I just loaded up Bluesky this morning to discover it demanding proof of my age bc I live in Texas. First thing I did was turn on my out-of-state vpn and try again. not today, satan!
(Realistically, moving is easier said than done, of course.)
European countries have restrictions on freedom of speech which is a strongly held value in America.
I assume you're not America, because people outside the USA think literally the exact same thing about Americans.
And people without my HHI can't afford to leave.
You might as well wonder why people still live in Hungary when it's part of the EU and they could all move to Germany or Sweden.
What you say isn't entirely true. Lot's of people are moving to Texas (and Florida), thus they are able to move. Lots of wealthy people go out of their way to praise Texas.
The answer is really politics, I think. The most important states economically and culturally, NY and California, are liberal. Conservatives are looking for a flag-bearer.
So you just keep making craploads of money and all you have to do is pay the same federal income tax you'd be paying in any state.
I don't even know how you have heard the voices of lower HHI people. They're hardly ever interviewed, and they don't write think pieces for media outlets. They're just...poor.
Talk to them, like everyone else.
> What is happening is wealthy Californians moving to Texas
Maybe that's who you talk to. :)
Seriously, wealthy Californians can't account for the population growth, nor in Florida. I hear about low to mid-HHI people going to TX; I think I've read about it, but no time now ...