4 ms·

Factual counter arguments here: http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2018/01/california-is-doing-fine-thank-you-very-much/ http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-dru

• dragonwriter 9y ago
  Drum does rebut the causal argument in the LA Times Op-Ed (which is pure ideological dogma detached from facts; the claim that “Democrats have long been free to indulge blue-state ideology while paying little or no political price” is particularly amusing, given that ignores that until recently California has (whoever held the majority, with or without also holding the governor's mansion) had an effective minority-party veto via the 2/3 requirement to pass a budget (and still has a 2/3 requirement to pass new taxes through the legislature) which has prevented anyone from being free to impose any ideology other than one of government inaction-responsiveness. OTOH, California is not doing okay; Drum provides no reason to disregard the SPM, but even if you do, being just a bit worse than middle of the road by the federal poverty line while being 8th in per capita GDP is, by itself, an alarming number that shows that the aggregate wealth in California is a rising tide they is absolutely not lifting all boats. But to Drum it's somehow “just fine”.