What Red States Get Wrong

For Throwback Wednesday, weeds in the greener grass

In-N-Out Burger’s owner plans “to move her family out of California to Tennessee,” as the company “begins to expand heavily into the South,” including the establishment of an “Eastern Territory” headquarters.

The blue-to-red migration continues. But no state — well, other than Utah — gets culture and policy precisely right. Always eager to rain on a parade, in 2011, I wrote a column that explored the liabilities of non-moonbat America.

Enjoy!

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Okay, red states, we get it. You rock.

The data emerging from the 2010 census confirm decades-long trends. Regions where collectivists dominate — the Northeast, Rust Belt, and Pacific Coast — are struggling, if not stagnant. The South and Intermountain West, where conservatives and libertarians prevail, are prosperous and growing.

Pick a metric. Population expansion? Job creation? Income growth? Energy prices? Reform-driven student achievement? In red states, they’re generally moving in desirable directions. There are good reasons why Texas will pick up four congressional seats, while New York will lose two. Low taxes, right-to-work laws, respect for private property, and subdued public employees make the Lone Star State and its pro-growth ilk (Idaho, Utah, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida) desirable places for entrepreneurs and relocators.

But its richly deserved accolades shouldn’t blind us to red-state America’s ugly underbelly. Some disturbing facts about the nation’s successful regions are difficult to ignore.

Let’s start with fiscal policy. Yes, taxes are lower and government is smaller in the South and West. But “hypocrisy” is too kind a word to describe their citizens’ perspective on fedpork. The Tax Foundation calculates the amount of revenue states send to the IRS, and compares it to what they get back in federal spending. Mississippi, Alaska, Louisiana, and West Virginia — not places you’ll encounter many Prius-driving yoga instructors — are four of the five biggest beneficiaries.