Victor Davis Hanson

Gavin, you have 13.3, the highest income taxes in the United States, and you're, I think, number nine in sales taxes, average per county, depending on the county, 10% to 12%. You have the highest gas taxes. Gavin, we rate 45th in schools' test scores. We have the highest per capita crime rate in San Francisco and Oakland of any major city. We have one third of all the welfare recipients.

21% of the people live below the poverty line. You're bleeding out 300 of the most productive, 300,000 of the most productive citizens are leaving. Gavin, the reason they're doing that is you have the highest tax. And I didn't mention the gas tax. That's the highest. You have the highest property tax. the highest housing values, the highest gas tax, the most regulations, the highest income tax.

21% of the people live below the poverty line. You're bleeding out 300 of the most productive, 300,000 of the most productive citizens are leaving. Gavin, the reason they're doing that is you have the highest tax. And I didn't mention the gas tax. That's the highest. You have the highest property tax. the highest housing values, the highest gas tax, the most regulations, the highest income tax.

21% of the people live below the poverty line. You're bleeding out 300 of the most productive, 300,000 of the most productive citizens are leaving. Gavin, the reason they're doing that is you have the highest tax. And I didn't mention the gas tax. That's the highest. You have the highest property tax. the highest housing values, the highest gas tax, the most regulations, the highest income tax.

And we wanted something in return. And what we got are crime-ridden cities, San Francisco, Los Angeles, full of homeless people. And we have schools, the LA public school system is dysfunctional. And we have a teacher's unions that run these schools and they don't work. We have infrastructure that is among the worst.

And we wanted something in return. And what we got are crime-ridden cities, San Francisco, Los Angeles, full of homeless people. And we have schools, the LA public school system is dysfunctional. And we have a teacher's unions that run these schools and they don't work. We have infrastructure that is among the worst.

And we wanted something in return. And what we got are crime-ridden cities, San Francisco, Los Angeles, full of homeless people. And we have schools, the LA public school system is dysfunctional. And we have a teacher's unions that run these schools and they don't work. We have infrastructure that is among the worst.

I think the American trucking industry has got the California freeway system down either last or close to the last. And I know that per miles driven, the 99 freeway is the most dangerous freeway. It's not even a freeway, really, in some places.

I think the American trucking industry has got the California freeway system down either last or close to the last. And I know that per miles driven, the 99 freeway is the most dangerous freeway. It's not even a freeway, really, in some places.

I think the American trucking industry has got the California freeway system down either last or close to the last. And I know that per miles driven, the 99 freeway is the most dangerous freeway. It's not even a freeway, really, in some places.

So you have the 101 that's decrepit, the 99 that's decrepit, and then he's spending $15, $16 billion to continue Jerry Brown's mad idea of a high-speed rail, which is beyond the ability of the present competency of California. California's elite whether you're talking about the government lawyers or the government politicians or the government engineers, they're not competent. They can't do this.

So you have the 101 that's decrepit, the 99 that's decrepit, and then he's spending $15, $16 billion to continue Jerry Brown's mad idea of a high-speed rail, which is beyond the ability of the present competency of California. California's elite whether you're talking about the government lawyers or the government politicians or the government engineers, they're not competent. They can't do this.

So you have the 101 that's decrepit, the 99 that's decrepit, and then he's spending $15, $16 billion to continue Jerry Brown's mad idea of a high-speed rail, which is beyond the ability of the present competency of California. California's elite whether you're talking about the government lawyers or the government politicians or the government engineers, they're not competent. They can't do this.

And if they... So they had... 2009, we voted for this high-speed rail. We were talking about $30 billion, $40 billion, $50 billion. They have spent over $15 billion. They have not raised, laid one foot of track. And now, are we going to get the 500 miles from L.A. through to Hatchipi, to Bakersfield, to Fresno, up to Chowchilla, over to Pacheco, and get to the Bay Area? No.

And if they... So they had... 2009, we voted for this high-speed rail. We were talking about $30 billion, $40 billion, $50 billion. They have spent over $15 billion. They have not raised, laid one foot of track. And now, are we going to get the 500 miles from L.A. through to Hatchipi, to Bakersfield, to Fresno, up to Chowchilla, over to Pacheco, and get to the Bay Area? No.

And if they... So they had... 2009, we voted for this high-speed rail. We were talking about $30 billion, $40 billion, $50 billion. They have spent over $15 billion. They have not raised, laid one foot of track. And now, are we going to get the 500 miles from L.A. through to Hatchipi, to Bakersfield, to Fresno, up to Chowchilla, over to Pacheco, and get to the Bay Area? No.

We're doing phase one travel. Minus. That is Bakersfield to Merced. I'm a chauvinist of the San Joaquin Valley. So everybody, I love Bakersfield. I love Merced, but it's not the time, the place you want to go take a high-speed rail. If you get from that 178 miles, if you get there in three hours driving, you're not going to feel cheated that you got there in an hour.

We're doing phase one travel. Minus. That is Bakersfield to Merced. I'm a chauvinist of the San Joaquin Valley. So everybody, I love Bakersfield. I love Merced, but it's not the time, the place you want to go take a high-speed rail. If you get from that 178 miles, if you get there in three hours driving, you're not going to feel cheated that you got there in an hour.

We're doing phase one travel. Minus. That is Bakersfield to Merced. I'm a chauvinist of the San Joaquin Valley. So everybody, I love Bakersfield. I love Merced, but it's not the time, the place you want to go take a high-speed rail. If you get from that 178 miles, if you get there in three hours driving, you're not going to feel cheated that you got there in an hour.

because you didn't get there in an hour. And by the way, it's not going to go 250 miles an hour. They've already downgraded it. They've already showed you what the ticket price would be. They can't run it. Look at BART. It's a complete mess. It's just a spoil system for unions and DEI and all of that stuff. And it's so tragic because Jerry Brown's father, Edmund Brown, was very gifted.