| Ed Gooding (VA) |
Posted 01-06-2026 at 11:34:17 [URL] [DELETE]
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So, what's that old saying about finding oneself in a hole?
I think the advice is to stop digging, right? The Republik of Kalifornia did not get the message and wants to encourage more job creators to leave the state.
‘I’m done.’ California’s proposed 2026 billionaire tax would’ve cost In-N-Out’s owner $435 million. Good timing that she left.Mortgage and housing commentator Ramin Ekhtiar, speaking on his Ramin RealTalk channel, starts with a number that feels almost too small for the story he’s about to tell. He says a Double-Double costs about $5.90, “six bucks,” and calls In-N-Out the most iconic burger joint in California history. Then he drops the real headline in his own blunt words: the billionaire owner, Lynsi Snyder, “just said, ‘I’m done.’” Ramin says she’s moving to Tennessee, packing up her family, and leaving California behind after four generations of loyalty. Ramin frames it as a turning point because this wasn’t some outsider company that never cared about the state. In his telling, In-N-Out was the last true holdout, the most California brand you could think of, and now even that thread is being pulled loose. He also sets up a question that runs through his whole breakdown: what does it take to finally push out a person who inherited and expanded a business built in California, raised her family there, and stayed through decades of upheaval? Ramin argues the break didn’t happen over one single issue, but over a stack of them, and he starts with the pandemic era. He says COVID hit, Sacramento demanded businesses check vaccine cards or face shutdown, and Lynsi refused to become what he calls the “vaccination police.” Ramin quotes the company’s stance in plain terms, saying In-N-Out refused to police customers and described the idea as unreasonable and unsafe for employees. In his telling, California responded by shutting the business down, at least briefly, and he highlights Lynsi saying it was “worth it.” Ramin then moves into fines and enforcement pressure, saying the company faced citations and fines – he mentions $1,750 – and he paints it as a message from the state: comply, or we will keep coming. Next, he says crime became a major breaking point. Ramin describes the Oakland location as being open for 18 years and still profitable, yet it closed because the company couldn’t keep employees safe. He lists the incident count like a grim scoreboard, saying there were 1,335 police incidents, more than 1,000 car break-ins, robberies, and even a gunshot that went through the walls of the store. Ramin calls it the first store closure in 77 years, not because it failed, but because the environment around it had become too dangerous. He adds minimum wage hikes, regulations, and cost-of-living pressure, arguing that it has become nearly impossible for workers to buy homes. That’s where his housing and mortgage focus shows, because he’s tying the business story to the bigger affordability crisis. Even if someone disagrees with his politics, the bigger theme is hard to ignore: when basic safety and basic living costs both feel out of control, businesses start acting like they’re trapped in a vise, especially labor-heavy ones like restaurants. Ramin says the final push came from something he believes isn’t being talked about enough: a proposal he calls the 2026 Billionaire Tax Act, described as a one-time tax of 5% of a billionaire’s entire net worth. He then does the math using Lynsi Snyder’s estimated wealth, saying she’s worth about $8.7 billion, and 5% of that is roughly $435 million. Ramin describes it as “one check to Sacramento,” and he says that’s the kind of bill that turns a decision into an emergency exit. He shares Lynsi’s reported plan in practical terms: a new office in Franklin, Tennessee, with the existing Irvine office expected to close later. He also repeats the detail about the new headquarters address – 1948 Double Double Drive – and says it isn’t a coincidence, it’s a statement.
And ole Gavin wants to run the entire country? This clown has totally destroyed a food truck, and now thinks he can run a Hell's Kitchen? Yeah....I don't think so.
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