Welcome to California or at least Los Angeles—or at least welcome California or LA into your rear view mirror—where saying explicitly why a citizen is leaving the State, or even just the city, is somehow wrong. That’s the position of Los Angeles Times‘ letters editor Paul Thornton, in his op-ed headlined Commentary: If you want to leave, fine. But don’t insult California on the way out.

Often, the departees, cash in hand from the sale of their $1-million bungalows, feel the need to express disdain for their home state, and even some anger too[.]

Don’t complain, though, about the cost of housing there—$1-million bungalow, indeed. There’s a hint in there.

…our liberal politics, with the state Republican Party shrunk to irrelevance after its vicious attempt in 1994 to marginalize immigrants with Proposition 187.

But it’s OK for Thornton to insult Californians who remain, but disagree with his august pressman self. Prop 187, which sought to bar the State from extending social services to illegal aliens, passed overwhelmingly, with 60% of California’s voting citizens approving the proposition. Those vicious Californians. Who knew 60% of them were Republicans?

Perhaps I’m sensitive because California—and especially Los Angeles—used to be the place people would come….

Used to be. Looks like another hint to me.

…critical problems we have to fix for progressive ideals to match the reality on the ground[.]

Progressive ideals. To hell with Conservative ideals. There’s only one side to the story. And that is one more reason to leave California—and to tell the unvarnished truth about why you’re leaving.