16 Reasons To Move Away From CaliforniaMichael Snyder, Contributor Plus there is the constant threat that your home could be destroyed by an earthquake, a wildfire or a mudslide. In recent years, hordes of hard working families have decided that they have had enough and have decided to move away from California. In fact, since the year 2000 more than 1.6 million people have moved away from the state of California. There are still a few pockets of the state that are still very beautiful and that have been sheltered from the economic nightmare that is sweeping the rest of the state. Without a doubt, the California Dream has now become a California Nightmare for most residents of the state. Do you live in California? If so, perhaps now is the time to move. The following are 16 really good reasons to move away from California. #1 California Is Run By Elitist Control Freaks That Have No Common Sense At All There are many more examples of this control freak mentality. As I wrote about recently, one California town is actually considering making it illegal to smoke in your own backyard. #2 California Is A Horrible Place To Do Business #3 The California Economy Is A Gigantic Mess #4 Municipalities All Over California Are Going Broke And Will Soon Need To Raise Taxes Substantially Just To Survive But as bad as Stockton is doing, the truth is that Orange County may be in even worse shape. The following is from a recent article by Chriss Street. At this point, the Orange County Employees Retirement System is estimated to have a 10 billion dollar unfunded pension liability. How does a single county dig a 10 billion dollar hole? #5 Desperate Municipalities Are Severely Slashing Government Services All Over The State In Oakland things got so bad that the police chief announced at one point that his department would no longer respond to certain crimes. The list of crimes included grand theft, burglary, car wrecks, identity theft and vandalism. Today, Oakland is considered the 5th most violent city in the United States. In Stockton the budget cuts got so bad that the police union put up a billboard at one point with the #6 The State Government In Sacramento Is Flat Broke California taxpayers should realize that it is only a matter of time before lawmakers try to hit them with more tax increases of one form or another. #7 California Has Some Of The Highest Tax Rates In The Nation Unfortunately, it is only a matter of time before the politicians come around for even more. #8 Poverty Is Absolutely Exploding In California #9 Epidemic Of Crime And Gang Violence Fortunately the gentleman in that story was not there when his home was broken into. Thieves are becoming bolder and bolder and many home invasions happen whether there are occupants in the home or not. The following home invasion story from Sacramento, California was sent to me by one of my readers a while back. Who does that kind of thing? Unfortunately, when people get desperate they tend to throw out the normal rules that most of us live by. Every state has crime, but things are getting particularly bad in California. A reader that works in law enforcement down in the Los Angeles area left the following comment on a recent article. I work in law enforcement in LA (I fortunately dont live there). LA is a third world country, trash everywhere, graffiti, gangs (mostly Hispanic). Im sick of illegals primarily Mexicans (Im American of Mexican descent). These liberal politicians will not stop aid to illegals which costs this state 21 billion dollars a year, which is about the same as our current deficit. I earn a pretty decent income and my wife has a meager salary, but it seems to get more and more difficult to earn a living in this state. If I can make it to retirement, Im probably going to leave this state. Another reader identified as Rob left the following comment. #10 As Poverty And Crime Grow Many California Cities Are Being Transformed Into Hellholes There are some parts of large California cities that are an absolute nightmare. For example, there is an area of San Francisco that is known as Hunters Point that is so run down that it is hard to believe that people actually live there. The following is what one reporter discovered on a visit to Hunters Point. But it is not just the big cities that are being transformed into hellholes. The following is how Victor Davis Hansen described what he experienced during his tour of the forgotten areas of central California. #11 California Has Some Of The Worst Schools In The Nation #12 Political Correctness Runs Rampant In California #13 California Does Not Respect The Rights Of Parents #14 California Has One Of The Worst Health Care Systems In America #15 California The Land Of The Lawsuits #16 The Big One Could Hit California At Any Time So what do you think? What advice would you give to someone considering whether or not to move away from California? Feel free to post a comment with your thoughts below. 