Blue-State Pols Are Emptying Their Own States (Wonder Land)

Wall Street Journal ^ | Friday, August 29, 2003 | DANIEL HENNINGER

[presidio9]

The most significant voting bloc in California's famous recall election isn't Hispanics or angry male Democrats but the people who were so eager to weigh in that they've already voted -- with their feet. According to a report out this month from the U.S. Census Bureau, an astounding 2,204,500 Californians threw in the towel from 1995 to 2000 and highballed it out of the "Golden State." The state's net migration figure for the period is -755,536, and would be worse if Latin American immigrants didn't still drop in for a look. This is the first time the net migration number for California has ever gone negative.

[presidio9]

[proxy_user]

Even after taxes, you can make a ton of money in NYC. The only thing you need: cheap, already-paid-for housing.

I'm making $98K. My job wouldn't pay more than $60-70K in other parts of the country.

Once you have enough loot, of course, you leave immediately.

[PetroniDE]

If enough conservatives leave CA, NY, NJ, MA, and other "hopeless" states, we can reduce their number of congressional districts in the next census, while increasing them in conservative states.

[Alberta's Child]

In the long run, those numbers are actually a bad sign of things to come in many "red" states. Those 300,000 people who moved from New York to North Carolina in the 1990s brought their political attitudes with them. Adding several hundred thousand former Mario Cuomo supporters to a state's population is eventually going to turn North Carolina into New York South. Try to imagine a NASCAR race in which the winner has to give half his earnings to the guy who finished last.

[TexasNative2000]

I'm making $98K. My job wouldn't pay more than $60-70K in other parts of the country.

Two questions:

1. What do you do?
2. Are you hiring?

[presidio9]

NY Is not "hopless." Much of the upstate is very conservative. We have a Republican governor. Even liberal NYC has had (RINO) Republican Mayors for the past decade. With the RNC in NYC next summer, I think it is very possible for GWB to carry NY State. Especially if Howard Dean emerges to drive off the limosine liberal set.

[DeuceTraveler]

My parents are hard-core Republicans and left New York City because they thought it was too liberal and went to Virginia.

[Prof Engineer]

I voted with my feet 20 years ago. I haven't looked back.

[proxy_user]

I'm an IT professional. My job is allegedly about to be outsourced to India, but I'll believe that when I see it.

I have a high level of skill in Solaris, C++, Java, and Oracle. If cut loose, I'll just find another job.

[caltrop]

We have exactly that problem in Florida. The Southeast corner of the state is full of ex-New Yorkers who are trying to do for Florida what they did for New York. One of the state's more popular bumper stickers is "If You Love NY - Take I-95 North"

[caltrop]

I suspect the only way Bush takes NY is if he abandons the positions he took to win in the rest of the country. NY politicians are always trying to chump national candidates into moving their way. Best advice to Bush, give NY lip service at best - you won't win it and shouldn't waste resources trying.

[Noumenon]

You may see that sooner than you expect. No one's exampt.

[Noumenon]

As Atlas shruggs...

[PetroniDE]

That state elected "carpet bagger Hillary". If NY is not hopeless, it is certainly heading in that direction. An alternative solution is for upstate NY to secede and form a 51st state.

[M0sby]

Ok... but I don't see MY state on here-WASHINGTON STATE... and we are BLUE BLUE BLUE!!!! (at least the western half... the eastern half doesn't claim us!)
AND...WE'RE getting BLUER all the time!!!!
Lots of these California, Blue state, escapees come HERE!!!

BTW, it rains here all of the time, never see the sun, last time I had some color.. it was rust!

[proxy_user]

True, but I have many options. Net worth of $1.2M, living expenses of $1200/month.

And I hear from the grapevine that things are picking up, and that people with a high level of skills are finding jobs, and at good salaries or rates.

As you will see if you read my other posts, I expect the offshoring to India to be another disaster that will cost more to fix than it's supposed to save.

[presidio9]

That state elected "carpet bagger Hillary". If NY is not hopeless, it is certainly heading in that direction. An alternative solution is for upstate NY to secede and form a 51st state.

NY Elected Hillary because Guiliani was diagnosed with cancer 4 months before the election and had to withdraw. Guliani was even with Clinton at that point, and the candidates had not yet staged a debate. The Republican party then offered up inexperienced Rick Lazio who never had a prayer (though it should be noted that he did kick the beast's ass in the debate -she is an awful public speaker). If the NY Republican party had listened to me and asked Al D'amato to run, he could have beaten her. Contrary to popular FR perception, there WERE a lot of NYers that were very put-off by her carpet-bagging. Now, she is firmly entrenched, and I am afraid the ONLY candidate that can beat her is Guliani. Once again, there are a lot of liberal NYers, but a lot of them don't vote. And a lot of them won't vote in the 2004 election. I mentioned one reason. Another is that Rev. Sharpton is going to do everything in his power to get the minority vote pissed off at the Democrat candidate.

[Phantom Lord]

In the long run, those numbers are actually a bad sign of things to come in many "red" states. Those 300,000 people who moved from New York to North Carolina in the 1990s brought their political attitudes with them. Adding several hundred thousand former Mario Cuomo supporters to a state's population is eventually going to turn North Carolina into New York South. Try to imagine a NASCAR race in which the winner has to give half his earnings to the guy who finished last.

I have said it in the past and I will say it again. You and others who say this are full of crap. NC has been run by the democrats for 140 years. They have had absolute and total control of this state except for a couple flukes where a republican was elected governor. And when the GOP won control of the state house in 1994 GOP nationwide landslide. And it wasn't until the year 2000 that a republican was elected to the Council of State for the FIRST TIME IN HISTORY!

And us evil NY Yankees have moved to NC the number of registered republicans has exploded in this state and the number of registered dems has been in a continual decline. The GOP has increased its representation in Congress, and once again in the 2002 election won the state house, with a Jim Jeffords turn coat switching parties to make it a 50/50 split.

NYers are moving here in droves, starting businesses, working in high paying, quality jobs, and voting republican.

[Phantom Lord]

There is a huge difference between the NYers moving to NC and moving to Fl. The ones moving the NC are young to middle age, working, starting businesses, building their careers, starting families, etc...

The ones moving to Florida are going there because it is God's Waiting Room and are of the "I'm old, gimmie gimmie gimmie" mindset.

[JohnnyZ]

Those 300,000 people who moved from New York to North Carolina in the 1990s brought their political attitudes with them.

Any evidence? Any? I take offense to that as a blue-state deserter to NC. Industrious Yankees are saving this place from the yellow dog "conservatives" who vote for liberal Democrats.