary cities. Those that stay are looking at paying more of their “fair” share in a state that already has one of the highest tax burdens in the country. This exchange of residents is not a good deal for the people of California.

California is on the precipice of initiating a reparations program to exacerbate the tax situation further. The statewide reparations committee has concluded its work, and its recommendations will create a new class of millionaires in California. They recommend a cash payout of up to $1.2 million for every Black Californian resident. This plan would cost an estimated $800 Billion.

The panel’s recommendation breaks payments down by types of historical discrimination. For instance, Black residents affected by redlining by banks would receive $3,366 for each year they lived in California from the early 1930s to the late 1970s, amounting to up to $148,099. Similarly, Black residents could receive roughly $2,352 in compensation for over-policing and mass incarceration for each year they lived in California between 1970 and 2020. Those payments could amount to $115,260.

In total, from these and other payments included in the plan, a Black Californian who is 71 years old and has lived in California his entire life could receive up to $1.2 million, according to an analysis from the New York Times.

The timing could not be worse timing for California. Sacramento has decided to default on a Federal COVID loan of $18.5 Billion Debt, leaving state businesses holding the bag. Little did California businesses know that they were cosigners on the state’s nearly $20 billion loan from the federal government used to cover California’s unemployment fund shortfall during the COVID pandemic. Newsom and the State Legislature have thrown the people under the tax bus rather than owning up to their responsibilities—an example of bad policies by a state government intent on ruining the future of California.

I have written about reparations in the past, and my negative feelings have not changed. There is no link between the people of today and what happened over 150 years ago. Every feeling human being will condemn slavery, but that does not mean we all have to dip into our pockets to assuage Blacks for what happened to their ancestors six or seven generations ago. I also have to chuckle when someone says this will be a huge step toward solving our crime problems. That statement intimates the crime issue is caused by Blacks, and writing them a check will change their mindset. I am not a psychologist, but I have enough common sense to know it is a lie. Unfortunately, if reparations happen in California, the Left will push to adopt it as a national initiative. That will be a national mistake.