United Van Lines reports that the Carolinas remain a top destination for movers. In fact, North Carolina topped the nation in 2006 with a 64 percent inbound traffic rate, according to the moving firm’s annual migration study.
Good news, right? Well, it depends.
If we understand the data to mean that people prefer to live in lower tax jurisdictions, with a lower cost-of-living, and corresponding higher quality of life — then, yes, this is good news. North Carolina remains a great place to live. But if we take the data to mean that state and local government can continue to mash down on the tax-and-spend pedal as there is no shortage of new suckers, er, residents to pay the tab, then we will have learned exactly the wrong lesson.
All we have to do is look where people are moving from to know that high-tax, high-spend, big government policies are a bad idea. And, gee, just where are people fleeing from the most? That would be Michigan, in rates not seen since the recession of the early 80s.
Once again, Detroit-on-the-Catawba is not where we want Charlotte to end up. Quite a few Michigan refugees will attest to that.
