The following is a transcript of a report from "Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson." Watch the video by clicking the link at the end of the page.
A record number of people are leaving California. So many that the Golden State could lose a seat in Congress for the first time ever. I recently spoke to Will Witt in Hollywood about his short documentary examining the exodus called “Fleeing California.”
Sharyl: How did you come up with the title?
Will Witt: Came up with the title “Fleeing California” in the last 10 years, 5 million people have actually left California and 600,000 of those have moved to Texas. 15,000 businesses have also left California. So when I see those kinds of numbers and that kind of data, I say, people are fleeing California. So we wanted to showcase basically the reasons of why people are actually leaving the state and moving to places where there are more conservative policies leading it.
Sharyl: If you could pick a few highlights, what would you point to as some highlights from the film?
Witt: I think one of the most important things to recognize is first the homeless epidemic that is happening here.
(Documentary clip)
You know, California with 12% of the nation's population has 50% of the nation's homeless. And that's a crazy stat, and that goes along with one in five people in California are living in poverty in this state. So in that sense, it's a really bad place to live unless you're really rich. In California the middle class is really not being able to survive. And those are really the people who are moving out. The main reason why people are leaving California is because of the high cost of living. They just can't live here anymore.
Sharyl: If you could pick a few highlights, what would you point to as some highlights from the film?
Witt: I think talking to Richard Florczak, who is the owner of Flame Pizzeria here in Los Angeles, in the Valley, actually. He's a small business owner who started a pizza shop and just the amount of regulations and compliance costs, and things that the government is putting on them makes it almost impossible to start a small business here and have it be successful.
(Documentary clip)
And even if you are successful, trying to set up for long-term success, to hire more people or open another business, I mean, it's really difficult with the amount of regulations that they put on you.
Sharyl: Is there something that could be done to turn this trend around do you think?
Witt: I think what needs to be done is to take a step out of Texas's guidebook. I mean the conservative policies of low regulation, low taxes is seeing that Texas is doing better on a GDP scale than California is, even with California having such a massive economy. If we take notes from conservative states and places that are having a more conservative economy, California will be much better off.
Sharyl: The question of whether anything can be done is a little different than the question of whether you think anything will be done. What do you foresee as the near term future?
Witt: I think a lot of people who are in charge of the state are also spineless. I think they see what's happening to hard work in California is hardworking Americans who live here and they don't really care. These politicians get to live in their million dollar houses and make tons of money and they're away from the problems, and so it doesn't really matter to them what happens to normal, hardworking Californians like me, if they're totally fine. And I don't think they're willing to actually stand up to the problems that are facing this state.
Sharyl: And yet you still live here?
Witt: I do still live here. Well, I consider myself a fighter. I love a lot of things about the state. I mean, the weather's great. There's still a lot of opportunity here and I want to be someone to help fix this state. I know a lot of people are leaving and I don't put any blame on them for leaving, but I want to be here to help fix it and change it if I can.
Sharyl (on camera): According to one poll from UC Berkeley, the top reason Californians give for wanting to leave, is the high cost of housing.
http://fullmeasure.news/news/shows/fleeing-california
I arrived in California in 1981 when it was still good place to live. Watched it descend into socialism. Left for good in 2013.Good decision.
I read that some people leaving socialist states continue to votr for the same kind of politics when they move to a red state. How can that be explained?
Illinois is not far behind California with its Democratic governor and a democratic mayor in Chicago who can make all kinds of rules and regulations but don’t have to keep them, themselves.
You Ccalifornicators driving seat through my Arizona , PLEASE keep on going and go to New Mexico, the other Bolshevik shit-hole flanking us
Met a guy in Tulsa last night who plans to bail out of San Diego because of taxes.
Unfortunately, it seems the people leaving are taking the very thing that has caused their state to become unlivable, their liberal ideology and transplanting it in their new home. Arizona, Texas and others are feeling the wave of liberal policies starting to invade the communities they settle in. Some historically conservative states are moving left at a an alarming rate. It had become difficult for Arizona to elect a conservative to the senate and Texas has several cities being run by liberals imposing job crushing regulations on residents. This must cease if common sense is to prevail.
I believe California is heading towards a ministate (think, Monaco) but with a Stasi bent. Only one narrative - the liberal woke one- is allowed in places like UC campuses; there is no room for expression of any other opinions. The usual suspects - the Hollywood types, and the really well off folks- control nearly 90% of the population. After living in LA for 30 years, I left “Kalifornia” for good this past summer. I’m not going back.
I personally know 4 families that left California because of the coercive vaccine laws enacted in recent years.
Parents there are being forced to choose between strictly adhering to an unsafe and untested schedule of liability-free vaccines for their children, or not being allowed to send their children to schools the parents have paid for through their taxes. I too would flee California in a heartbeat if I had school-aged children!
By Chuck Baldwin: “Almost no one else will say it, so I must,” report ( partial quote below )
“. . . Because Kamala Harris is being lined up as the 47th President of the United States . . . The ___ Connection . . . Harris’ husband is a mega-wealthy lobbyist and litigator who made his fortune promoting and defending the socialist/Marxist agenda within the entertainment and media industries, which we all know are dominated by ___. Here is the big disconnect among evangelical Christians and conservatives: They don’t understand that socialism, Marxism, communism and ___ are one and the same . . . Karl Marx was a ___. Stalin was a ___. Lenin was a ___. The communist revolution in Russia was a ___-led revolution . . . “
P.S.
My correspondence with the late William F. Buckley, Jr., in the early Nineties, was informative, re my above quote, as the ___ were doing to pre-Nazi German culture (( well before 1933 )) what they’ve been to America (( post 1950s )).
Brother Bill feared them, so he remained silent.
I fear them!, having been injured by them—for my truth-telling writings
-Rick
I have always considered America to be on the path of Communism, not Nazism. Bear in mind the both are based on the teaching of Karl Marx. There are minimal differences between the two, but here is what I consider to be the major determinant.
= Communism, aka as 'International Socialism' has an International focus with their wanting a one world government.
= Nazism, aka national socialism, has national focus in that the Germans were proud of Germany.
= America's Leftists hate the United states and believe the world would be better off without us and wish for a one wolrd government.
= I consider Communism and Fascism/Nazism to be Bastard Siblings, joined at the hip and both belong in Hell. The Communists in the left half with the Fascists/Nazis in the right half and Moslems can be said across both halves.
= I would appreciate your thoughts on my statement on the main difference between Communism and Fascism/Nazism.
Kevin