It’s good news for red state conservatives, and indirectly, perhaps even for those in blue areas. But it’s news that has many on the right simply nodding their heads: high-tax states are bleeding people and jobs, and more Americans are moving to business-friendly states where taxes are lower.
This should come as no surprise, since the same principle applied to the whole country in the form of the new tax bill is resulting in major economic growth already (hey, CNN, how do you like this Apple?).
But the economic differences across states within America could also have a big impact on future national elections. Or so argues Jonathan Williams, an economist at the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and the vice president of its Center for State Fiscal Reform, in an essay published in The Hill today.
“In general, states that keep taxes low and provide a competitive business climate perform far better than the states that follow the tax-and-spend approach,” Williams says.
And this has a big impact when census time rolls around: “At least once a decade, the political class in Washington pays close attention to these state population flows, as the numbers will alter the makeup of congressional seats during the once-in-a-decade process of reapportionment and redistricting.”
States with high tax burdens like Illinois and California are losing residents, and therefore very well may lose seats in Congress (Illinois may even lose 2). Texas and Florida, on the other hand, stand to continue gaining seats.
More seats in Congress, more say at the negotiating table, more votes for (hopefully) free-market, sensible, pro-America policies? Sounds good to us.
Williams’ full essay in The Hill can be found here, and his research project, “Rich States, Poor States,” can be explored in more detail here: http://www.richstatespoorstates.org/.
