STUART:
LAWMAKERS IN MASSACHUSETTS APPEA
LAWMAKERS IN MASSACHUSETTS APPE
LAWMAKERS IN MASSACHUSETTS APPEO
LAWMAKERS IN MASSACHUSETTS APPEB
LAWMAKERS IN MASSACHUSETTS APPEE
RETHINKING THEIR SANCTUARY STATE
POLICY.
GOVERNOR CHARLIE BAKER SUPPORTS
A BILL THAT WOULD ALLOW -- NOT
THE REQUEST OF THE FEDS.
BAKER SAYS THE BILL'S NOT A
RESPONSE TO PRESSURE FROM TRUMP
BUT, RATHER, A FORMALIZATION OF
A PRACTICE DURING THE OBAMA
ADMINISTRATION.
IT IS, HOWEVER, IN MY OPINION, A
RETREAT.
>>> NOW THIS, OUR NEXT GUEST HAS
A COLUMN ON FOXNEWS.COM, PERFECT
HERE'S THE HEADLINE OF THAT
ARTICLE: CALIFORNIA AND THE
DEFINITION OF INSANITY.
WHY DO DEMOCRATS LOVE TAX HIKES
SO MUCH?
JOINING US NOW IS CHUCK DEVORE,
HE'S WITH THE TEXAS PUBLIC
POLICY FOUNDATION, A FORMER
CALIFORNIA STATE ASSEMBLY GUY.
YOU JUMPED SHIP, YOU NOW LIVE IN
TEXAS.
SO ANSWER THIS QUESTION: WHY DO
>> WELL, AS PART OF THEIR DNA,
THEY JUST CAN'T HELP IT.
WHEN I WAS ON THE REVENUE AND
TAXATION COMMITTEE, I WAS VICE
CHAIRMAN, I TRIED TO EXPLAIN TO
MY DEMOCRATIC COLLEAGUES THAT
YOU COULD HAVE A TAX CODE TO
MAXIMIZE GOVERNMENT REVENUE OR
TO TRY TO REDISTRIBUTE WEALTH.
PICK ONE, BECAUSE YOU CAN'T DO
BOTH.
AND THEY, OF COURSE, ALWAYS TRY
TO REDISTRIBUTE WEALTH.
AND THE PROBLEM IS PEOPLE CAN
200,000 AMERICANS EVERY YEAR IN
AN AVERAGE YEAR PICK UP AND MOVE
OUT OF CALIFORNIA, MORE MOVE OUT
THAN MOVE IN.
THE NUMBER ONE STATE THEY GO TO,
STUART: WELL, NOW THERE'S A
PROPOSAL IN CALIFORNIA THAT
ILLEGALS CAN GET A DRIVER'S
LICENSE, AND WHEN THEY GET THE
DRIVER'S LICENSE, THEY'RE
AUTOMATICALLY REGISTERED TO
A DEMOCRAT OF KEEPING DEMOCRAT
CONTROL OF THE STATE OF
CALIFORNIA, ISN'T IT?
>> WELL, THE CHALLENGE IS THAT
THAT MAY BE THE PROPOSED RULE OR
LAW, BUT THE PEOPLE -- IF THEY
DO VOTE -- THEIR COMMITTING A --
>> WELL, IN SOME INSTANCES IT IS
POLICED.
IT CERTAINLY ISN'T POLICED AS
MUCH AS I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT.
IN FACT, WE EVEN HAVE CASES OF
VOTER FRAUD HERE IN TEXAS.
THERE WAS A BIG CASE THAT BROKE
JUST YESTERDAY THAT GOVERNOR
GREG ABBOTT TWEETED ABOUT, ABOUT
SOMEONE WHO IS BEING ACCUSED OF
HAVING ILLEGALLY SIGNED UP THREE
PEOPLE FOR A HOME BALLOT.
AND THAT'S, OF COURSE, A VERY
EASY WAY TO COMMIT FRAUD.
STUART: YOU'RE A SUCCESSFUL MAN
IN CALIFORNIA.
WERE YOU DRIVEN OUT BY TAXES?
[LAUGHTER]
>> WELL, YOU COULD SAY I'M A
POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC REFUGEE
IN TEXAS.
THE LEGISLATURE IN 2004.
WE HAD PLENTY OF HUGE AEROSPACE
HEADQUARTERS IN CALIFORNIA, ALL
THE MAJOR HEADQUARTERS HAVE NOW
LEFT THE STATE BECAUSE OF A
COMBINATION OF THE CALIFORNIA
TAX POLICY AND REGULATORY
POLICY.
THEY JUST FOUND THAT THEY
COULDN'T MAKE AS MUCH MONEY IN
CALIFORNIA COMPARED TO IF THEY
MOVED SOMEWHERE ELSE.
AND SO MY CLIENT BASE VANISHED
AND, THEREFORE, IT WAS KIND OF
HARD TO DO WHAT YOUSED TO DO FOR
A LIVING -- USED TO DO FOR A
LIVING WHEN I WAS TERMED OFF THE
THE LEGISLATURE IN 2010.
STUART: BUT THE CULTURE IS
I MEAN, IT'S ALMOST LIKE DAY AND
DIFFERENT COUNTRY.
HAVE YOU ADOPTED AND ADAPTED TO
THE NEW CULTURE IN TEXASSOME.
>> -- IN TEXAS?
>> WELL, ABSOLUTELY.
IT'S A VERY FREEDOM-ORIENTED
CULTURE.
AND TO YOUR POINT, ON A HUNCH
PUBLIC POLICY FOUNDATION, I DID
A SURVEY OF THE OCCUPATIONS OF
AND AS I SUSPECTED, I FOUND THAT
SOMEWHERE AROUND 85% OF THE
LEGISLATURE IN TEXAS, BUSINESS
RANCHING, THEY WERE DOCTORS,
THEY WERE PEOPLE WHO WORKED FOR
A LIVING.
IN CALIFORNIA WHAT I FOUND WAS
THAT SAME PERCENTAGE WAS ABOUT
THEY DID FOR A LIVING IN THE
LEGISLATURE BEFORE THEY BECAME
ELECTED WERE ROUGHLY ONE-THIRD
COMMUNITY ORGANIZERS,
PLAINTIFFS' ATTORNEYS AND
GOVERNMENT STAFFERS.
AND SO AS A RESULT, THEY BROUGHT
A DIFFERENT LIFE EXPERIENCE.
THEY BROUGHT A DIFFERENT
ATTITUDE TOWARD THEIR
LEGISLATIVE DUTIES.
AND THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS
WHY CALIFORNIA HAS AMONG THE
HIGHEST TAXES IN THE COUNTRY.
IN FACT, I DID A STUDY LOOKING
AT THE 15 BIGGEST STATES, AND
YOU SEE A VERY TIGHT CORRELATION
BETWEEN THE BIG TAX STATES LIKE
LOW TAX STATES LIKE TEXAS AND
FLORIDA, YOU SEE A BIG
CORRELATION BETWEEN AMERICANS
MOVING OUT OF THOSE BIG TAX
STATES INTO THE LOW TAX STATES.
STUART: CHUCK, YOU'RE TALKING TO
SOMEBODY WHO LIVES IN NEW
JERSEY, OKAY?
[LAUGHTER]
CHUCK DEVORE --
>> BETTER THAN NEW YORK.
STUART: MARGINAL.