CALIFORNIA VS. FLORIDA – A BATTLE FOR THE NATION'S FUTURE – AT 11:41 P.M. ET:  Two huge states have gone in entirely different directions during the pandemic, and in response to the demands of the political left.  Each of these states will play a major role in American politics in the upcoming years.  How do they stack up against each other?  From the New York Post: 

Thanks to the blessings of decentralization, life can vary greatly in America depending on where you sit. Those differences are growing into a chasm of philosophical and practical contrasts between two basic models for the American future. Call them the California way and the Florida way.

On many critical questions facing our culture, our economy and our society, California and Florida offer radically different answers.

Should lots of new housing be built in the interest of affordability? California says no, Florida says yes. Should homeless people be allowed to turn public spaces into tent cities? California says yes, Florida says no. Should public elementary schools teach critical race theory? California says yes, Florida says no. Should gas be $4 a gallon? California says yes, Florida says no. Should biological males be allowed to dominate girls’ sports? Florida says no. California not only says yes, but it is trolling Florida by forbidding its employees to take state-funded trips to Florida, as well as 16 other states.

California fancies itself imposing its cultural values on other states and tackling global warming independently; Florida has a more modest view of what a state government does. People are voting on all of this with their U-Hauls. California’s population in 2020 shrank for the first time ever, by 180,000 people, whereas Florida had the second-highest increase in population, after Texas.

During the pandemic, California introduced some of the harshest lockdown measures in the country, crashing its economy, while Florida was among the first states to begin reopening, way back in May of 2020, and has been almost entirely open since September. Disney World reopened in July of 2020; Disneyland reopened at the end of April 2021. One survey found that Florida had the second-fewest coronavirus restrictions; California ranked 45th by the same measure.

Should homeless people be allowed to turn public spaces into tent cities? California says yes, Florida says no.

Though Florida has the second-highest percentage of old people of any state, the death tolls look like they will come out about even. Florida stands 26th in COVID-19 fatalities (1,769 deaths per million) while California is 34th (1,614). Yet California’s economy is still suffering, its unemployment rate standing at 7.9 percent in May, the most recent survey. Florida hasn’t seen such a high jobless rate since last August; its unemployment has stood below 5 percent throughout 2021.

COMMENT:  And Florida has a governor, Ron DeSantis, who may well be the Republican candidate for president in 2024.  California has a governor, Gavin Newsom, who is facing a recall election in the fall. 

On balance, you've got to give first prize to Florida.  A well-run state, government based on common sense, and people moving in rather than out, which is the key indicator.  California?  Well, it ain't the place Ronald Reagan ran half a century ago.  Then it was truly the golden state.  Now some of its gems, like San Francisco, are a disgraceful mess.

July 10, 2021