Bidenomics in Action: the Blue State Collapse Is Real
The Blue-State Disaster, Unmasked
We were told “Bidenomics” would rebuild the middle class, fix inflation, lower costs, and make the economy more “equitable.” What we got instead was a tidal wave of red ink, regulatory overreach, and economic policies so backward they’d make Karl Marx blush. As it turns out, slogans don’t build wealth—freedom does. And nowhere is the failure of Bidenomics more visible than in the states that embraced it hardest: California, New York, Illinois, Oregon, and others like them. These deep blue states are now hemorrhaging people, businesses, and capital at historic levels.
Meanwhile, red states—places like Texas, Florida, Tennessee, and Idaho—are booming. And that’s not coincidence. It’s the inevitable result of two competing visions of America: one rooted in liberty, prosperity, and individual responsibility—and the other addicted to top-down control, bloated government, and punitive taxation.
Let’s break down the data—and the disaster.
People Are Voting With Their Feet
The U.S. Census Bureau reported that in just one year, California lost over 300,000 residents, New York lost over 100,000, and Illinois dropped another 100,000. The majority of those people didn’t just vanish—they relocated to Texas, Florida, Arizona, and North Carolina [1].
Even left-leaning outlets like Bloomberg have admitted it: blue states are bleeding talent and tax dollars. Remote work and political overreach during COVID accelerated the trend, but the underlying causes are deeper: high taxes, unaffordable housing, crime, decaying infrastructure, woke policies, and unbearable bureaucracy.
You don’t need a PhD in economics to know that when successful people are leaving in droves, your state has a problem.
Business Exodus: Follow the Money
Tesla? Gone. Oracle? Gone. Hewlett Packard? Gone. And they didn’t just disappear—they fled California, relocating to red states like Texas. Why? Elon Musk said it plainly: California had become “complacent” and “entitled.” HP cited “cost of living, real estate prices, and tax burden” [2].
In New York, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, and other major financial firms have already begun decentralizing operations or setting up satellite offices in red states like Florida and Texas [3]. High commercial taxes, endless ESG compliance mandates, and urban decay are accelerating the flight.
Even Hollywood is bleeding production to Georgia, Texas, and Utah due to lower costs, friendlier regulation, and less political lunacy.
Inflation and Regulation: A Death Spiral
Despite Biden’s laughable claims that “inflation is down,” the truth is: the cumulative price increases since he took office remain devastating—particularly in blue states, where energy costs, housing prices, and food prices are highest. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, California’s gas prices are still nearly $2 higher per gallon than Texas [4].
Why? Policy. Blue states pile on fuel taxes, restrict drilling and refining, mandate boutique fuel blends, and limit competition through regulation. Add inflation from federal overspending—and the result is a cost-of-living crisis for working Americans.
Worse, blue states are doubling down. Rent control, green energy mandates, union favoritism, and DEI nonsense have all made operating a business in blue states costlier, riskier, and politically fraught.
Crime, Homelessness, and Collapse
You can’t talk about blue-state decline without mentioning the crime wave that “progressive” prosecutors unleashed. San Francisco, Portland, Chicago, and Los Angeles have become punchlines—urban nightmares where theft is decriminalized and police are vilified.
Retailers are pulling out of once-prime locations. Nordstrom left San Francisco. Walgreens closed 10 stores in one year. Even Target scaled back operations, citing organized theft rings and unsafe environments [5].
Meanwhile, red states—where law enforcement is respected and criminals face actual consequences—are safer, cleaner, and more livable. That’s not politics. That’s common sense.
Who’s Actually Growing?
Let’s look at the scoreboard:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Tax Foundation [6]
This Isn’t Just Economics. It’s Ideology.
It’s easy to look at all of this and say, “It’s the economy, stupid.” But that’s not quite right. This isn’t the result of bad math—it’s the result of bad philosophy. Progressivism, when fully implemented, always creates scarcity, disorder, and collapse.
When government replaces God, family, and freedom with central planning, coercion, and social engineering, you don’t get prosperity. You get Detroit. You get San Francisco. You get Portland.
Red states aren’t perfect, but they’re grounded in a worldview that respects limits, honors liberty, and rewards effort. That difference matters—and it’s driving one of the largest internal migrations in American history.
RedRefuge: Your Freedom. Your Family. Your Future.
If you live in a blue state and feel like things are getting worse, you’re not crazy. You’re just awake. The data confirms what your instincts already know: the direction is wrong, and the people in charge have no intention of changing course.
That’s where RedRefuge comes in. We help individuals and families escape the madness and build a life rooted in freedom, safety, and sanity. We don’t just talk about relocation—we’ve built a network of trusted professionals, property experts, and community leaders in the best liberty-loving states in America.
You don’t have to wait for your state to get worse. It already has.
Contact Us today to start your move to freedom.
Sources
U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 State Migration Reports
https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/geographic-mobility/state-to-state-migration.html
CNBC – “Tesla moves HQ to Texas, cites overregulation”
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/07/elon-musk-announces-tesla-headquarters-is-moving-to-austin-texas.html
Fox Business – “Wall Street firms expand in Florida, Texas”
https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/wall-street-firms-expand-florida-texas
AAA Gas Prices – State-by-State Comparison
https://gasprices.aaa.com/
The Hill – “Retailers flee San Francisco”
https://thehill.com/business/retail/3992013-retailers-exodus-san-francisco-crime-theft/
Tax Foundation – 2024 State Business Tax Climate Index
https://taxfoundation.org/data/all/state/2024-state-business-tax-climate-index/
