California s Finest Leave California – WSJ

You may have seen the t-shirts with declarations like, Don t California My Texas! or I don t care how they do it in California. As people abandon the progressive madness of the Golden State and seek shelter in places with more sensible governance, long-time residents of the destination states worry that the ex-Californians will bring along some nutty West Coast politics. But this doesn t seem to be much of a risk in Idaho.

The Gem State has turned out to be a magnet for people with the most experience dealing with the consequences of California chaos: retired cops. This is why a number of readers of this column were especially amused last summer when California s governor decided to try selling his progressive policy message in the Boise area. Reader Rick Weston commented:

Gavin Newsom in Idaho? He should have gone to Coeur d Alene which is called Blue Heaven due to all the retired LA police officers residing there. He would have received some reception.

The joke s on California because the former cops have taken their sizable pensions with them. So after Golden State politicians spent years denigrating and frustrating police officers and giving them every reason to quit, the state s taxpayers now spend heavily to help them enjoy a peaceful life outside of California.

via www.wsj.com

James Freeman.

Idaho is great. I love Idaho. But I’ve got to say the Idaho part of my last trip to Idaho was . . . pretty grim. It was great seeing my brother, his wife, my relatives, her relatives. But the Idaho part of the trip was . . . cold. Very cold. And gray. And dark. I was glad to get back to the sunshine. And Coeur d’Alene is North Idaho — colder, darker, and colder. The next step for me might be Mexico. We’ll see.