I just hope when the time comes and people need to get out of Texas to stay safe
Get out to where exactly? This is the eternal quandary for the “vote with your feet” crowd. It’s not like you get a better deal in Minneapolis, Minnesota or LA County, California.
I fear that point has already long since passed in Texas
Really depends on who you are and which part of the state you’re in. Areas of the state that the government has flagged as “problems” get much heavier handed treatment than those that are assumed to be allies. If you’re a roughneck in Midland, Texas then the state needs you to keep doing your job to make money. If you’re a tech worker in Starbase, Texas, same goes. Also helps if you’re sufficiently white or otherwise MAGA-coded.
But conditions can change quickly. A lot of the anti-immigrant hysteria in Texas tends to flare up when the economy downturns. 2014, 2018, and 2020 were really bad years for xenophobia, largely due to the surge of suddenly-out-of-work white people who needed someone to blame. Counterintuitively, the fantastic economic tailwind created by high energy prices is shaping up to be great for Texas liberals.
Counterintuitively, the fantastic economic tailwind created by high energy prices is shaping up to be great for Texas liberals.
The state at its best being that its economy is doing well enough for racists to put off scapegoating minority groups—instead of actually making societal progress by enacting progressive policies—isn’t exactly enticing.
Get out to where exactly? This is the eternal quandary for the “vote with your feet” crowd. It’s not like you get a better deal in Minneapolis, Minnesota or LA County, California.
Really depends on who you are and which part of the state you’re in. Areas of the state that the government has flagged as “problems” get much heavier handed treatment than those that are assumed to be allies. If you’re a roughneck in Midland, Texas then the state needs you to keep doing your job to make money. If you’re a tech worker in Starbase, Texas, same goes. Also helps if you’re sufficiently white or otherwise MAGA-coded.
But conditions can change quickly. A lot of the anti-immigrant hysteria in Texas tends to flare up when the economy downturns. 2014, 2018, and 2020 were really bad years for xenophobia, largely due to the surge of suddenly-out-of-work white people who needed someone to blame. Counterintuitively, the fantastic economic tailwind created by high energy prices is shaping up to be great for Texas liberals.
The state at its best being that its economy is doing well enough for racists to put off scapegoating minority groups—instead of actually making societal progress by enacting progressive policies—isn’t exactly enticing.
To a blue state where the state government is hell bent on trying to kill you slowly (or quickly).