Neither Utah nor California are nearly as well run as Vermont, where I spent about 15 years, to be honest. I'm dismayed by the mess that the Wasatch Front has become. California has some serious issues, but a huge part of that comes down to tens of millions of people wanting to cram into a beautiful slice of the coast with by far the best weather in the country.

The other half is ridiculous political decisions made by people reacting to the first factor.

It's not like human nature changes from one location to the next. The situation changes their politics.