New York Times on The Great Sorting and Voting With Your Feet

 I like to joke that there are two things I read every day--the Bible and the New York Times--because it is important to keep up with what both sides have to say. 

Well, today's New York Times has an interesting article about what some have called "The Great Sorting" of the red and the blue. Here is a link.

And here are some money excerpts:

Americans are increasingly fracturing as a people, and some are taking the extraordinary step of moving to escape a political or social climate they abhor. Democrats have left Iowa, Texas and other red states as Republicans have moved out of California, Oregon and other blue states, often over their views on issues like abortion, transgender rights, school curriculums, guns, race and a host of other matters.

While there is no precise count of how many Americans have relocated because of politics and social issues, interviews with demographers and people who have moved or are considering moving, as well as a review of social-media postings and polling, show the phenomenon is real....

 In a poll in March for the Axios-Ipsos Two Americas Index, four out of 10 adults said they were somewhat or very likely to move to a state more aligned with their political beliefs. The survey found that a majority of adults, 54 percent, were likely to move if their state passed laws that negatively affected them. “I think what Americans are reporting is that politics is a factor in these very, very important residential choices,” said Justin Gest, a George Mason University government professor who advises the Two Americas Index.

 

Although some commentators view this as a troubling trend, I believe one of the great benefits of federalism in a divided and pluralistic Nation is its gift of political choice and foot-voting as a safety valve that allows each one of us to choose to be governed locally in a state that better reflects our deepest beliefs and values. If the Republic can be saved in these divided times of ours, its last best hope may be the safety valve of federalism and foot-voting.

As Michael Greve puts it in his great book, "Real Federalism": "Federalism offers an alternative. Instead of centrally designed and enforced regimes, federalism offers choice. Instead of a voice, it offers citizens an exit--and, in due course, better government." (p. 8) And: "Federalism protects the freedom that comes from having choices." (p. 6)