“Why Texas Is Our Future” (subscription required) is the Time cover story by the excellent libertarian writer Tyler Cowen, proprietor of the influential blog Marginal Revolution:
As an economist and a libertarian, I have become convinced that whether they know it or not, these migrants are being pushed (and pulled) by the major economic forces that are reshaping the American economy as a whole: the hollowing out of the middle class, the increased costs of living in the U.S.’s established population centers and the resulting search by many Americans for a radically cheaper way to live and do business.
To a lot of Americans, Texas feels like the future. And I would argue that more than any other state, Texas looks like the future as well — offering us a glimpse of what’s to come for the country at large in the decades ahead. America is experiencing ever greater economic inequality and the thinning of its middle class; Texas is already one of our most unequal states. America’s safety net is fraying under the weight of ballooning Social Security and Medicare costs; Texas’ safety net was built frayed. Americans are seeking out a cheaper cost of living and a less regulated climate in which to do business; Texas has that in spades. And did we mention there’s no state income tax?
While the above article requires a Time subscription, the magazine has nonetheless posted “Tyler Cowen’s 10 Reasons Texas Is Our Future“, which is an excellent synopsis of Cowen’s argument.
If you are somebody who (like me) has considered moving to TX for quite a long time, I encourage you to read this.
