From the Midwest to the Pacific, job seekers are heading to Texas

[Servonaut]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5672727

Wonderful

   tammywammy  (1000+ posts)      Sun May-17-09 03:00 PM
Original message
From the Midwest to the Pacific, job seekers are heading to Texas
 'If you had to ride out this downturn, there is no better place than Texas. The declines here have been nothing compared to other states.’

By STEVE CAMPBELL
sfcampbell@star-telegram.com

Across the nation, unemployment is sky-high, the housing market is sucking wind and recessionary fears have frozen Americans in place.

Just don’t tell that to a stream of new residents who are "voting with their feet" that Texas is the safest place to ride out the storm and the place to be when the economy recovers.

Even in the midst of a recession, economists, demographers and relocation experts believe the Lone Star State is on the cusp of becoming The New California.

Or maybe it already is.

For people seeking economic opportunity, Texas is becoming what California has been since the Great Depression, says Los Angeles urbanist and author Joel Kotkin. Texas recently "ran the table" in a recent list of "Best Cities for Jobs" prepared by Kotkin for New Geography and Forbes. Austin, Houston, San Antonio, Fort Worth and Dallas were ranked as the top five large metro areas in the country to find a job. If that weren’t enough to get the moving van loaded, McAllen and Odessa top the mid-sized and small city categories, respectively. Among 333 metropolitan areas, Texas has a remarkable 20 in the top 100.

Relocation surveys show that Texas remains a top destination for people leaving other states. Its automobile registrations continue to climb, and the Texas housing market has avoided the double-digit declines other fast-growing states have seen. While the unemployment rate has risen in Texas, it’s nowhere near as high as most of the country, underscoring the state’s economic resiliency even as the downturn deals out its lumps.

-snip-

http://www.star-telegram.com/804/story/1380964.html

 

Kerrytravelers   (1000+ posts)        Sun May-17-09 03:03 PM
Response to Original message
1. If people from California, Washington and Oregon are headed there, the politics could change.
 Edited on Sun May-17-09 03:04 PM by Kerrytravelers
A blue Texas? Hmmmm... It's been a while, hasn't it? 

Oregone (1000+ posts)      Sun May-17-09 03:39 PM
Response to Reply #1
2. Those states aren't extremely blue though...
 You take enough liberals out of those states, and you may turn them red. The reality is that it probably wont effect the demographics much at all.

Lisa0825  (1000+ posts)      Sun May-17-09 03:51 PM
Response to Reply #1
3. We're already on the verge of turning blue.
 It's coming.... the metro areas are mostly blue already, and growing. The growing Hispanic population will continue to influence voting trends as well.

sonias  (1000+ posts)        Sun May-17-09 04:10 PM
Response to Reply #1
5. Texas welcomes you!   
 Texas has huge potential. Those of us in Texas have worked hard for change. This might be the right opportunity to get there faster.

Come on down!

Liberal In Texas  (1000+ posts)        Mon May-18-09 10:23 AM
Response to Reply #1
14. Texas is turning bluer and bluer.
 If you take a look at the last election, most (if not all, can't remember) of the metropolitan areas went for Obama. In '06 every repub judge was turned out of office in Dallas County. Not because they were necessarily doing a bad job, but because they had an R after their names.

We could also use some better help from the national democratic party. For example, during the last election the Dallas county dems had to have their own Obama/Biden signs printed (and then had to sell them to recoup the cost) because they couldn't get them from the national organization.

MagickMuffin  (1000+ posts)        Sun May-17-09 07:22 PM
Response to Original message
8. I suppose this will be the help Texas needs to keep turning it BLUE
 Fort Worth really needs the help with more progressives/populist/liberals moving here, perhaps that will be the push we need to turn Tarrant BLUE.

Interesting article. I just wished our highways were ready for more traffic, since the TXDOT has been too slow in accommodating the growth.

book_worm  (1000+ posts)      Mon May-18-09 10:16 AM
Response to Original message
13. there has been a huge exodus to Texas since the 80's and it hasn't made the state any bluer.

sonias  (1000+ posts)        Mon May-18-09 11:38 AM
Response to Reply #13
17. How do you know? 
 Define huge? The population of Texas is about 24.6 million people. It takes a huge influx to make a change. But we are definitely trending blue. Every major urban area is now blue since the 2008 election.

