The Reason.com Podcast

Years ago, after starting to report and editorialize on news events in an old factory city in Ohio, I was quickly dubbed a “negative” for pointing out the disastrous government spending, housing, and tax policies embraced by city leaders—policies that were keeping a nice place wretched. Anyone who made similar criticisms was dismissed as a nattering nabob who didn’t care about the future of the city. I’ve come to expect local officials to treat their critics this way, but was surprised to see Gov. Jerry Brown embrace this approach in his State of the State speech on Wednesday. Brown referred to the growing chorus of Californians complaining about a brain drain to Texas and other states with more favorable tax and regulatory climates as “declinists” with dark visions of the future. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com