(11-27-2017 04:11 PM)SuperFlyBCat Wrote:  

(11-27-2017 03:48 PM)miko33 Wrote:  

(11-27-2017 01:28 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  High property prices combined with stagnant wages drove the middle class out of cities. The high property prices resulted from the fact that our most successful businesses need to retain talent. And that talent base is much more liberal than the population at large.

Its not about liberal policies...its about the ability to afford a home. Even in Houston, wide parts of the central core are becoming completely unaffordable for families.

If anything, the liberal cities have become too successful in attracting high priced talent. Because the conservative areas aren't really competing for those good jobs.

If you have a choice....why live in Stockton when you can live in San Fran? Why live in Montgomery when you can live in Houston?

You don't see a lot of leading companies and industries locating in conservative areas. There's a reason for that. Because if you don't welcome immigrants, LGBT persons, single people, and non-Christians as equals in your communities (and provide them with amenities that they want), the businesses that need their talent won't go there. Now you could argue that the middle class people that are pushed out would simply form their own businesses that leverage their talent, but that hasn't largely happened. Because the middle class doesn't have access to capital like the upper class does. And that is the result of Conservative policies, which continue to concentrate wealth in the 'city class' hands. And Trump's new tax plan...is more of the same. Basically, you want to build a large or leading business...you'll probably be doing it in a city.

And there's another dynamic that might be at work here too. Corporate America tends towards those that have decided to prioritize their careers over family. Part of the middle class move is really just people who have decided to emphasize family over career. They tend to be less successful in the corporate world precisely because they put their families first. The Dems at least try to put some regulation in place to handle that (such as Family leave policies, equal pay for women, etc.) to try to sort that out.

I agree with most of what you wrote except for the LGBT part. All you really need is LG. The rest is irrelevant. The 'BT' is like a pimple on your ass. It gets in the way and is painful. No offense.

Lots of corporations move to and stay in conservative areas. Both in areas with conservative voters and conservative policies like low taxes. There are lots of considerations regarding should a company have office space Downtown Vs. The Burbs.

Oh, there are a few that are in Conservative areas. But lets look at it this way. But generally, large businesses move to more liberal areas and if they're in conservative areas, the influx of talent they require usually turns the city more liberal over time (Plano Texas comes to mind).

Generally the bigger companies are in liberal areas. Sure there are exceptions, but usually those consist of extractive industries. What large companies have moved to a Trump majority voting county recently? By the way, you could look at Plano in Collin County, but then again, the city of Plano is getting rather liberal lately. I'm sure you can come up with one or two.

But lets face facts, a company like Anadarko moved to the Woodlands precisely because they could get some people to drive up from Houston. And extractive/agricultural businesses tend to be more immune to geographic concerns as they come from businesses where you have to be in a certain place...no matter how bad the conditions are. And these are NOT generally in leading industries.

Its the Bartlesville principle. Lots of people won't live there. So eventually Phillips and Conoco moved out to Houston. Even the legacy companies just leave. Minorities won't move there, singles feel isolated, Working women feel put upon, Gays feel unwelcome. And there's probably little to do. There's probably bad transport links, and a lack of an educated workforce.

What Trumpian/Conservative areas have are a lot of service orientated businesses. The process of wealth concentration has made it much easier for them to be gobbled up in consolidation, which tends to concentrate the good paying jobs from even those businesses into more urban areas.