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Posted on 08/28/2026 9:51:29 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Some things never seem to change. The Mercatus Institute recently released a study about American moving trends, and the overall gist isn’t surprising: those in blue states are still picking up and heading to red ones.
States like New York, ranked number one for outbound movers, have long counted their own people as their number one export. Electing socialists like Zohran Mamdani, who are hostile to businesses and taxpayers, probably doesn’t help.
According to Mercatus, the number one destination for relocating Americans is the proudly Republican state of Idaho. And as Chris Cargill writes, “Washington was Idaho’s single largest source of newcomers, followed closely by California.”
This stark contrast between the West Coast and the rest of the West is impossible to ignore. Those from Washington who leave for Idaho, Montana, or even Texas are taking their aspirations, their small businesses, and their taxpayer dollars with them.
At a time of economic peril in Seattle, we can’t allow this to continue.
Political leaders need a plan for economic renewal to help stop this mass migration. Unfortunately, Democrats seem to prefer doubling down on what hasn’t worked.
If you live or do business in Seattle, the strain on the region’s economy is palpable. Layoffs have continued to ripple through the area, and many workers and employers are feeling the effects of high costs, weak housing demand, and growing uncertainty about the city’s business climate.
Seattle has become one of the most expensive places in the country to live, and that cost burden is making it harder for both individuals and companies to stay competitive. According to the Association of Washington Business, nearly one in four Washington employers is considering moving out of state. That should be a warning sign for policymakers who want to keep the region economically healthy. And it should be a red flag for employees working in the area.
The housing market reflects that pressure. Redfin data shows homebuying demand in Seattle is falling faster than in many other major U.S. markets. High prices, combined with layoffs in the tech sector, are discouraging would-be buyers and pushing many to remain in expensive rentals instead.
The labor market tells a similar story. Seattle-based Starbucks chose Nashville for an expansion rather than its hometown and, shortly afterward, announced 200 layoffs. Zillow recently cut 500 jobs, including 93 in Puget Sound. Salesforce eliminated 59 jobs in the area, and Meta has cut roughly 3,000 local jobs in recent years while also putting its Bellevue office space up for lease.
Even beyond tech, some companies are choosing to invest elsewhere. Seattle-based wood products company The Lumber Manufactory Inc. recently announced plans for a $16 million wood-processing facility in Alabama that will create 59 jobs there instead of in Washington.
One bright spot for the region is Boeing, which recently announced a $1 billion investment in a production facility in Everett. That investment could bring welcome stability to a region that badly needs it.
But Boeing also faces its own labor challenges. The company is in contract negotiations with the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace, whose members recently rejected a proposed deal that included a nearly 29 percent pay increase over four years and improved benefits. That’s generous for a company that’s still in debt. In a tougher economic environment, workers may want to think carefully before risking jobs and stability for hopes of a hypothetical better one — especially one that doesn’t seem to exist.
Complicating matters further, Washington lawmakers and Governor Bob Ferguson approved a law earlier this year that would provide unemployment benefits to striking workers. Supporters see that as a worker protection; critics argue it gives unions little incentive to settle quickly.
Seattle and the broader Puget Sound region still have enormous economic strengths. But if housing remains unaffordable, business costs stay high, and labor disputes continue to escalate, more companies may decide that states with lower costs and fewer hurdles offer a better place to grow. And people may continue to leave.
As I recently wrote, Washington lawmakers may not get it, but governors from lower-cost, business-friendly states certainly do. If you start to see more labor union strikes in Washington, Idaho, Montana, Florida, and Texas will be champing at the bit to lure these legacy businesses to their states.
We can’t allow this kind of economic mismanagement to continue. The Mercatus research makes clear that states with high taxes, unaffordable housing, and frustrating labor disputes are losing out.
If Washington Democrats want to do better, they shouldn’t double down on what hasn’t worked. They should take a cue from their friends to the east.
Brett M. Decker is the Endowed Chair of Leadership at Northwood University. He is a New York Times bestselling author, former Senior Vice President of Communications at Export-Import Bank of the United States, former Editorial Page Writer for The Wall Street Journal, and former Senior Vice President, Foundation at Pentagon Federal Credit Union.
