it's getting political and I'll add before it's locked up.
If it weren't for government mandates, our cost to live would be waaaayy lower. Probably 75% lower. and that's not just the direct mandates. It's mandates on places that make things that farmers or truckers use, meaning the government says "you can't paint with this kinda paint, you gotta use this other stuff"....which don't last, it costs more, both of which cost the people who buy it, which gets passed down to the consumer, who always 100'% bears those cost increases.
but certain groups do not recognize this, or they do and say "it's the cost of....", or "it's just a few pennies a day".
And what do you end up with?
California. The land of the great migration. The land of the communist state government who is continually voted in by ignorant people who tend to be the loudest. Those who don't vote for or against what they believe in have no say-so. Period.