Americans Wave Goodbye to Blue Cities and States

Townhall.com ^ | January 10, 2022 | Jeff Crouere

[Kaslin]

Across the country, Americans are fleeing “blue” cities and states led by progressive Democrats and moving to “red” communities governed by Republicans. Americans are voting with their feet in substantial numbers. This trend has been apparent for years, but it is now accelerating.

In 2021, the state with the biggest loss of population was New York, which suffered a decline of 319,020 people. Until recently, left-wing Democrat Governor Andrew Cuomo led New York. After he was forced to resign for his inappropriate behavior toward multiple women, his successor, Kathy Hochul, has continued his progressive policies with the same disastrous results.

Democrat Governors led the other top states with population losses: Hawaii, Massachusetts, Louisiana, California, and Illinois. The city with the biggest population decline, 2.9%, was Washington D.C., is also saddled with Democrat political leadership.

Unfortunately, voters in the Nation’s Capital and all the states with the greatest population losses keep voting for failed Democrat policies. The people who can leave are exiting because these Democrat politicians deliver disastrous policies which negatively impact the life of law-abiding citizens.

Democrats love big government and implement progressive economic policies, such as high taxes and oppressive bureaucracy, which hamper the ability of businesses and individuals to succeed and economically prosper. In “blue” states, citizens must deal with COVID-19 mandates, which forces them to wear masks and take vaccines, regardless of their personal or religious beliefs.

Even though they generously fund public education, the schools are substandard, and the students are shortchanged. Democrat led states have poor infrastructure, despite the avalanche of funds dedicated to road projects. In effect, the overall quality of life is poor with high taxes paying for inferior services.

Another severe problem in Democrat cities and states is the lack of public safety. In the summer of 2020, in the aftermath of the George Floyd incident, 574 riots occurred throughout the country, mostly in areas led by Democrats. These riots caused between $1 and $2 billion in damage to insured properties.

Sadly, very few individuals were ever prosecuted for the crimes, such as looting and arson, which occurred during the riots. An even more disturbing result of the riots and the criminal behavior throughout 2020 was that more than 60,000 law enforcement officers were assaulted in the line of duty. This represented a 7.2%increase from the previous year.

Instead of supporting the beleaguered law enforcement officers in our nation, Democrat politicians in cities such as Minneapolis, MN called for defunding the police. This nonsensical policy was supported by high profile Democrats such as U.S. Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN).

This lack of support is typical of what happens to police officers in many cities led by Democrats. It is no surprise that more police officers are leaving departments in our major cities. In the last year, there has been a 45% increase in police retirements and a 20% increase in resignations among police officers.

Almost all the nation’s top metropolitan areas are facing a severe shortage of police officers. In an environment that is viciously anti-police, who can blame officers who want to leave departments?

Unfortunately, inadequate police staffing is detrimental to public safety and contributed to an increase in crime in 2021. For example, in New Orleans, the police department has a shortage of five hundred officers. It is one of the reasons why the murder rate in 2021 skyrocketed to an 18-year record.

Last year, murder records were set in sixteen American cities, but none of them had a Republican Mayor. Democrats combine a lack of police funding and support with liberal criminal justice policies to create an enormous increase in crime.

In these Democrat cities, politicians prefer to “invest” in social justice programs and push for “equity” in the community, instead of being focused on the victims of crime and public safety. In many of our nation’s cities, liberal District Attorneys have been elected with the help of organizations tied to mega donor George Soros. These elections have had a direct impact on public safety in those communities.

It will surely happen in New York City. The new District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, has instituted a policy that will focus prosecution on only the most severe crimes. Even crimes such as resisting arrest will not be prosecuted by Bragg and his staff. Instead, Bragg’s office will focus on “alternatives to incarceration” and “diversion” programs.

Not surprisingly, Bragg was elected with the help of organizations affiliated with George Soros, who pumped$1 million into his campaign. According to former New York Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Bill Bratton, Soros has “effectively destroyed the criminal justice system in America.”

Imagine the plight facing New York’s police officers, who will be forced to continue to arrest criminals who the new District Attorney refuses to prosecute. Bratton believes that Bragg’s policies will be “handcuffing the police” and preventing them from providing public safety to the citizens of New York City. It will certainly lead to more officers resigning or retiring from the NYPD. Thus, a dangerous situation will become even more dangerous.

In contrast to the environment in our nation’s “blue” cities and states, Americans living in “red” states such as Texas and Florida are enjoying a better quality of life, better public services, enhanced public safety, coupled with more freedom from government interference and low tax rates. In fact, there is no state income tax in Texas and Florida.

In 2021, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that the population of Texas grew by 310,288 while the population of Florida grew by 211,196. These were the largest increases in the country. Not surprisingly, Republican Governors led both states.

Another state that did extremely well in 2021 was Idaho, also led by a Republican Governor. It enjoyed the largest percentage population growth of 2.9% last year.

Americans are flooding into these “red” states after escaping the misery of living under Democratic Party rule. It shows that freedom and prosperity are popular with the American people.

[kabar]

I lived in Berlin for four years (1983-87) before the wall came down in 1989. No comparison to what is happening in the US. No way can we have separate red and blue states. The largest number of Republicans living in one state is CA.

Our economy is so intertwined and integrated, you can’t separate us out by states. Take a look at the 2.5 million miles of pipelines in the US that carry fuel and other liquids.

[backwoods-engineer]

Yes, they do. And if you live in one of those Blue states, you had better get out before they roadblock the highways and prevent people from leaving.

[backwoods-engineer]

You need to check the numbers again. Florida is now solidly a red state, with a majority of voters registered as Republican.