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Click here: to donate by Credit Card Or here: to donate by PayPal Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794 Thank you very much and God bless you. |
LOL
I would have opportunity to go to Seattle any time I want, but I don’t
I might go there once a year, but probably less on average.
coincidentally I just saw there is a concert I want to see in a few weeks.
the google bot says I might not want to park in the area cause it sucks.
If I do go that would be 2x this year which is more than enough
I lived outside of Seattle in Tacoma and Olympia but Seattle was where the airport was and the restaurants and the hilly streets, it was a beautiful city.
Song-Seattle by Perry Como - Photography Timothy Peck
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcMD3LWUwD8
It’s not “is” but “has lost”. Been that way for years.
I’ve been there. It’s so damp I’m pretty sure the green is mold, not emeralds.
I lived in Seattle in 1980. It wasn’t great then. They were known for having lots of bookstores, because of the grim winter rains, and also for suicides, because of the grim winter rains.
There were plenty of bums, then, too. Pioneer Square was a no go zone after dark.
Seattle did have some great areas, but there were abandoned buildings everywhere, and quite a bit of crime.
I liked the food and the nearby nature, but when I was there, it was a declining city, and I wouldn’t ever move there again.
The name "Skid Road" was in use in Seattle by the 1850s when the city's historic Pioneer Square neighborhood began to expand from its commercial core. The district centered near the end of what is now Yesler Way, the original "Skid Road" named after the freshly‑cut logs that were skidded downhill toward Henry Yesler's mill. - WikipediaRegards,
Funny.
A part of the David Carradine movie Hard Travelin’ has Woody Guthrie and the Okies desperately trying to find jobs in California but being denied entry by the haughty, self-righteous Californians has the cops and self-appointed guards refusing to let anyone cross the border as if California were another country. Shmucks.
I was right to be biased against Californians as soon as I saw that movie. They are worse now. The joke’s on them that they want to flee now.
Do Re Mi
Words and Music by Woody Guthrie
(Note: Communist Party Member)
Lots of folks back East, they say, is leavin’ home every day,
Beatin’ the hot old dusty way to the California line.
‘Cross the desert sands they roll, gettin’ out of that old dust bowl,
They think they’re goin’ to a sugar bowl, but here’s what they find
Now, the police at the port of entry say,
“You’re number fourteen thousand for today.”
Oh, if you ain’t got the do re mi, folks, you ain’t got the do re mi,
Why, you better go back to beautiful Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Georgia, Tennessee.
California is a garden of Eden, a paradise to live in or see;
But believe it or not, you won’t find it so hot
If you ain’t got the do re mi.
Good. They deserve to suffer.
Doing everything they can to defame, insult and destroy Trump and us. Setting up the USA for Communism. Voting socialist and Dem down the line. spit.
I guess there is something to the old saying that “you can’t polish a turd”!
California had the State Patrol at the border. The reason they did that, was because there were no jobs at the time.
Keep in mind there weren’t any federal programs for welfare, no social security, nothing like today. They had no place for them. Unless one had money (the “do re mi”) to prove one wasn’t indigent, they weren’t going to let thousands and thousands into the state. Can you really blame them? I didn’t say I liked it, but who are the schmucks now?
Seattle used to be wonderful and beautiful. When we lived in Alaska, in the ‘70s and ‘80s we’d go there for football games, eat at their restaurants, and shop. The restaurants were awesome.
There was no sales tax in Alaska, and Washington honored that. When you got off the plane at SEA-TAC, there was a kiosk where you could get a no-tax certificate. I guess that having business from Alaskans was more important than the taxes.
The cancer spreading is what the mocers are... Red states should pass laws against anything blue states represent.
A judge just dismissed a recall petition for Seattle’s commie-whacko mayor. Word is the recall would have succeeded....
....just a temporary reprieve imho.
Red cities should declare themselves as illegal immigrant free zones. Leo must cooperate with ICE.
.
All of the left coast lost it’s shine years ago when they went far left.
How is it that a “judge” can stop the recall petition? Was there a justification provided other than “I don’t like this”?
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