- In recent years, a notable band of Hollywood luminaries have absconded from California, seeking shelter elsewhere in the grand Union and beyond, driven away by escalating taxation and rampant mischief in the once Golden State.
- The likes of Dean Cain, known for his portrayal of the Man of Steel, have joined the likes of Rod Stewart and Mark Wahlberg in bidding farewell to Tinseltown.
- California, according to the Los Angeles Times, has bade goodbye to half a million of its denizens between the years of 2020 and 2022, marking the fourth largest decline amongst the States.
- Increased taxes for the well-off residents, alongside a rise in crime and homelessness, have spurred these wealthy personages to seek greener and safer pastures.
- Rod Stewart, growing weary of the so-called toxic culture and lack of privacy in Los Angeles, contemplates selling his mansion to resettle in the UK, while Ozzy Osbourne and spouse are doing likewise.
It appears that the luminaries of the stage, who once found their domicile in the grand and gilded state of California, are now fleeing its shores like rats deserting a sinking ship. It brings to mind the time Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, those two incorrigible young rascals, decided that they’d had enough of St. Petersburg’s civility and sought adventure on Jackson’s Island. Just as they had grown weary of Aunt Polly’s admonitions and Widow Douglas’ piety, so too have the stars of Hollywood grown tired of the escalating demands of California’s taxmen and the rising tide of crime.
Dean Cain, who once donned the mantle of the invincible Superman, has recently joined the likes of Rod Stewart and Mark Wahlberg in this exodus from Tinseltown. Much like Tom and Huck, these gentlemen have sought a life of tranquility and modesty elsewhere, away from the glare and spectacle of Hollywood. The Los Angeles Times reports that the state of California has bid adieu to more than 500,000 of its citizens between 2020 and 2022, a figure only surpassed by New York, Illinois, and Louisiana.
The lawmakers in California, much like the King and the Duke in Huck’s adventure down the Mississippi, have made a habit of squeezing the wealthy with new taxes. These fiscal burdens, coupled with a rising wave of crime and a growing population of the homeless, have forced the wealthy to seek refuge elsewhere, much like Huck and Jim on their raft. Mr. Cain, for example, traded his opulent dwelling in Malibu for the quiet charm of Nevada, citing lesser traffic and gentler taxes as the reasons for his departure.
In another part of town, rock legend Rod Stewart, tired of the so-called toxic culture and lack of privacy in Los Angeles, contemplates exchanging his LA mansion for a life of peace in the UK. Similarly, Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon are also considering a return to their British roots. These movements remind me of when Tom and Huck, tired of their life on the island, decided to return to St. Petersburg, longing for a life less fraught with danger and uncertainty.
Meanwhile, the land of chance, Nevada, has welcomed a host of these fleeing stars, with Mark Wahlberg making his home in the sparkling desert jewel known as Sin City. It’s a situation that brings to mind Pudd’nhead Wilson, the outsider who eventually found a place in Dawson’s Landing, demonstrating once again that it’s not the place but the people that make a home.
In my humble opinion, much like our dear Huck learned, freedom is a hard-earned virtue, not to be bartered or exchanged for the gilded cages of fame and fortune. These stars, much like those who once sought gold in California’s rivers, have found that all that glitters is not gold. High taxes, crime, and a loss of privacy are the price of this gilded life, a price that seems to be rising with each passing year. As a man who has seen the rise and fall of fortunes, who has traveled the breadth of this great nation and seen the best and worst it has to offer, I can understand why they would seek a quieter, simpler life.
It reminds me of the time when Tom Sawyer, in one of his fanciful moods, decided to become a hermit and live off the land. He soon realized that the quiet life was not for him, but I reckon these stars are not of the same mind. They seek a refuge from the noise and the glare, a place where they can be themselves without the constant scrutiny of the public eye. And who can blame them? As Huck Finn once said, “All right, then, I’ll go to hell.” Sometimes, one must make their own way in the world, no matter the cost.
