They used to call California "The Golden State." That was before the modern Democratic Party got a hold of it.

Despite all the wealth in the state and the Democrat control of state government, California actually ranks as the poorest state in the country after costs of living are factored in. A whopping 19 percent of Californians live below the poverty line. While California represents just 12 percent of the nation's population, Californians represent a third of all Americans on welfare. The average monthly cost of rent in the state is 43 percent higher than the national average. Nearly a third of Californians spend more than half of their earnings on housing. The situation is made worse by skyrocketing energy costs. "Residents who can afford rent or a mortgage are on the hook for electricity rates burdened by green initiatives and regulation that grew 500 percent faster than the national average from 2011 to 2017."

Some of these stats are mind-boggling.

The Hill:

California renters pay an average of $1,440 per month, much higher than the national average of $1,010 per month. In 2015, more than 40 percent of Californians spent over 30 percent of their income on housing. Today, 29 percent of them spend over half their earnings on housing. Median home values, at $529,000, are more than double the national median of $239,800. Residents who can afford rent or a mortgage are on the hook for electricity rates burdened by green initiatives and regulation that grew 500 percent faster than the national average from 2011 to 2017. "Not In My Backyard" development and construction restrictions mean that California cities are much more expensive for the poor, with Los Angeles having the highest proportion of income going towards rent in the nation. The state and its cities use environmental and zoning laws to restrict housing, which often disallows large scale development of apartments. The result? Less access for middle class residents.

"California society represents a modern feudal system of robber barons and the poor." Democrats in the state have set about to deliberately sabotage the economy by placing non-economic concerns over growth. Not surprisingly, the middle class is deserting the state – a gold rush in reverse.

How did it happen?

In many ways, California has long been an example for the rest of the nation. But the middle class conservatism that propelled national figures like Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan is gone. It has been replaced with virtue signaling and policies by the wealthy that hurt struggling families. Both sides of the coin, from technology executives to families unable to pay rent, vote for Democrats that only make the problem worse.

Being a liberal in California is now a matter of survival. Government largesse is necessary to live even reasonably comfortably. Government goodies have replaced the work ethic and a desire to better oneself by one's own devices.

As long as the super-rich continue to prop up the system, California will muddle through. Eventually, even the tech billionaires will be forced out, and then the apocalypse.

Perhaps they could turn Los Angeles into a prison, as John Carpenter did in Escape from L.A. It just might be an improvement.