Bangladesh and California

Expanding opportunities for citizens never harms a nation – it ultimately strengthens it

It is the blooming season in California now. I don’t know the exact name of the flowers, but I still remember the scene vividly from the photo I took three years ago when I visited. California holds a special place in my heart for a deeply personal reason – my father rests forever in a barren, rocky desert about 200 kilometers from Los Angeles. Before he died, he told us not to bring his body back to Bangladesh. A poor man’s reality – high costs, unnecessary complications – he wanted to avoid all of that. And he carried a quiet sorrow about his homeland. As a high school headmaster, he had built an entire school from the ground up, yet he – like many honest people – never found the respect, motivation, or opportunities needed to live with dignity in Bangladesh. He carried that pain throughout his life.

But today’s topic is different. If California were an independent country, its economy would rank third or fourth in the world – right after the United States and China. India claims to be the world’s third-largest economy, but that claim is inflated, like a superiority-complex balloon waiting to burst. In reality, California competes directly with Japan and Germany for that position.

Microsoft, Apple, Google, Facebook, NVIDIA, Adobe – nearly all major global tech giants have their headquarters in California. But technology alone doesn’t sustain California’s economy. Another major pillar is the undocumented immigrants from neighboring Mexico and other Latin American countries. I don’t want to use the word “illegal” – people are never illegal. These workers keep agriculture, construction, the food chain, retail, small engineering, and service sectors running. A large portion of the population is historically connected to them. That is why Spanish is used almost as widely as English. Schools, offices, hospitals – documents are available in both English and Spanish. Anyone planning a career in California would benefit greatly from learning Spanish.

California is known as the Golden State – the richest and most humane state in America. For many years, children under 19, adults over 49, and pregnant women of any age have received almost entirely free medical care. When a family’s income is low, the state medical insurance covers medicines, vaccines, doctor visits, lab tests, hospital expenses, and even transportation costs like taxi fares. At one point, California became the first U.S. state to offer free healthcare to everyone aged 19–49 – documented or undocumented. Later, when the Trump administration cut federal medical funding, the state had to withdraw this benefit for non–green card holders and non-citizens. But this year, California has introduced a bill to restore the benefit again from 2027, and it is expected to pass.

California has calculated that the benefits of free healthcare far outweigh the costs of not providing it. Working people are the backbone of the economy; keeping them healthy increases productivity. That is why, even with reduced federal funding, the state wants to reinstate the program using its own budget. Giving people more support – even free support – ultimately benefits the state itself. Government spending may rise, but in the long run, it strengthens the economy. This is the wisdom California has gained through experience.

In Bangladesh, the finance minister says taxes must be increased. But Bangladesh only wants to raise taxes; it does not improve public services in return. I once wrote that transportation should be free for low-income workers in Dhaka. In most Californian cities, metro buses and trains are almost free for seniors, students, and low-income residents. Many countries, including Kuala Lumpur, offer similar benefits. If Bangladesh adopted such a system, people’s purchasing power would increase, the economy would grow, and traffic congestion would decrease. Imagine 200 buses running all day, carrying passengers for free – it would not be a loss; it would benefit both the city and the country. Similarly, providing free healthcare to workers through an insurance system is essential. But the real question is – who will think this way? Who will take such an initiative?