This is the truth: the American promise was always a straightforward deal. You work hard, you build something, you innovate, and you get to enjoy the rewards. It’s the simple, powerful idea that fueled generations of prosperity and made this country the envy of the world.

But that deal is being torn up in the decaying theme parks of progressive governance. In these places, success isn’t something to aspire to; it’s a crime to be punished. Job creators are no longer seen as pillars of the community, but as fat pigs to be slaughtered to feed the insatiable appetite of the state. A truly toxic belief has taken root: your property isn’t really yours. It’s just a slush fund for their next failed social program.

From ‘The Post Millennial’:

You are fighting to force founders like me to sell huge chunks of our companies to pay for fraud, waste, and political favors… I made my money from my first company, paid hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes on it, used the remainder to start a second company that employs six thousand people, and now me and my cofounders have to somehow come up with billions of dollars in cash. And if we can’t, the state is going to seize my home and garnish my wages for the rest of my life.

That isn’t some far-off horror story Palmer Luckey is describing. It’s happening right now in California, where a lunatic policy—and let’s call it what it is—is making its way onto the ballot. This proposal would slap a one-time, 5% wealth tax on the state’s billionaires, and it’s already got some of America’s biggest innovators, like Google’s Larry Page and PayPal’s Peter Thiel, packing their bags.

The Price of Punishing Success

Get a load of the numbers on this proposed heist. For Larry Page, this little “fee” would add up to a cool $12 billion. For Peter Thiel, it’s a paltry $1.2 billion. This isn’t about income. This is the government showing up with a moving truck to haul away your assets—your stocks, your real estate, your company shares.

Apparently, basic economics isn’t a required course in Sacramento. According to the state’s own numbers, the top 1% of earners already cough up nearly 40% of California’s income tax revenue. By chasing them out of the state with pitchforks, California politicians are not just losing a one-time payday; they’re torching a massive, recurring source of revenue for good. As one tax advisor said, “Those Golden Geese have wings!”

A Union-Backed Socialist Heist

So who’s the genius behind this economic suicide pact? None other than the Service Employees International Union–United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW). They’re not interested in a thriving economy; they’re interested in a shakedown, pure and simple.

In a display of economic illiteracy so pure it’s almost impressive, a union chief of staff called this multi-billion-dollar confiscation a “very minor tax.” This is the worldview of people who have never built anything. They truly believe they have a right to other people’s property. And once they establish that principle, don’t think for a second they’ll stop with billionaires.

A Failed State’s Final Act

This wealth tax is just the final scene in the long, tragic movie of California’s decline. As investor Bill Ackman correctly observed, “California is on a path to self-destruction. Hollywood is already toast and now the most productive entrepreneurs will leave.”

The stampede to sane, free states like Florida and Texas isn’t just about money. It’s a desperate escape from a society drowning in its own progressive policies—crime-ridden streets, rampant homelessness, and a government openly at war with its own citizens. Even Governor Gavin Newsom knows this is insane, but he’s just a passenger on a runaway train driven by radicals.

Don’t fool yourself into thinking this is just a California problem. It’s a preview. This is the future the left wants for the entire country. This is the rot that President Trump’s America First, pro-business agenda is designed to stop. What is happening in California is a clear and present danger, a warning that when you stop rewarding creators, you are left with nothing but takers.

Key Takeaways

• California’s proposed wealth tax will destroy its own tax base by driving out top earners.
• Radical unions are pushing a socialist policy designed to confiscate private property.
• The tax punishes the very principle of American innovation and free enterprise.
• California’s economic decline serves as a stark warning for the rest of the nation.

Sources: The Post Millennial, New York Post