Is domestic migration tied to ideology?

The U.S. experience suggests it is

Per capita GDP is not uniform across the United States. Democrat led states California, New York, Massachussets and Washington enjoy the highest per capita GDP ratios while predominantly Republican states like Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas and West Virginia lag well behind.

It should come as no surprise that the richest states have the highest tax rates, with California and New York leading the charge with state taxes more than double the tax rates in the four Republican states mentioned above. Those are state taxes only, since federal taxes are at rates in common to all states.

Given the relatively high prosperity in the four Democrat-led states mentioned, you would think they would attract a growing population. But they aren’t, in fact, net migration is out of California, New York and Massachussets while Washington is more or less stable. The four poorest states referenced above don’t seem to suffer much migration out nor benefit from many people moving into the state.

The scene at the Southern border of the United States with thousands of people from poorer countries taking enormous risks to enter the United States is often explained as people “seeking a better life” which is a rational conclusion. By why are hundreds of thousands of Americans leaving prosperous New York and California for other locates, mostly Texas, Florida and the Carolinas? Could it be they are moving to “seek a better life”? They are certainly voting with their feet.

People are leaving predominatly Democrat states in droves, and relocating to poorer areas of the country. Those people must define “better lives” to include non-monetary outcomes like personal freedom, free speech, lower taxation, and an education system that teaches rather than indoctrinates grade schoolers. Many seem prepared to accept lower opportunity for greater independence from intrusive government, from excess regulation and from hollow promises only fulfilled by returning to citizens a small portion of the money taken in by governments in taxes (or mortgaging American children’s futures with needless debt) and pretending that is somehow a benefit.

America is in trouble, afflicted with a culture war driven by divisive leftist policies that focus on race, sexual orientation, ethnicity and “pronouns” rather than the traditional American values of personal responsibility, individual freedom and equality of opportunity rather than the pretense of “equal outcomes”. The Supreme Court’s recent ruling disallowing “affirmative action” returns universities to a meritocracy and has Democrats fuming and academics and their unions taking up arms. Heaven forbid people should advance in society based on merit and individual effort. Hopefully, the Horatio Alger legend is still alive and well.

The internal migration statistics shows the electorate is fed up with leftist climate nonsense, reckless spending and incessant intervention into once free markets. Maybe the 2024 Presidential election will demonstrate that this is a movement evidenced by people not only voting with their feet but also a movement with legs. If it is, American will be rid of the Biden family and their likely corruption in 2024.