Why We Should Become a Nation of Nomads

In keeping up with the current political climate, and that is quite a task when one is trying to keep one's blood pressure under control, I note that things are not going well in many individual states.

For example, Governor Walker in Wisconsin.  He has attacked union rights and done away with unions' ability to negotiate.  He has indicated he will lower taxes for the wealthy and corporations while removing tax credits on the poor and middle class.  And he is raising tuition at the state universities.

Governor Kasich in Ohio has also gone after collective bargaining rights and job creation has been turned over to a non-profit board, which he chairs.  (Conflict of interest, anyone?)  Oklahoma is reducing services to the elderly.  Montana wants to create an armed civilian militia.  Florida is removing some Medicare benefits which would force some elderly out of their homes and into managed care.  From state to state, education is losing, public sector employees are losing, the elderly are losing, children are losing, women are losing.  We don't win in America anymore, we lose.  And we are losing a lot.

But surely not every state has become a bastion for the wealthy, and a meatgrinder for the poor.  Missouri and North Carolina aren't the most user-friendly states, but at least they still have Democratic governors.  New Mexico has not yet bought into the wave of rights removal that has overcome other states.  It appears to be the same for Utah (Utah???).

So as the winds of change blow from state to state, what is the average citizen to do to protect their employment rights, or their children's education, or their semi-old age?  I suggest that we be prepared to jump ship, to vote with our feet, to head for greener pastures.  Now I know it's not easy to pull up stakes and move on, but it seems clear the rug is being pulled out from under us, so we may be better off in the end by seeking a change of scenery.

It shouldn't take much research to discover which state has the most to offer, based on your personal concerns and needs.  Then sell your home if you have one (and many of us no longer do).  Mortgage still more than the value?  Just start putting those mortgage payments into a savings account.  It's taking banks even longer to process foreclosures because of all the short cuts they took last year, so you could stay put for almost a year before anything legal occurs.  By that time, you're savings is looking pretty good.  Then get rid of everything you don't really need – clothes you haven't worn in the last two years, all those appliances you figured you'd get fixed one day, the extra electronics (you don't really need five TV's), the furniture that you throw a blanket over when guests come to visit.  You'll still probably end up with a good-sized U-Haul full of stuff.

Oh, the job thing?  Chances are many of you are job hunting right now, but if you do have a job, see about relocating.  Of course, you may want to change companies (tired of working for Corporate America?)  Hopefully the state you've selected has a lower unemployment percentage than the one you're in.  Start job hunting several months before you plan to move and use social networking to connect with people who are already living in your new locale. 

Mankind started out as wanderers, moving from place to place when the weather changed, or the water dried up, or the land stopped producing.  Our circumstances are not so terribly different now.  If where you are living now is making your life harder, why not consider re-locating to a more friendly environment.  I know they say that things will get worse before they get better.  I’m in favor of being somewhere else while it’s getting worse and coming back when things improve. 

I don't crunch numbers well, but I'm willing to bet that 4,000 or so citizens moving out of a state is going to have a negative impact.   Eventually they may get a clue, but meanwhile, you've streamlined your life, you've found an environment that is more in-line with your concerns and needs, and you may find dozens of other benefits you never considered.  Speaking from my own experience, I've lived in West Virginia, California, Indonesia, Illinois, Wisconsin and Missouri.  I've managed every move, and I'm not averse to doing it again.  Only the next time, I'm planning on retiring somewhere in the Caribbean.  I'm pretty sure I can't afford to stay in the U.S., so I'm looking for something warm and affordable.  With a cabana boy.  Hey, we all want the good life.  Time to go looking for it.