Progressive Policies: How they Thrive

The U.S. liberal strongholds exercise considerable influence over the nation’s attitudes and policies. The saying “As California goes, so goes the nation” suggests as much, and the popularity of high-profile progressives like Alexandria Ocasio Cortez boosts liberal solutions nationwide.

But There is a Sorry Scenario

Coexisting with the leadership scenario California enjoys is the state’s march toward being the first third world state in the county, given its overwhelming incidence of homelessness, drug addiction, and general quality of life decay. High taxes and high living costs add to the state’s list of ills.

New Yorkers do not fare much better in the quality of life scale, suffering from similar ills as California.

On August 29, 2019, Bloomberg News reported a substantial exodus of people from New York City, but noted that such exodus is also occurring in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose (CA), and Washington DC.

Forbes fills in some details,

These statistics make sense to anyone living in these places. The costly living expenses, crumbling infrastructure and high tax rates are a big problem for residents.

Odd Contradictions?  Not Really

It would seem odd that officials making policy decisions in cities and states that live with costly living expenses, crumbling infrastructure, and high tax rates would not at some point come to the conclusion that something is amiss, something is not working. The situation is odd perhaps, but totally understandable.

Voters who are fed up with the status quo in progressive strongholds leave, some that know they will benefit arrive and join those that stay in fighting for more of the same – more subsidies at greater levels of the income scale, more employment and pension benefits, more tenant protections, more drug addiction support, more leniency toward low-level crime.

They get more of the same, since a crucial job of an elected official is to ensure his livelihood by ensuring his re-election, and a vital job of a bureaucrat is to grow the bureaucracy in order to justify his employment.

Really quite simple.