You know I hate to say I told you so.

When my friends and I left California three years ago,

we told you the state was dying.

And now, even California officials are admitting we were right.

After more than a century of long-term population growth,

the state of California is now officially predicted to stagnate.

California today has about 39 and a quarter million people.

A decade ago, that number was predicted to grow to 53 million by 2060.

Just three years ago, that prediction was adjusted down significantly to 45 million.

And last week, the California Department of Finance

adjusted the prediction down once more to 39 and a quarter million.

The same number that we have today,

which means that if the trend of prediction adjustments keeps up,

it's likely the California will die not of mere stagnation, but of mass exodus.

And California is not the only liberal state losing people.

New York is facing the exact same problem as the state's comptroller,

grudgingly, just admitted on TV.

In terms of our budget planning process in New York,

we have the somewhat strange calendar of the fiscal year starts on April 1st.

And of course, you don't have your heart tax collection data till April 15th.

So the budget that was put in place, frankly, was based on more optimistic numbers.

But when the current financial plan,

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