From immigration and sanctuary cities, to minimum wages, to environmental restrictions and regulations, to free community colleges, many of California’s economic policies are (by no accident) the exact opposite of what TRump and the GOP plan for everyone else.
It should come to no surprise that California’s plan is the better plan, hardly a “mess” that someone might have inherited. California accounted for 1/8 of the US population in 2016, and 1/7 of the GDP.
The following is a glimpse into their success, with emphasis added by yours truly.
California is the chief reason America is the only developed economy to achieve record GDP growth since the financial crisis of 2008 and ensuing global recession, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Much of the U.S. growth can be traced to California laws promoting clean energy, government accountability and protections for undocumented people.
Whaaat?
No state or country has created as many laws discouraging fossil fuels and carbon while promoting clean energy.
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California clean energy companies reported annual revenue growth of 26 percent, almost three times the benchmark, and they turned more revenue into profit with an average gross margin of 46 percent, compared to 41 percent for the benchmark. California companies also spent 13 percent of their revenue on research and development compared to 8 percent for the benchmark. Jobs at clean energy companies in California increased 14 percent last year, double the average rate for the industry.
You mean deregulating coal had nothing to do with it?
The capitalist juggernaut that is California helps explain why the state's per capita income increased 9.5 percent since 2015, the most of any state and the most since 2012, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Far from losing jobs overseas, California keeps creating them with an unemployment rate declining to 4.9 percent from 5.7 percent in 2016, faster than the national average.
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None of this is lost on the residents of California. They are proudly enacting policies in opposition to Trump's. The legislature became the first to vote to become a sanctuary state, and supported raising gas taxes and vehicle registration fees to improve infrastructure.
So maybe it isn’t the regulations, or the Mexicans, or higher wages, or high tax rates that stifle the economies in some states.
Maybe it’s the Republicans.