[OCMike]

As my screen name implies, I too left Orange County, CA for Texas several years ago because I saw the libtard lunacy overtaking even pseudo-conservative Orange Co.

Compared to Texas, I feel like I am living in another country when I read about all the problems in libtard states such a The Peoples Republik of Kalifornia, and others.

It is one of the best decisions I have ever made!

We have a saying here in Texas: “Don’t Kalifornia My Texas!...”

[ScottinVA]

They’re waving goodbye to blue states, but housing costs are their primary reason. There’s no indication they’re going to cast aside their leftist voting tendencies.

[backwoods-engineer]

No, it won’t be exactly like Berlin before the fall, but nevertheless there is and will continue to be a separation. The numbers are so big, they cannot be ignored.

[ScottinVA]

“You are from where? Go home!” won’t win anyone over.

On the other side of the coin, "Why can't you do (fill in the blank) like we did in New York/California/Illinois?" won't win friends in their new home either.

[ScottinVA]

Virginia is trying to get on its feet and shake off years of democrat corruption and mismanagement. Don’t come here, liberal northeasterners. Remember, as you said, we’ll all white supremacists for electing the Youngkin team, so best you stay away.

[dfwgator]

Finding new nests to foul.

[Right Wing Assault]

Soros (and all of the other commy billionaires) are probably paying blue people to move to red states to trash them.

[D Rider]

Bwa ha. I bought a house for my kids in Wyoming. I mentioned to the real estate agent that I was originally from California. After a little fun, I did tell him that we raised are kids in north Idaho. And where I worked, everyone in the firm kept a firearm in thier desk, that made him much more comfortable with us. Apparently, they all kept firearms in thier desks also. (Hint: that is why there is no crime, except for kid stupid stuff.)

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

Fifty years ago blacks were complaining that they were being forced to move to big cities so whitey could provoke a war with the Russians and the big cities could be nuked, killing off the blacks.
So much for conspiracy theories.

[Deplorable American1776]

Please forget your liberal/moderate views when you move from your blue state to a red state. If you’re moving to soil a red state, why are you moving? If you’re moving to escape liberalism, welcome.

[redgolum]

Short answer is yes.

But they spread the contagion.

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

There was a female Rep. a while back that let the cat out of the bag. That’s what she suggested people do.

Wish I could remember her name.

[Noumenon]

Who knew that Atlas Shrugged was a documentary?

[kabar]

The Berlin analogy is ludicrous. First, look at the geography. Berlin was completely surrounded by the DDR. It was an island in a communist sea. There were land and air corridors connecting West Berlin to West Germany. Permission to use the corridors was controlled jointly by the Soviets, Americans, French, and Brits. Every flight that entered the corridor had to have joint approval of all. Vehicles and trains went thru Russian/DDR checkpoints. As diplomats stationed in West Berlin, we never allowed the DDR to stamp our passports so as not to recognize their control of East Berlin. We could travel freely in and out of East Berlin using so-called flag cards.

The Berlin Wall was built around West Berlin, essentially imprisoning us, not the East Germans.

The 1971 Quadripartite Agreement governed Berlin. The four signatories controlled the city, which was not officially considered part of West Germany. We (Four Powers) controlled Berlin, including the German police.

There may be a growing separation in the US politically, but geographically, it is a pipe dream to believe that we will break up into separate countries. We are so tied together economically that it would be impossible to unravel. And we are certainly not Berlin where the objective of the German people was to come together and reunite rather than remain separate countries.

[wiley]

It may be time for the Republican states to sue the Dem run states on “Dormant Commerce Clause” violations:

“The “Dormant Commerce Clause” refers to the prohibition, implicit in the Commerce Clause, against states passing legislation that discriminates against or excessively burdens interstate commerce. “ (https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/commerce_clause).

For instance, California’s anti-trucking law. It is easily a barrier to markets in CA.

Also, excessive taxes impact other states because it decreases discretionary income in the highly taxed States, constituting a barrier to entry in those markets for business located in the Rep States. IMHO.

[Steven Scharf]

The city with the biggest population decline, 2.9%, was Washington D.C., is also saddled with Democrat political leadership.

DC Population
2000 . . . 572,059
2010 . . . 601,723 . . . 5.2%
2020 . . . 689,545 . . . 14.6%
2021 Est. . . . 670,050 . . . −2.9%

The intersting thing about DC is that the population was steadily increasing over the last 20 years until Covid happened.* But that population was was becoming whiter. Ethic #s from the census nor 2021 estimates have not been released yet.

Ethnic Makeup of the District of Columbia
. . . . . . White (inc. White Hispanic) . . . Non Hispanics White . . . Black . . . Asian . . . Native American . . Other . . . Hispanic or Latino
2000 . . . 30.8% . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27.8% . . . . . . . . . 60.0% . . . 2.7% . . . 0.4% . . . . . . . . . 3.8% . . . . . . 7.9%
2010 . . . 40.2% . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34.8% . . . . . . . . . 50.7% . . . 3.5% . . . 0.3% . . . . . . . . . 4.1% . . . . . . 9.1%
2017 . . . 45.1% . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36.8% . . . . . . . . . 47.1% . . . 4.3% . . . 0.7% . . . . . . . . . 2.7% . . . . . . 11.1%

* The April 1 census count date was two weeks after the country was locked down so even though people had fled several US cities, they were still counted as living in those cities.

[Billthedrill]

When the Dems get concerned enough they’ll try to control this through the tried and true method of internal passports. “Sorry, citizen, your vaccines aren’t up to date and you don’t have enough carbon credits to move. It’s for equity, social justice, and the Greater Good, you know. Now shut up and take your beating.” Don’t laugh, it’s been done before and it’s current policy in China.