Have you seen the latest commercial from the governor of California inviting us to embrace the “Freedom” California has to offer? According to the governor, “freedom is under attack” in Florida. Are you aware we are “banning books, making it harder to vote, restricting speech in classrooms, even criminalizing women and doctors”?
I guess he has a point. Florida did ban critical race theory books from our classrooms. It is very difficult to vote here if you are not breathing, if you want to vote more than once, or if you are not a good-standing legal citizen of Florida. Teachers are not allowed to give instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through 3rd grade. Well, I guess it is ok if the child has been held back for several years.
If you are a woman who wants to kill her baby or a doctor eager to provide that service, you are “free” to do so in California right up to 6 months of pregnancy. If two California doctors agree, a woman can go well beyond 24 weeks! Hmmm, what are the odds two abortion clinic doctors would confirm a late-term abortion is necessary?
Before you start packing for the “Freedom” California has to offer, there are a few things the California governor did not highlight in his commercial. In fairness, I thought I would make a few comparisons.
When it comes to estate taxes you can die for free in either state. Florida and California do not have an inheritance tax which means they will not tax your estate after you die.
| California | Florida | ||
| Estate Taxes | No Estate Tax | Estate Taxes | No Estate Tax |
| Sales Tax | 7.25% up to 10.75% | Sales Tax | 6% up to 7.5% |
| Property Taxes | Average .74% | Property Tax | Average .97% |
You are not going to leave Florida over property taxes, are you?
There is a wee difference regarding state income tax.
Florida has no state income tax. Only the Federal Income Tax applies. A Florida couple earning $100,000 a year is $8,000 ahead of a California couple with the same income.
Here’s a head-scratcher. With all that extra state income imposed upon its citizens, how does California manage to be the 5th highest state with a debt of $152.7 billion dollars?
In contrast, Florida collects zero state income tax and manages to be the 2nd lowest state with a debt of $28.8 billion dollars. Perhaps one of the reasons is that Florida honors and follows the constitution by deporting illegal aliens while California became the first state to provide taxpayer-funded health coverage to illegal aliens.
Every state has its share of homeless people. Florida’s homeless population is 27,400. California’s homeless population is 161,700 equivalent to the population of an average-sized American city. A friend of mine moved from the northeast to San Diego only to return to the northeast three years later due to the filth and the stench on the streets from the homeless.
California’s “freedom” does not honor the spirit of the Second Amendment with the strictest gun laws in the nation. Open carry, carrying a gun in your vehicle, and concealed carry are not allowed. A state that won’t allow its citizens to protect themselves and defunds its police departments might be offering the kind of "freedom" appealing to a criminal.
On the other hand, Florida compliments the Second Amendment and treats its citizens like adults allowing concealed carry with a permit. With all those law-abiding Florida citizens carrying weapons, US News & World Report must still think Florida is a safe place to live ranking 11 of Florida’s cities in the top 20 to retire.
Although I question the narrative the California governor presents in his TV commercial claiming California offers more “freedom” than Florida; it is a state that is obviously appealing to over 37 million people.
I am betting that the citizens of California would not want a federal government that would impose Florida laws upon their state.
In turn, Floridians would not want the federal government turning our state into California.
If this union is to survive, it is imperative that we limit the power of the federal government to allow the states to represent the people they serve.
Thankfully, our Forefathers anticipated a federal government that would become too powerful with career politicians and unelected bureaucrats. They provided us Article V of the constitution giving the states and their citizens the power to rein in an out-of-control government.
Learn more about Article V and how to get involved!
Thank you for your support!