The Texas House of Representatives is now split 76-74 Rs to Ds. That's a pickup of 8 seats in the past 6 years. And we picked up one more Senate seat as well.

Nothing changes overnight. It takes time to rebuild the party. And it was almost totally decimated before. There is real life in the party now.

So please cut us some slack. We could always use some more national help. Texas will turn blue, it's just a matter of time. This state will be a majority minority state by 2015.

riverdeep  (1000+ posts)     Mon May-18-09 10:31 AM
Response to Original message
16. And the reason they give:
 Texas’ business climate of low taxes and a low regulatory burden draws companies and workers, Saving said.

Kotkin says tight business regulation is hurting California. But not Texas. "Whether you are GOP or Democrat, you can’t imagine Texas becoming anti-business," he said.


The same reason jobs move to China. Texas is our own mini-China. California is also burdened by a tax system that cripples state budgets.

sonias  (1000+ posts)        Mon May-18-09 11:42 AM
Response to Reply #16
18. Nice dig 
 Texas is part of the United States. There are federal laws that have to be followed. I don't think it's fair to call Texas a "mini-China". I'm not saying Texas policies are progressive for workers. They aren't. But at least the jobs are staying in the U.S.
 

riverdeep  (1000+ posts)     Mon May-18-09 01:31 PM
Response to Reply #18
27. I think the not so subtle point of that part of the article is really simple:
 "See, if you want jobs, follow the Republican principles-it's working in Texas." In other words, let's make this national.

California was/is the leader in all sorts of environmental efforts that eventually went national. Right now, there is talk of the ways in which carbon emissions can be reduced in California. Instead, let's bring back lead in gasoline and gut the EPA. What's hurting the national economy is businesses having to pay more than 2% in taxes and not being able to pour wastewater directly into the river.

I'm glad some people are finding solace in Texas, but a race to the bottom is what got us here in the first place.

sonias  (1000+ posts)        Mon May-18-09 01:41 PM
Response to Reply #27
28. And Texas is the leader in renewable energy in the country 
 I'm sorry California is suffering. But I disagree that the job potential in Texas is in oil. The future of energy is wind and solar and both of those initiatives are picking up speed in Texas.

sonias sounds like a commie. 

krabigirl  (1000+ posts)      Mon May-18-09 11:46 AM
Response to Original message
21. No thanks. While I'd love to visit Austin, I couldn't live in Texas.

Sweet we don't want you here either and by the way Austin sucks.

[USA4ME]

From the Midwest to the Pacific, job seekers are heading to Texas

Note it says "job seekers," which completely weeds out the primitives and their ilk.

.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Note it says "job seekers," which completely weeds out the primitives and their ilk.

.

Pun intended?

[GOBUCKS]

book_worm  (1000+ posts)      Mon May-18-09 10:16 AM
Response to Original message
13. there has been a huge exodus to Texas since the 80's and it hasn't made the state any bluer.

The biggest part of that exodus has come from south of the border. So far, illegals aren't allowed to vote. But the jug-eared Kenyan communist and his allies are looking for a way to make that happen.

[JohnnyReb]

Kerrytravelers   (1000+ posts)        Sun May-17-09 03:03 PM
Response to Original message
1. If people from California, Washington and Oregon are headed there, the politics could change.
 Edited on Sun May-17-09 03:04 PM by Kerrytravelers
A blue Texas? Hmmmm... It's been a while, hasn't it?  

JohnnyReb removes cap, places it over his heart, bows his head, closes his eyes and prays for Texas.

[Tantal]

The primitives are correct in that Texas has many Democrats, particularly in Austin, Dallas, Houston, and anything south of San Antonio; however, a Texas Democrat generally isn't a raving moonbat leftist. Many of our Texas Dems would be considered hardline rght-wingers in other parts of the country. In fact, many of the rural Dems are just in it for the farm subsidies. They love guns, hate sword-swallowers, and will waterboard the shit out of someone at the drop of a hat.....and they'll drop the hat.

[RobJohnson]

Note it says "job seekers," which completely weeds out the primitives and their ilk.

.

 

[Karin]

and will waterboard the shit out of someone at the drop of a hat.....and they'll drop the hat.

   

I'd move to TX right now if I hadn't bought this house.  Perhaps in a few years.  Anyway, I would be a fine addition to TX, even though I'm a Yank.  I would counter any moonbat incursion.