San Fran = Rwanda

19 May, 2014 by John Seiler

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San Francisco is by far the most liberal city in the United States. In the 2012 election, it voted 83 percent for Democratic President Obama and 13 percent for Republican Mitt Romney.

So one would think that SF would have the least “income inequality” of any city in America. Income inequality is the latest trend issue for liberals, being taken up by the president in numerous recent speeches; and being the topic of a best-selling new fad book, “Capital in the 21st Century,” by French academic Thomas Piketty.

SF, obviously, must be enacting and enforcing policies to reduce the gap between rich and poor.

Wrong.

SF has the highest income inequality of any American city, actually way up near the level of the country of Rwanda, according to a new study by the city’s Human Services Agency.

Actually, this should not be surprising. SF’s enlightened liberals enact numerous laws sharply restricting property use, which drives up property prices to sky-high levels. California adds to that, especially with the Stalinist California Coastal Commission, which sharply restricts housing along the coast.

Restrictions on businesses, as well as a minimum wage that could rise to $15 an year, also restrict businesses’ ability to create middle-class jobs. It’s a paradox that raising the minimum wage actually hurts low-wage workers; but they are hurt because their jobs evaporate.

Thanks to liberal laws and regulations, SF now is so expensive it requires at least $200,000 a year in salary to live for what it would take $50,000 to do so in Texas or some other enlightened state.

If you’re rich, SF still is a beautiful, charming city. If you’re poor, you get government benefits. If you’re middle-class, you get out.

The sad thing is that Rwanda will reform its policies before SF does.