Double Yellow's Company Driver to Independent Thread

If CARB was the only issue...

Quick examples: my buddy lives outside Happy Camp, CA. When he wants to buy ammo, he'll no longer be able to buy whatever he wants cheaply online, but come January 1st he'll have to drive 70 miles to Yreka (population 7,000) and settle for whatever Walmart has in stock (assuming Walmart continues to sell ammo after being required to perform background checks). His wood stove was getting pretty rusty so he wanted to replace it. But apparently you can only buy pellet stoves now in California. His cabin will get into the teens during the night, and power is sometimes out for days at a time (there was literally a riot when the power in San Francisco was out for 6 hours). He used to dredge gold during the short season, but CA outlawed the practice in order to study its effects on fish (there was no proof it caused any harm, and even suggestions that it helped provide spawning habitat) -- years later there is no study and the practice remains outlawed. He's required by law to immunize his children -- even if it is against his religion. He's got to put a muffler on his lawn mower, but can't do the same for his .22 if he wants to shoot vermin without disturbing neighbors. Community colleges can no longer teach gun smithing or firearm safety because having guns on campus upsets people.

It costs $13.59/hour to pay for a minimum wage worker in California, but that worker takes home only $7/hour. With that large of a gap in incentives, there aren't enough entry level jobs and the folks that need them are often better off staying on assistance programs.

CA judges said conditions inside the prisons were inhumane. Air conditioning, 3 meals a day, internet, library, weight room, tv lounge, rec facilities, no mandatory work, etc. Nope, they were over crowded (despite having comparable density to my old college dorm). So they get released early, commit crimes, get held overnight and kicked out again...rinse & repeat.

Because the state is so large, yet the population is mostly in SF, LA, or the central valley, folks in rural areas do not have any real representation. So when tree huggers in SF crippled the logging industry, forests started getting overgrown and catching fire. These fires were costly, so they implemented an extra tax -- but just on folks in rural areas (who already lost all the jobs). Meanwhile $70 billion in tax dollars are being spent to put in a high speed train from San Jose to Bakersfield (because there is a such a huge demand for it???)

In 1990, California retained more of its citizens than any other state -- now it is 19th. The state is growing at its slowest rate ever (~2.5%) and would actually be in decline if not for foreign immigration.