[danielrpa]

California taxes you a lot more than other states, but doesn't give you better services than other states. I say that because I've lived in 4 states, California included (for years), and nowhere I felt that my money was wasted more than California. Premium taxes for average, if not below average, services by US standards.

My current county in a southeastern red state charges me 1/3 than what I paid in California in property taxes (absolute dollars, as houses here are MUCH cheaper), but we have well maintained schools, music teachers and a funded library. I had none of the above where I lived in California (Orange County).

[api]

OC doesn't even have school busing. They say it's because of proposition 13 (which is problematic) but the funds for OC schools are not substantially less than elsewhere in the country where the schools are on average better and there are services like busing.

Where is it all going?

Probably to bloated administration. Colleges are the same story. Tuition has risen massively yet there are fewer tenure track positions for good professors. It's all going to administrators.

[foogazi]

Ironically Orange County has been a Republican bastion for the last 90 years