Noted pro-government “liberal” writer Nicholas Kristoff recently authored an interesting column in the New York Times, “What have we liberals done to the West Coast?” Kristoff worries that pro-government “liberal” policies have made many social problems worse. “The basic reason for homelessness on the West Coast,” concedes Kristoff, “is an enormous shortage of housing that …
Category: Unintended Consequences
Jun 04
Hollywood celebs scramble to dodge taxes they themselves promoted
The miserable socialist state of Los Angeles, California recently imposed a measure to tax the city’s wealthiest residents for the supposed purpose of providing housing for the homeless. But “[e]ven before voters passed the measure, bringing a 4% transfer tax on all property sales above $5 million and 5.5% on sales above $10 million in the …
May 30
Just 4 powermad governors caused half of America’s coronavirus deaths
Just 4 states: New York, New Jersey, Michigan and Massachusetts, account for over half of America’s reported coronavirus deaths. Ironically, those 4 states are the states where governors were most extreme in their supposed efforts to fight the dreaded virus. Michigan’s governor even banned gardening and banned people who owned two residences from traveling between …
Dec 24
Government regulations are stifling new home construction. As a result, homelessness, wealth inequality and commute times are all increasing.
A new report in Reason Magazine documents the way government impositions everywhere decreased the rate of housing construction in the U.S. during the past decade. “The 2010s will end up with the lowest number of housing units started in 6 decades, by a wide margin.” This is causing (1) home prices and rents to increase–especially …
Dec 19
California enacts law against “gig” work in September; hundreds of jobs are lost by December
The American “labor movement” began by spreading awareness of worker health and safety, low wages, and long hours. Today the “movement” is a government-controlled racket typified by pro-government extremism and anti-capitalist ideology. The recent rise of digital communications led to ride-sharing and other “gig” work—which improved the lives of everyone involved. But government views this …
Nov 14
Politico: “Mainstream” media is losing credibility by hiding “the whistleblower”
Eric Ciaramella is a privileged, highly-paid federal employee with a long track record of supporting pro-government extremist positions and the Democratic Party. It was apparently Ciaramella who, while working in the National Security Council in July of this year, heard that Donald Trump had talked to the Ukrainian president (via telephone) about getting the Ukrainian …
Jun 14
Chicago suburb lays off 40 cops and firefighters to meet pension obligations
Every socialist state will eventually reach a day of reckoning. For years the government of Harvey, Illinois (an impoverished, high-tax, high-regulation socialist suburb of Chicago) has overpaid cops and firefighters and lavished retired cops and firefighters with extravagant pensions. (Many such retirees take their padded pensions and move to lower-tax, less socialist places.) But the …
Mar 20
Thousands more flee California
High taxes. Overregulation. Cops everywhere. Thousands of Californians are opting to leave. Many of them are poor people struggling for daily survival under mountains of laws, regulations, and government programs. This CNBC story documents the exodus. Note that the story also blames high housing costs. But the government of California has spent more on socialistic …
Mar 05
Socialist California has America’s worst Quality of Life
High taxes, cops and other government “workers” everywhere, and life-choking regulations have made California the most miserable place to live in the U.S. See here. California has America’s largest and most powerful “environmental protection” agencies yet has the worst environment. Drinking water quality, air quality and total toxic chemical pollution per square mile are the …
Jan 16
Socialist California Leads Nation in Poverty
Years of high taxes, overregulation, and cops everywhere have taken their toll on California. The state now leads the U.S. in rates and numbers of people living in poverty. See here. (This is true even though the State has the most social workers, biggest welfare programs and biggest wealth-redistribution operations.) The State also has the …
