Gavin Newsom vs California's Progressive Idiots

https://hotair.com/john-s-2/2026/02/02/gavin-newsom-vs-californias-
progressive-idiots-n3811473

Gavin Newsom is definitely progressive but he's also not a complete 
dimwit. The same can't be said for a majority of people living in the 
state of California. A story published yesterday by the NY Post reports 
that 60% of Californians support the wealth tax proposal which has already 
driven some of California's wealthiest people out of the state.

A staggering 60% of California voters back the billionaire wealth tax 
proposal, even though they admit it will spark businesses to flee the 
state and kill jobs, a new poll found.

Even when presented with a “full battery of economic and political 
arguments” against the wealth tax, Californians still back it by 54%, 
according to the poll of likely voters by public affairs firm Nestpoint.

The voters who support this tax believe it will push wealth people and the 
jobs they create out of the state, and yet they don't seem to think this 
will matter long term.

A firm 52% of likely voters admitted that the tax will push entrepreneurs 
and jobs out of the Golden State, but only 48% agree that there are 
concerns with long-term revenue from a wealth tax, while 42% had concerns 
about Silicon Valley getting damaged, the poll found.

Sure, money and new industry will flee the state but it'll be fine. That 
seems to be the thinking of a bare majority of Californians at this point. 
Meanwhile, Gov. Newsom, despite being a progressive, knows how addition 
and subtraction work. He is once again warning that there will be 
consequences if this thing passes.

“The fact is it actually will reduce investments in education,” he said. 
“It will reduce investments in teachers and librarians, childcare. It will 
reduce investments in firefighting and police.” 

The wealth tax will eventually lead to a decline in the state’s tax base, 
which would in turn reduce revenue meant for social services, Newsom 
explained.

The Wall Street Journal frames this as Newsom basically begging voters not 
to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs for the golden state.

 “The impact of a one-time tax does not solve an ongoing structural 
challenge,” the Governor said Thursday. “You would have a windfall one 
time, and then over the years, you would see a significant reduction in 
taxes because taxpayers will move.”

By “structural challenge,” he means recurring budget gaps caused by 
excessive spending. The state Legislative Analyst’s Office in November 
forecast a $18 billion deficit in the coming fiscal year with shortfalls 
growing to $35 billion in future years. And this assumes there’s no 
economic downturn—or a flight of high earners who pay the state’s bills.

Mr. Newsom said he is very “mindful” that “we rely on a very small number 
of people that allows us to do historic things”—i.e., spend at historic 
levels. His recently proposed budget includes $539 billion in spending, up 
68% from 2019.

You really have to step back and appreciate the beauty of what is 
happening here. The progressive governor of the state (who was formerly 
the progressive mayor of San Francisco), finds himself fighting a ballot 
initiative designed by progressive academics and supported by a 
progressive union and a majority of progressive voters with the goal of 
progressively taxing the crap out of a couple hundred progressive 
billionaires.

And let's face it, there's only one reason Newsom is admitting the reality 
of what this will do the state. He wants to be president and he knows this 
won't work for most people outside California. That's why he's hesitating 
to support a national version of this tax even though it would solve the 
problem of billionaires fleeing from one state to another. So on this one 
occasion, instead of going with the socialist flow Newsom is swimming 
against the blue tide to preserve his electability by acknowledging how 
dumb this is.

Anyway, it must be occurring to Newsom that if this thing passes over his 
objection he could get blamed for it. It's his state and he's the 
governor, after all. So somehow he's got to try to teach at least 5% of 
the blue bubble denizens of California, i.e. the people he usually counts 
on for votes and support, how math and rational decision making works. 

Good luck with that, Gavin. You might as well be talking to a brick wall 
except the bricks are probably smarter than many California voters.


-- 
November 5, 2024 - Congratulations President Donald Trump.  We look 
forward to America being great again.

We live in a time where intelligent people are being silenced so that 
stupid people won't be offended.

Every day is an IQ test. Some pass, some, not so much.

Thank you for cleaning up the disasters of the 2008-2017, 2020-2024 Obama 
/ Biden / Harris fiascos, President Trump.

Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the 
The World According To Garp.  Obama sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood 
queer liberal democrat donors.