All the leaves are brown
And the sky is gray
I’ve been for a walk
On a winter’s day
I’d be safe and warm
If I was in L.A.
California dreamin’
On such a winter’s day

 

—California Dreamin’, The Mamas & The Papas

 

Imagine a land where dreams are spun into gold.

Where innovation pulses through the air like electricity.

Where the future seems to arrive a little earlier than everywhere else.

Yes, this land is California. The Golden State. It’s now the fourth-largest economy in the world.

 

Source: Fox News

 

Source: Herry Santoso / LinkedIn

 

In 2024, California’s gross domestic product was $4.1 trillion. Jaw-dropping? Absolutely. This figure eclipses the economies of nations like Japan and India:

  • California’s annual growth rate of 6% is pretty sensational as well.
  • It’s ahead of the wider United States, which experienced growth of 5.3%.
  • California also outshines Germany’s 2.9%, as well as China’s 2.6%.

Of course, there’s no denying it. Tech wizards and film moguls have turned California into the wealthiest state in America. This is quite the achievement, yes. But watch out. There are darker forces at play here. There’s a dirty reality no one wants to talk about:

  • You see, while Silicon Valley and Hollywood bask in the glow of indulgence and extravagance, a long shadow has crept in over the last 50 years. It now stretches across the heartland of Middle America.
  • To understand this, you only need to look at Rust Belt states like Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Once upon a time, the industrial centres here stood tall and proud. But in just over two generations, they have been reduced to poverty-stricken skeletons. The Midwest factories that once made iron, steel, and cars have largely closed down. Wages have stagnated. Hope has been lost.
  • The working-class folks in the Rust Belt are alienated and shell-shocked. They look to Washington with desperation. Wondering if their piece of the American dream has melted away, along with the jobs that once defined them.

So, here’s the $4 trillion question: Has California’s rise come at the expense of Middle America’s decline? If so, what does this mean for a nation teetering on the edge of change?

  • This is not just a story of dollars and cents. This is a saga of triumph and tragedy; innovation and inequity; and a divided country at a crossroads.
  • The contrast here is striking. On one side of the country, you have people in the Golden State making trillions on apps and blockbusters. They will tend to believe in globalisation and free trade.
  • Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, you have people in the American Midwest struggling to cope with shuttered plants and an opioid crisis. This has become known as the Rust Belt. These folks will tend to believe in MAGA and tariffs.

These are the conflicting voices now wrestling and clashing over America’s future. I think it’s more important than ever for us to understand exactly how we got to this point:

  • I want to take an uncensored, uncompromising look at the cold hard reality of the American Dream. This is about understanding the past so we can get a better grip on the future.
  • This is Part One of my two-part investigative series into the impact of globalisation on the United States. We’re going to be covering all the controversial angles. This will be incredibly provocative, but rest assured, I will leave no stone unturned…

 

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