Leaving California? Don’t forget why – Orange County Register

I swear I'm not going to make this blog political.  I was reading the news sites and came across this article posted in the Orange County Register, no not the Florida one, the California one.  As many may know, I'm from California originally, and while I joke that I'm a political refugee living in Arizona, if you don't acknowledge the differences in the states you are doomed to repeat the mistakes that you left behind. 

I personally know people who refuse to acknowledge that voters had any hand in the current state of California, and they now live in Arizona. They will eventually vote in the policies that made California the wreck it is today. 

Not, our Governor Doug Ducey, ran as a republican, but has acted like a Democrat listening to "experts" that have been wrong more than they are right since he took office. We've had the opportunity to meet people who have known him personally for several years, they are not surprised by this revelation. 

So I'm not sure if this article written by him is how he truly feels or not, but it's an interesting political essay from the governor. 

https://www.ocregister.com/2021/03/08/leaving-california-dont-forget-why/?fbclid=IwAR1jMQqwLrKOe2Ys0EeHCGapb0XNy6OYQoEaYehjlFJiQPUeKLNKItlZTHU

Leaving California? Don't forget why

Doug DuceyMarch 8, 2021 at 12:28 p.m.

(iStockphoto)

For generations of Americans, California represented the American dream with its majestic landscape and coastal views. It's the state that brought us Hollywood, the Beach Boys, Disneyland and Ronald Reagan.

Today, we see something very different coming out of California. Largely, policies that are crushing small businesses and families, and pushing people and jobs out of the state at a record rate. The pandemic has made things worse, but the Golden State's luster wore off some time ago.

In my second State of the State address here in the Grand Canyon State, I thanked my partner in growing Arizona's economy: California Gov. Jerry Brown. It was in jest, but still, based on the facts.

We see them all the time in our state. Californians who have had enough.

Enough of the burdensome policies that are driving businesses away.

Enough of the skyrocketing costs that have put the American dream out of reach for far too many.

Enough of the silly, politically correct obsessions from elected leaders who should be focused on more important things.

It doesn't have to be this way. There are states that work to keep costs low on people and businesses. States that don't believe government is the answer to every problem. States that embrace new ideas while respecting our history. I should know. Arizona is one of them.

Here in Arizona, I've made it my mission to make and keep our state the best place in the nation to get an education, raise a family, start and scale a business and retire.

Last year, Arizona gained nearly 130,000 new residents — the second-fastest growth rate in the nation. California, by contrast, lost nearly 70,000 people.

Why are people choosing to pick up and leave one of America's most beautiful states?

Well, consider these facts:

• The cost of living in the Los Angeles metropolitan area is nearly twice that of Phoenix.

• The cost of buying a home in L.A. is double that of places like Phoenix or Tucson; for San Francisco, it's three times as much.

• For residential households, the cost of energy in California is double what you'd pay in Arizona. For industry, energy costs are nearly three times higher in California.

• Even traffic is worse in California, which boasts three of the nation's top five worst cities for traffic congestion.

These outcomes don't happen by accident. They are the result of misguided policies and misplaced priorities. Overregulation. Ever-increasing taxes. Nonstop political correctness.

Perhaps nowhere is this more evident than the fact that instead of working to get kids back into the classroom, one of California's largest school districts is focused on erasing historic figures like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln.

I sympathize with the many Golden Staters who shake their heads at this nonsense.

It's no wonder, then, why so many people — and businesses — are looking to get out.

Since 2017, more than 30 California companies have moved or expanded to Arizona, including Weebly, Zenefits, Symantec, Apple, Align Technologies, CP Technologies, Lucid, McKesson, Silicon Valley Bank and more.

Here, we still value common sense. We believe in trusting people with the tools needed to thrive, then standing back and getting out of their way.  We believe in fiscal responsibility. And we believe the American dream should be available to everyone, not just the ultrawealthy.

So if you're considering Arizona as your potential new home, know you won't be alone. More than 70% of our adults were born elsewhere.

We ask just one thing when you do make the jump: Please, don't forget why you left in the first place.

Doug Ducey is the governor of Arizona.

Jason @BeardedOverland www.beardedadv.blogspot.com