LIZ PEEK: Democrats’ affordability scam collapses in states they actually run
Democrats are lying to voters, claiming to be the party that can deliver "affordability." Nothing could be farther from the truth.
In January, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., promised the nation that if Democrats capture the majority in the Senate, "lowering costs will be our North Star."
In February, the chair of the House New Democrat Coalition rolled out its "Affordability Agenda," proclaiming, "That's why we are committed to taking on the cost-of-living crisis to make it easier for people to afford their home, pay for health care, keep the lights on, and build a better future."
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Where were these inflation hawks during Joe Biden’s four years in the White House, when the Consumer Price Index soared above 9%, the highest in more than 40 years, and the cost of living rose more than 20%?
After winning New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary last year, Zohran Mamdani claimed, "We have won because New Yorkers have stood up for a city they can afford." He forgot to mention that Democrats have been in charge of New York for decades, helping make the city unaffordable.
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This is a fact: Democrat-run cities and states are, with few exceptions, the most expensive in the nation. The reasons include pro-labor rules that drive up wages and costs, regulatory overreach that creates hurdles and delays, energy policies that inflate electricity and gasoline bills, and reckless spending, which leads to high taxes. High taxes, another Democrat specialty, inflate the price of everything as they are passed along to the consumer.
A new study from CNBC ranking states on the cost of living proves the point. The report is part of its bigger analysis of which states are the most business-friendly. The inclusion makes sense. If your company wants to compete, you’ll need to hire people who will balk at moving to a state where everything costs more. Your bottom line will reflect not only the need to pay higher wages but also local expenses. In other words, a state that lets costs spiral out of control hurts its residents directly and indirectly; in addition to punishing consumers, a higher cost of living will drive businesses away, meaning fewer jobs and income opportunities for those who remain.
CNBC finds that nine out of 10 of the most expensive states are run by Democrats, while Republican-led states are the most affordable. Included in the top 10 costliest states are California, Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, New York, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Washington and Illinois. All have above-average rents and other costs. All have Democratic governors, and most have Democratic supermajorities in their state legislatures.
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While the high cost of living in some states, like Hawaii, can be excused as partly the fault of geography, the most expensive states mainly earned that ignoble title because Democrat policies have pushed prices for housing and other necessities higher.
The only GOP-led state to make the list is Florida, which has become a victim of its own success. Millions of people and thousands of companies have moved to the Sunshine State in recent years, drawn to its low-tax, business-friendly climate. The influx, combined with several destructive hurricanes that have battered the state, has sent rents and insurance costs soaring.
California, not surprisingly, is the most expensive state in the nation. Monthly housing costs are the highest in the U.S.; 40% of Golden State residents pay more than 30% of their incomes on housing. Why? According to RAND researchers, "California’s affordable housing costs $640 per square foot to build, compared with $228 for market-rate housing in Texas."
That cost differential stems in part from California’s slow permitting timelines; the typical California development takes 49 months, compared with just 27 months in Texas. In building, time is money. RAND concludes those delays impose "a substantial ‘time tax’ of $1,284 per unit, per month."
CNBC analysts award California an "F" for its cost of living and its business-friendliness. The monthly energy bill in the Golden State averages $373, compared with $149 in Colorado, for instance, or $276 in New York. The price of gasoline is $5.39 per gallon, far higher than the national average of $3.87.
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It is not an accident that California has high energy costs, any more than it is simply a coincidence that rents in Democrat-run Illinois are 40% higher than in neighboring GOP-run Ohio. Policies matter. California has tried to shift consumers to electric vehicles and away from fossil fuels, abandoning the state’s abundant supply of oil and gas. To that end, the state has imposed a 92-cent-per-gallon tax on gasoline, the highest in the U.S.
Nearly all Democratic states impose higher rents on residents because they favor strict local zoning laws and pro-union rules that drive up the cost of construction. In addition, many have high property taxes, which are passed on to renters.
High wages mandated by minimum wage laws and restrictions on nonunion labor would seem to be a good thing, but not when they lead to above-average unemployment. California, which has passed legislation driving up wages for hourly employees, has an unemployment rate of 5.3%, compared with the national average of 4.2%. All the top 10 most expensive states have unemployment rates above the U.S. average except Hawaii and Colorado. Getting paid more is great, but only if you have a job.
Which states are the most affordable? Missouri, Ohio, Indiana, Alabama, West Virginia, Kansas, Iowa, Wyoming, South Dakota and North Dakota. What do they have in common? Most, including Kansas, have Republican supermajorities in their state legislatures; all but Kansas have a Republican governor.
The late Daniel Patrick Moynihan, a longtime U.S. senator from New York, famously said, "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts."
The next time a Democrat campaigns on "affordability," remember who oversees the most expensive communities in the country.
Facts matter, and so do policies.