Keep Texas Red
By Julia St. John
In the last year, the country saw a mass exodus from blue states to red states. Californians left in droves to escape invasive taxation, rolling blackouts, rampant crime and homelessness, drug-infested cities, and COVID-19 business restrictions that closed shop doors and evaporated livelihoods. Yet, California’s state income tax rate still sits at 13.3%, the highest in the United States, leading many Californians to question what they’re even paying for. These miserable conditions are the byproducts of progressive policy prescriptions. Democratic leaders are quite literally running their citizens out of town. It always makes me laugh to hear that these same evacuees now living in my home state of Texas are trying to “turn Texas blue.” It almost seems like they forgot why they moved in the first place.
People leave California for Texas every day, from billionaires and celebrities like Elon Musk and Joe Rogan to small business owners. In fact, Texas is even an international hot spot for people moving to the U.S. from abroad. Why? Because Texas is killing the game in economic growth and business freedom.
Texas has the second-largest economy in the country, and according to Business Insider, 7 of the top 25 growing cities in the United States are located in Texas (more than any other state.) As of 2019, Texas’s contribution to national GDP was 1.6 trillion dollars, almost equal to Russia’s entire GDP. According to Forbes, Texas is the second-best state for doing business and holds four of the top ten metropolitan areas for job expansion. It’s no surprise that major tech companies like Tesla, SpaceX, Toyota, Oracle, and even Hewlett Packard Enterprise have all relocated to Texas in the last two years. The Lone Star State houses six of the country’s 20 largest cities, and they’re growing fast.
According to the census, Texas is expected to grow 16.4% or 4.2 million people— second only to Utah. All of this growth makes perfect sense. Apart from the remarkable economic opportunity, Texas is more affordable than its liberal counterparts. Texas is one of only nine states without a state income tax, and its residents pay less total tax than most states. Not only are the taxes low, but paychecks stretch further.
Three Texas cities have landed in the top 25 places in the U.S. for stretching your salary. Texas gasoline prices are routinely among the lowest in the country, and housing value goes further than in 37 other states. Don’t believe us? Go on Zillow and see what you can get in downtown Dallas for $500,000, then see what you can get in downtown San Francisco; the difference is shocking.
Also buoying Texas are its incredible sports culture and growing universities. From the Dallas Cowboys to the San Antonio Spurs, to the Houston Astros, Texas hosts multiple teams from each of the “Big 5” sports. Texas even claims two of the most popular and largest public universities, UT Austin and Texas A&M. Not sold on Texas yet? Even a Pew Research Center study concluded that Texas is the “stickiest” state in the country, as more than three-quarters of adults born in Texas still live here.
Texas is a state that holds national and international respect. The reasons for its appeal are self-evident: freedom, minimal regulation leading to high economic growth, and multi-decade prosperity. The state’s culture, consistently red politics, and voting patterns have ushered in this era of success. Texas has turned red for the Republican candidate in every presidential election since 1980. It has elected only Republican governors since 1994 and has had a predominantly Republican state Senate since 1997.
It is crucial for Texas’ future that the ex-Californians laying down roots in the Lone Star Republic recognize the relationship between conservative policies and the high quality of life they [Californians] seek. Remember where you come from- especially at the ballot box. If blue voters make Texas blue as they did in California, we’ll all be moving again in twenty years.
The only difference? Next time there won’t be a state to move to. Keep Texas red.
Photo via Design Love Fest
