The PAC-Perspective by Ted Flint
The mass exodus from blue states to red states continues unabated, and progressive democrats either can’t or won’t acknowledge the problem, come to terms on the cause(s) and decide on how best to stem the tide.
The biggest driver of Americans fleeing to greener pastures is the high level of taxation in which we see in states controlled by liberal democrats, especially the coastal states. It stands to reason that California and New York, with large metropolitan areas that attract people in search of better opportunities, would have the highest tax rates. But the trend of Americans flocking to suburbs and cities in search of the American Dream has shifted. Now people are picking up stakes and relocating to lower-taxed, freer states.
And if it’s freedom you’re seeking, there are 49 more attractive options than New York. The CATO Institute, a libertarian-leaning think tank, recently released its list of freest states. The Empire State ranked last for policies affecting economic, social, and personal freedoms. It placed at or near the bottom for debt, state and local taxation, government consumption, land use and labor policy.
This lack of personal and economic freedom is why New Yorkers have been voting with their feet. New York's population shrank by 101,984 residents between July 2022 and July 2023, the largest decrease of any state.
Bottom line: Americans are not going to indefinitely have their wealth confiscated by the government. And this re-alignment is about more than just taxes. Some have referred to it as a “national divorce,” citizens migrating to states that more closely align with their values.
Those who support an individual right to own a firearm are relocating to gun-friendly states, in which they don’t have to jump through regulatory hoops and wade through reams of red tape in order to enjoy their Second Amendment freedoms.
If you think fuel prices are high now, you’re in for sticker shock. According to a preliminary analysis from the Empire Center, New York’s Cap-and Invest Program will tack on 13 to 21 cents to the cost of a gallon of gas in 2026, 22-48 cents a gallon beginning in January 2027. In the pursuit of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, The Center says New York lawmakers are “moving climate-policy timelines to mitigate the electoral blowback.”
New York’s tax policies continually drive out job creators and high earners, while its unwillingness to control its borders are resulting in the importation of the less educated and the unemployable.
If the rush to the exits continue, New York will eventually be home to only public sector workers, retirees and those dependent on social services. The wealth creators will continue to seek more opportunity and a better quality of life in places such as Florida, Texas and the Carolinas.