Commentary In an increasingly polarized United States, it can often be tempting to let states you feel have made poor decisions, depending on what side of the political spectrum you fall, to live with the mess they’ve created. This is especially true of California, a state that many outsiders—and residents—would describe as a hot mess. For years people have been fleeing the state, with California posting its first net loss in 2020 as 182,000 more residents left for greener pastures than arrived, much to the chagrin of states like Texas and Arizona. Unhappily for them, many Californians leave the state but take their policy ideas to their new home cities, turning places like Austin into an embarrassment for many native Texans, or tightening the Democratic stranglehold in cities like Seattle. It’s easy to dismiss the pickle California finds itself in when residents refuse to help themselves by voting for anyone …