Fox Sports 1 host Colin Cowherd praised the state of California and defended its ultra-high tax rate because “nice stuff tends to be expensive.”
California has taken heat the last few years as a dying state, but citing a CBS report, Cowherd noted that California is not suffering from its people moving away.
Cowherd jumped to his Twitter account on Sunday to praise the left-coast state:
“Americas best weather,” he wrote. “Amazing food everywhere. Can surf/ski/vacation without leaving the state. Never met nicer people. Smart & innovative economy. Tech epicenter. Agricultural hub. Yep, we have high taxes. Nice stuff tends to be expensive.”
Americas best weather. Amazing food everywhere. Can surf/ski/vacation without leaving the state. Never met nicer people. Smart & innovative economy. Tech epicenter. Agricultural hub. Yep, we have high taxes. Nice stuff tends to be expensive. https://t.co/gzU20JkCBn
— Colin Cowherd (@ColinCowherd) March 7, 2021
Cowherd added a link to the CBS report that noted that there was no “mass exodus from California in 2020.”
This is a somewhat misleading report, though, because, as CNBC pointed out in December, California has traditionally led the nation in growth, but in 2020 that rate plunged to just .05 percent, the lowest ever.
Despite Cowherd’s praise, California has serious internal problems. For one, it has a massive budget shortfall. By some estimates, California’s budget shortfall is a whopping $54 billion – billion, not million. And as more middle-class and upper-class residents flee only to be replaced by poorer people and immigrants, California has one of the steepest income inequality gaps in the nation as citizens at the top of the income ladder have 12.3 times more money than those at the bottom.
The fantastic weather that Cowherd touts also didn’t seem to make up for California’s overall unfriendliness. According to a recent survey, California ranks up there with New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts in the top ten least friendly states in America. So, the weather may be welcoming, but the people are not.
So, for rich guys like Cowherd, California is no doubt just fine. And some of those replying to his tweet took note of Cowherd’s wealth disparity:
High taxes mean so little to a person on a multi-million dollar contract. High taxes on an average worker or family is crippling.
— Scott Christler (@ScottChristler) March 7, 2021
Such an elite, out of touch take. We left coastal San Diego two months ago. Sold our house and have never been happier. I used tk like cowherd cause he’s from WA as well but he’s like every other sportswriter now. Disappointing.
— KD (@KirseyBelle) March 7, 2021
California is best place in entire world to be rich. Not a good place in USA to be middle or lower class, though.
— J Mo (@JMOinKY) March 7, 2021
I know a ton of people leaving the state because it blows Colin. You can’t live there unless you make millions. Multiple companies have relocated there headquarters out of the state too. Yikes
— InvestInBitcoin (@GrizzlyBTC) March 7, 2021
Finally, it is a bit sad that Cowherd’s first reason California is great – the weather – is something its people nor governments have any control over.
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