The Chicago Tribune has a disturbing op-editorial for Blue state lovers:
Megan Ciaburri grew up in the northern suburbs. When she married someone from the area, she expected they would get an apartment in Chicago or buy their own home in the 'burbs.
Their jobs are here. Their families are here. But come July, the newlyweds will be packing their bags for Texas.
"I thought it was going to be a lifetime thing — living in the Chicago area," said Ciaburri, 28. "But I just don't see us getting ahead by staying here."
Sky-high property taxes make homeownership a pipe dream, she explained. And the job market — terrible. It seems there are always more headlines about companies leaving Illinois than moving in. She and her husband both have jobs now, but what about in five years when there might be kids in the picture?
There's more:
From 1995 to 2010, Illinois lost more than 850,000 people to other states. That's after you offset the number of people who actually moved in.
The bleeding is bad; on net, 1 person leaves Illinois every 10 minutes.
Texas ranks No. 1 in net population gain from Illinois. Many who move, Ciaburri and her husband included, don't even have jobs lined up before they head southwest.
It's a phenomenon George Mason University economist Tyler Cowen first noticed several years ago: Because of Texas' explosive economic growth, people are more willing to take a chance there than stick around for whatever they've got here.
But it's not just Texas and warmer climates drawing people away. Illinois loses people to every single one of its border states.
Barack Obama's progressive state of hell on earth. No word yet on when Harry Reid or David Axelrod will blame the Koch brothers for the Chicago Tribune putting this on the editorial page.
