Armstrong Williams, syndicated columnist

California has long prided itself on being a symbol of progressive governance, a supposed beacon of tolerance, opportunity and inclusivity. But behind the glittering curtain of Hollywood dreams and Silicon Valley innovation lies a troubling reality — a self-inflicted crisis stemming from policies that defy economic logic and common sense. As California grapples with an unprecedented immigration surge, ballooning homelessness and mass exodus of residents and businesses, the question arises: Should the federal government intervene?

The answer is unequivocally no. In fact, the federal government — particularly under President Donald Trump — should stand back and allow California to confront the consequences of its own ideological delusions. Between July 2021 and July 2022, approximately 400,000 residents left California. The state, once a magnet for dreamers, is now hemorrhaging taxpayers and employers. Major corporations such as Tesla, Oracle and Chevron have relocated to more business-friendly states like Texas and Florida. The exodus is not coincidental — it is a direct reaction to California’s punitive tax structure, suffocating regulations and increasingly chaotic public order.

And yet, while residents and businesses flee, California continues to double down on the very policies driving its collapse. It remains a sanctuary state, offering sweeping protections and incentives to undocumented immigrants. It has issued more than a million driver’s licenses to those here illegally and expanded health care coverage to include undocumented adults. These moves, while morally framed by their proponents, come with significant and unsustainable costs.

The state’s homeless population now tops 187,000 — the highest in the nation — and two-thirds of those individuals live unsheltered. According to a Los Angeles Times report from January, recent immigration surges are directly contributing to this crisis. Public schools are strained, social services are maxed out, and law enforcement is overwhelmed. And with each passing month, the budgetary burden grows heavier.

The recent immigration-related unrest in Los Angeles further underscores the state’s growing instability. When Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested over 100 undocumented immigrants during workplace raids, the city erupted in protest. Streets were blocked, fires were set, and National Guard troops and Marines were deployed to restore order. California leaders were quick to denounce the federal response, accusing Trump of political theater. But that response — though controversial — was a necessary reaction to an unsustainable situation created by California’s own defiance of federal immigration law.

It is important to understand what’s really happening here: California has positioned itself in ideological opposition to national sovereignty and law enforcement. The leadership in Sacramento and Los Angeles has chosen to prioritize ideological virtue signaling over practical governance, turning California into a testing ground for utopian policies divorced from reality.

Now, as the weight of those policies begins to crush the state, there will be increasing cries for federal aid. But Trump — and any serious leader in Washington — should resist the temptation to intervene. To do so would be to reward failure and to shield irresponsible leaders from the consequences of their own actions.

California must be allowed to face the results of its governance. Only through suffering the full ramifications of its decisions can the state’s voters and policymakers be compelled to change course. More importantly, allowing California’s collapse to unfold naturally provides a stark warning to the rest of the country: This is what happens when border security is ignored, when economic productivity is punished, and when government becomes divorced from reality.

Let California be the example. Let it show the nation what occurs when ideology eclipses governance and when virtue signaling replaces responsible leadership. The coming fiscal and humanitarian disaster will be not only a reckoning for California but a cautionary tale for every state flirting with the same disastrous policies.

So, let California collapse. Let it learn. And let the rest of America take notes.

Armstrong Williams is manager/sole owner of Howard Stirk Holdings I & II Broadcast Television Stations and the 2016 Multicultural Media Broadcast owner of the year. To find out more about him and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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