Commentary
I first heard the phrase “voting with their feet” in the 1960s during the Vietnam War. It was used for people fleeing communist North Vietnam for free South Vietnam.
Later, after Saigon fell to the communists, overrunning Saigon in 1975, the “Boat People” took to the seas, millions coming to free America, especially Orange County, where I live. Several have been my good friends.
Californians continue voting with their feet—to other states. The latest figures from the California Department of Finance show a population drop of 117,552 during the 2021 calendar year, down to 39,185,605 people.
The DOF report shies away from direct language. So I’ll analyze it. It reported, “The 0.3-percent decline represents a slowing compared to the 0.59-percent decline over the nine-month period between the April 2020 Census date and the year’s end.” It cited aging baby boomers, such as yours truly, now nearing 67; and “fertility declines among younger cohorts,” meaning youngsters aren’t having as many kids as before.