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I won’t inject myself into this, but I do see in threads like this a common theme that denigrates people who don’t flee a state (too lazy, stupid, liberal to leave) coupled with a “last over the bridge” approach in the target state, basically saying “...don’t even think of coming to my state, because regardless of your political views, if you are from State A then you are damaged goods and you are going to ruin everything when you arrive...”

I live in the People’s Republic of Massachusetts, and apart from California which many people profess to want to see slide into the ocean, the state I live in is equally reviled by many, and for some good reasons.

I have often said, that if it weren’t for my wife (who won’t leave this state) that I would be long gone, but that is perhaps just a convenient excuse...the pain level is not so high that I would rationally do it.

Point is, there are a good number of conservatives up here. Heck, I probably know all of them...:) We all know a secret handshake and such. We get painted along with a lot of bad folks, and often unfairly. I used to do the same thing about California.

Talk about wearing my own faults on my back...:(

Liberals have destroyed the strength of the Constitution via unimpeded use of federal highway funds and other such goodies...the strength of allowing each state to govern as it sees fit, and provide alternatives for people. If you didn’t like a law in State A, you could migrate to State B because it had different approaches to a given law. That is far less common now, with the Federal government using those fund distributions to hammer down nails that are sticking up.

If (when) things go south, it is unlikely to be contained within state lines.

I do see in threads like this a common theme that denigrates people who don’t flee a state (too lazy, stupid, liberal to leave) coupled with a “last over the bridge” approach in the target state, basically saying “...don’t even think of coming to my state, because regardless of your political views, if you are from State A then you are damaged goods and you are going to ruin everything when you arrive...”

Yes, and it's a damn shame that some people make it so personal. Relocation from one state to another is nothing new. It's been going on since we were just thirteen colonies. People move to what they consider 'greener pastures' for any number of reasons, economics and politics being just two of them.

Believe me, I understand the emotional component that exists among everyone concerned. I myself tend towards a hardened view of those who flee the U.S. for 'greener pastures' in other countries. I sometimes feel as though they're abandoning their countrymen in their hour of need, although that's certainly not the case of the majority of expats freeping here.

I've also been on the side of the 'abandoned'. Years before we ever considered leaving California, I spent lots of days defending my home state in these kinds of discussions. For my part, I never denied that California had the systemic problems it does. I understood that it wasn't everyone's cup of tea, and that the political climate was simply a deal breaker for them.

What I mainly objected to, were the usual caricatures of Californians that get bandied about. Too many people tended to lump all Californians into the same pot with the wackos and the crazies, when those types are really the minority. Most people residing there are honest, hard working, law-abiding, and family oriented. Sadly, those good people have also taken little interest in politics over the last thirty years, and have allowed the hard left to hijack their government while they weren't looking.

Mea culpa.

That said, I didn't choose to leave California for my own benefit. Because I'm what we might call a 'high information voter', I was forced to consider what the future in California held for my four children. It didn't take a rocket surgeon to see the forecast that lay ahead for them in that state, and it was grim. So grim, that my wife and I chose a path forward that was not only difficult, but pretty scary.

We didn't have a secure income ready for us here, and didn't know but a few online friends when we arrived. We left a lifetime's worth of support infrastructure, and stepped into a new life that had to be built from the ground up. Let me tell you, it's been harder than anything I've ever done, and we're still not back to where we were before we left.

But, I know in my heart that I made the correct choice for my kids, and that's what matters most to me.

I have a strong desire to see California turn itself around. Unlike some here, who suggest giving the state back to Mexico, I'm not willing to give up a single square inch of my country to anyone. We would be failing our ancestors and our progeny, if we ever did that. It's my intention to see us take back the whole of the United States from the foreign and domestic enemies who are destroying this magnificent country.

This is an American issue - not a state issue. The cancer that is eating out our substance is spread throughout the fifty states, and must be eradicated from all of them.