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The latest published data from the 2010 census show how people are moving from place to place within the United States. In general, people are voting with their feet against places where the liberal, welfare-state policies favored by the intelligentsia are most deeply entrenched.
When you break it down by race and ethnicity, it is all too painfully clear what is happening. Both whites and blacks are leaving California, the poster state for the liberal, welfare-state and nanny-state philosophy.
Whites are also fleeing the big northeastern liberal, welfare states like Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, as well as the same kinds of states in the midwest, such as Michigan, Ohio and Illinois.
Although California has long been a prime destination of Asian immigrants and the homes of their descendants, the 2010 census shows a striking increase in the Asian American population of Nevada, more so than any other state. Nevada is adjacent to California but has no income tax nor the hostile climate for business that California maintains.
The movement of the black population-- especially educated young blacks-- is the most striking of all.
In the past, the massive movements of millions of blacks out of the South in the early 20th century was one of the epic migrations of a people-- comparable in size with the millions of the Irish who fled the famine in Ireland in the 1840s or the millions of Jews who fled persecution in Eastern Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
In more recent decades, blacks have been moving back to the South, however. While the overall black population of the northeastern and midwestern states has not declined in the past ten years, except in Michigan and Illinois, the net increase of the black population nationwide has increasingly been in the South. About half of the national growth of the black population took place in the South in the 1970s, two-thirds in the 1990s and three-quarters in the past 10 years.
While the mass migrations of blacks out of the South in the early 20th century was to places where there were already established black communities, such as New York, Chicago and Philadelphia, much of the current movement of blacks is away from existing concentrations of black populations.
Blacks are moving to suburbs, and even to cities like Minneapolis. Overall, the racial residential segregation patterns are declining in the great majority of the largest major metropolitan areas.
Among blacks who moved, the proportions who were in their prime -- from 20 to 40 years of age-- were greater than in the black population at large, and college degrees were more common among them than in the black population at large. In short, with blacks, as with other racial or ethnic groups, those with better prospects are leaving the states that are repelling their most productive citizens in general with liberal policies.
Detroit is perhaps the most striking example of a once thriving city ruined by years of liberal social policies. Before the ghetto riot of 1967, Detroit's black population had the highest rate of home-ownership of any black urban population in the country, and their unemployment rate was just 3.4 percent.
It was not despair that fueled the riot. It was the riot which marked the beginning of the decline of Detroit to its current state of despair. Detroit's population today is only half of what it once was, and its most productive people have been the ones who fled.
Treating businesses and affluent people as prey, rather than assets, often pays off politically in the short run-- and elections are held in the short run. Killing the goose that lays the golden egg is a viable political strategy.
As whites were the first to start leaving Detroit, its then mayor Coleman Young saw this only as an exodus of people who were likely to vote against him, enhancing his re-election prospects.
But what was good for Mayor Young was disastrous for Detroit.
There is a lesson here somewhere, but it is very doubtful if either the intelligentsia or the politicians will learn it.
---
Thomas Sowell is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305. His Web site is www.tsowell.com.
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March 29, 2011 @ 9:33 am
As usual, Thomas Sowell hits it on the nail again. Smart people know when to move to improve their lives.
March 29, 2011 @ 9:44 am
Good points, Mr. Sowell!
Regardless of all the Liberal drivel and the their lap-dog support from the mainstream media, all the people of this country are not stupid.
In making one of their top three life-decisions (who to marry, career choice and where to live) they are rejecting the Liberal nanny-state philosophy.
People cannot climb the economic ladder if they are taxed to death and they know it. Anti-growth state governments have stifled job creation and some are laboring under unbelievable debt. As they try to tax their way to prosperity, those people most impacted by these tax-and-spend policies are making a statement on their own. “See ya’ We’re outta’ here!”
Not to be too cynical but Liberals have no vested interest in losing their voting base. If our poorer citizens find the path to economic freedom and financial security, who would be left to vote for the Left?
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March 29, 2011 @ 10:53 am
“But what was good for Mayor Young was disastrous for Detroit.”
Is this not typical of most Socialist Progressive Collective leaders who throw anybody under the bus, or to the back of the bus, in order that the Leader and his/her collective survive? We saw this happen again and again with the Clinton’s when caught with stain on blue dress and will see it again as Obama throws our military under the bus to maintain his stature in the world community. Talent and wisdom of all colors always migrate to the places of liberty where they can have the freedom to rise to their level of excellence. It’s a shame that once those places of prosperity are established, the newly created wealth just once again attracts the derelict Liberal wealth re-distributors and the cycle of wealth creation/destruction just repeats itself. It will continue to repeat itself throughout this country until the deceptive lies of the liberal mantra are finally revealed for what they are, and removed from the American psyche. It starts with reclaiming the education of the young minds being formed in our currently Socialist Progressive Union controlled government funded school system. ARE YOU NOT TIRED OF CREATING MORE DEMOCRAT LIBERAL VOTERS WITH YOUR TAX DOLLARS?
Until such time as we can reclaim control of the public mind and the moral high ground, we can beat feet to the greener pastures, but the liberal cockroaches will again follow. We can run, but never hide from the destructive liberal depredations of our wealth and our culture. This is a battle for the soul of America and we all need to get in the trenches and fight where we stand.
March 29, 2011 @ 1:08 pm
To Kill a Mockingbird? Ain’t that way down South no more. Just as with gays (We’re here – we’re ***** – get over it)… we got over it.
It really is just that simple.
March 29, 2011 @ 4:02 pm
Dr. Sowell is a very intelligent man and knows what he’s talking about. What a pity he wasn’t our first black president.
March 29, 2011 @ 4:11 pm
More evidence that our ‘intelligentsia’ isn’t all that intelligent.
March 29, 2011 @ 5:05 pm
Dr. Sowell, another very good and interesting article! As AMVoter has stated “What a pity he wasn’t our first black presiden.” I’ll take it a step further stating: The country’s mis-fortune of not having you as our current President! You would not be a PINO or RINO, that’s for sure! Continue the great work and let us know when you get your PAC up and running! I’ll help the cause!
March 30, 2011 @ 9:55 am
The down side of this is we are getting a lot of the liberal idiots here in Texas. The scary part is that they may vote.
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March 30, 2011 @ 7:11 pm
Of course Thomas Sowell is right.
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