California: The turkey in the coal mine?

California has among the highest taxes in the US, plus it has the biggest budget deficit in the land. Despite the state's large scale consumption of resources the state ranks 47th of the 50 states in the support for education. Why? It's because the state, which has 12% of the nation's population, supports 30% of the nation's welfare recipients, so there is little money left for anything else, like schools. A great many of the the constitutionally idle prefer the California lifestyle, it appears, to places like, for example, Nebraska, and there is the appeal to those from south of the border many of whom lack the skills needed to participate in the non-welfare economy. California dreaming is turning into a nightmare as the social deterioration wrought by its policies continues. (See Financial Times, May 30, 2012: "California democracy fetters drive to balance books" by Matt Garrahan.)