Live from Music Row, Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – host Leahy welcomed all-star panelist Crom Carmichael in studio to discuss the ongoing devolution of the blue states in America and the contrast between California and Florida.

Leahy: In studio, the original all-star panelist Crom Carmichael. We’re back here today after two weeks off. Back in the saddle again, as we say. Your Crommentary, we will do that again. We will pick that up on Wednesday at 6:30, as we usually do.

But you have a topic that you wanted to share with me and our audience about – oh, I don’t know – the continued devolution of the blue states in America.

Carmichael: And it’s about what it means. And it really speaks to the way that our Constitution and how it was designed to organize our country, to create as much competition, quite frankly, between the states to give, and to give the citizens the maximum amount of choices.

And so what you have is and there’s really two stories here, Michael, that kind of are seemingly disparate, but they really fit together. One is the Supreme Court’s decision to keep Title 42 alive for at least a time.

Leahy: Title 42 is an executive order put out by the Trump administration, which said in the era of COVID that you would limit the number of illegal aliens that came in, you could kick them back out, basically.

Carmichael: Based on the question of COVID. It’s also interesting that the Biden administration has recently imposed testing on the Chinese who are flying to this country, or anybody.

I take that back. Anybody who is flying from China to the United States, whether they’re Chinese or American, they have to be tested before they get on the plane. I noticed that Mike Pompeo is saying that China is trying to infect the world with another variant.

Leahy: Another variant. So here’s the thing. The Biden administration talking out of both sides of his mouth again. The COVID pandemic is over or not over, depending upon which policy they want to promote. If they want to promote the forgiveness of school loan debt, well, there’s still a COVID problem. But if they want to promote something else, there’s not a COVID problem.

Carmichael: They’re not going to be able to do away with the student debt because the courts are not allowing that.

Leahy: You’re probably right. It’s not out of the Supreme Court yet.

Carmichael: Yes, but it’ll have to be an act of Congress. Probably. But anyway, what’s interesting about this particular decision is Gorsuch’s position. Gorsuch sided with the dissenters.

Leahy: It was a five-four decision. The typical three liberals, Sotomayor, Kentanji Brown-Jackson…

Carmichael: And Elena Kagan who we have to say that now, they’re all allegedly women. Allegedly. I mean, because of Ketanji Jackson…

Leahy: She can’t tell.

Carmichael: She can’t tell. It’s unfortunate, Michael, but we have to use the term alleged.

Leahy: That’s funny. You haven’t lost your touch over Christmas Crom.

Carmichael: Thank you. Neil Gorsuch sided with the three alleged women on the court because what he says is that the executive order was passed because of an emergency and that now the emergency is passed, therefore, the executive order has to go away.

The 19 states, they’re the plaintiffs in the case, they’re claiming that the Biden administration is not protecting the border so their argument is greater. They’re using Title 42, but their argument is actually greater. This gets to the other question.

Leahy: Their argument is the Biden maladministration is not enforcing immigration law and not enforcing immigration.

Carmichael: Yes, which is absolutely true. And so you have this blue state exit. So we switch back over. So you have politicians, they’re left, they’re progressive. Higher taxes, higher regulations, and all kinds of strange laws in these blue states. Especially California, Illinois, Michigan, and now New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

Those are the bluest of the blue states. And actually, Michael, for the first time, Washington State and Oregon are now having net losses because people are tired of their laws and their policies.

Leahy: Our own producer Patrick came from Washington. Showing his good common sense.

Carmichael: And Gavin Newsom, and I think this was purely for politics, ran ads in Florida inviting Floridians to move to California, where, “we still believe in freedom.” (Leahy laughs) That’s what Gavin Newsom says.

Leahy: Let’s ask the church there that’s not allowed to actually convene.

Carmichael: That’s a great point. But also, California has the highest income taxes of any state in the country. Florida has zero. The taxes on income are zero. Florida has by far, the most school choice of any state in the country, and California arguably has the least.

Leahy: You are free to rob stores in California.

Carmichael: Because if it’s under $900 you can’t be arrested. I don’t know what their bail laws are, but I know people get out very easily. I know you can do drugs in California all you want.

Leahy: Barstow, California. Did you see this story? A 29-acre cannabis superstore center. 29 acres of various stores where you can go and buy cannabis. It’s on the highway between LA and Las Vegas.

Carmichael: So you’re free to destroy your personal life through addiction. And marijuana, the way it’s made today, I don’t care what the people who are for it say. It is driving up homelessness and driving up mental illness at a rate that is unconscionable.

But because of the tax revenue that comes in, the left looks the other way, and it’s destroying human beings. But in California, you’re free to do drugs. I think you’re free now to be a streetwalker. In other words, being a streetwalker is now legal. So you’re free to do everything.

Leahy: For those of our listeners thinking, what’s he talking about?

Carmichael: Pimps and prostitutes are allowed to walk the streets and sell their wares and engage in conversation that will lead to sex for money. And these are all legal. In other words, these things have been legalized in California.

It’s interesting because I take Gavin Newsom at his word when he sees these as indications of freedom. Debauchery for Gavin Newsom of any kind should be permitted and allowed because that’s his definition of freedom. Going to church, running a business, trying to make a living, these things should all be made more difficult.

And going to a private school should be more expensive. This is contrasting Florida and California which will continue to be contrasted. But in these blue states, their unemployment rates are higher. Economic growth is lower.

Their deficits in the coming year will explode because so many of them depend on capital gains revenue to fund their state governments. The states that are well run like Tennessee, if not the best-run state from a financial standpoint, and I think it is, it’s certainly in the top three.

Leahy: It’s in the top three.

Carmichael: And I think it’s the number one because it’s the lowest indebted state per capita in the country. And I think that is one of the key metrics that you look at.

Listen to today’s show highlights, including this interview:

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Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510. Listen online at iHeart Radio.
Photo “California Capitol” by Asilvero. CC BY-SA 3.0.