Blue state exodus - New York

For the past few days, the Gekko's have been covering the Carolina's for another sibling wedding.

What's interesting is how the groom's family (parents & four kids) ended up migrating to the Carolina's after living near Buffalo NY for the bulk of their lives.

To sum in up in one pithy statement "it's not just the snow". It's jobs. Most of the kids relocated as a result of job opportunities and ultimately the parents said to themselves "what the hell are we staying here for" and moved to be near the kids.

It's really not unlike the Gekko's experience. Most of us have moved away from a great community, Lancaster, Ohio, to be where the jobs are.

As we were driving back yesterday, the Gekko's rolled through some once great towns like Ironton and Portsmouth. These towns are now dominated by public assistance and, not coincidentally, heroin and pain killer addictions.

I keep asking myself why we continue to subsidize people so they can stay where they were born when so much of America has moved on to where the jobs are. (As an aside what do you think the political affiliation is of those who've picked up and moved versus those who stay behind?)

All I know is that the Gekko's will be heading south in our future and it won't be because of the weather. We like winter.

Unfortunately, we're not going to be the last people to turn the lights out as we leave the once great state of Ohio and we'll take our republican votes and tax dollars with us and leave behind those who can't or won't move.