I have questioned some of your stats and conclusions in the past but this one contradicts itself before I had a chance to raise an eyebrow.

So "yes", people do seem to be leaving cities but the only person I know who has moved to FLA or Texas from LA was my bookie at the start of the pandemic. He believed every word FOX News said, called Californians "snowflakes" and his mother (who was in FLA) died of COVID as his family "didnt believe in taking the jab."

So this "28%" of people who wanted "more free time" were cool with the far greater possibility they would be shot? Per FBI data CA has a 9.1 (per every 100,000 residents) chance of being killed by firearm in CA , (2021 data) whereas FLA was 13.8 and Texas 15.1.

So you have a better than 50% chance of dying by being shot if you live in Texas. Enjoy happy hour. (In AZ, TX and FLA you can legally carry a gun into happy hour)

You are also agreeing to no state tax, which is cool. However, Should you, your wife or daughter get raped (also far more likely in Texas, enjoy that steak) and gets pregnant, that child will be carried to term.

Not saying what is or isn't the right way to handle that, but if you are in California you have options. FLA and Texas you do not.

30+% of CA voter are Republican and places like Fresno, Bakersfield, and parts of San Diego country are very red. Those are the people who have left. And to be honest, IMO their departure improves my state.

Although we are overtaxed and I want the state to reduce spending as we need greater transparency with state and muni spending, I know a woman (now 26) who had a daughter at 18 in Nevada. She had no family and Nevada stepped up and gave the young mother and newborn $25/week and some type of food assistance. Guess its good to own a casino.

And she felt "lucky" to live in a "progressive state for women" as she could have had an abortion.

I'd rather pay a little more tax and not hear about my state abandoning a child who just had a child. But that's me, other people may value more time smoking weed and playing video games.

By the way, 8+ hours a week is what the average gamer spends playing video games.

https://www.techrepublic.com/article/8-hours-and-27-minutes-thats-how-long-the-average-gamer-plays-each-week/

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/04/26/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in-the-u-s/ft_23-04-20_gundeathsupdate_4/

https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/rape-statistics-by-state

https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/gun-violence-by-state