Novelist Ayn Rand’s tales about the havoc that assorted government planners and “looters” wreak on society are a bit turgid and overwrought for my tastes, but I enjoy re-reading the conclusion of Atlas Shrugged. After bureaucrats tighten their control over the economy, entrepreneurs quietly exit society. The entire socialist edifice comes crashing down—quite spectacularly, with the collapse of the economically crucial Taggart Bridge.

If you haven’t read the book, I recommend CliffsNotes. It will spare slogging through John Galt’s 60-page radio speech. Or skip the voluminous book altogether and watch the state of California. The latest data shows that wealthy people—the ones who fund our highly progressive, capital-gains-dependent budget—have now joined the exodus. “Perhaps most striking, California is now losing higher-income households,” the Public Policy Institute of California recently reported.

Lower- and middle-income earners have long been fleeing to states where they can afford a house or operate a small business without having to deal with our meddlesome planners. High earners have largely stayed put given they can afford the costs. But the great climate and scenery only go so far. Anyone who watched a Capitol press conference this week might head to Galt’s Gulch (where Rand’s entrepreneurs fled)—or look for a realtor in Idaho or Texas.

[I’d be more concerned as a Californian about running the Atlas Shrugged playbook if it weren’t for the fact that the Left wants to run the Orwell playbook everywhere else — by which I mean both 1984 and Animal Farm. — Ed]