There is some truth to the above policy prescription, but it is overstated (to put it mildly). Consider the top 10 states where the natives aren't so restless:
- New York
- Louisiana
- Michigan
- Pennsylvania
- Ohio
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Wisconsin
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
82.1% of the people currently residing in New York State were born there. The same is true for 73.8% of residents living in Minnesota. Contrast that with where I live. Only 46.9% of my fellow Coloradoans were born in-state. Keep that in mind the next time someone suggests lowering taxes in order to keep brains from leaving. Boondoggles come in all shapes and sizes.
2 comments:
I think I am not getting this.
Couldn't the fact that only 46.9% of Coloradoans were born in-state just as easily indicate that lots of people are migrating there -- perhaps, in part, for the lower taxes?
Jerry,
If we considered just in-migration, then the libertarian narrative has greater explanatory power. But brain drain policy isn't oriented that way. The obsession is with the people who leave.
Colorado struggles to retain its homegrown talent, more so than many Rust Belt states. The idea that bloated government and high taxes are pushing people out is, to borrow a phrase, a journalistic felony.
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