There seems to be another growing divide in this country.  Not necessarily between red states and blue states, but between Southern states and everyone else.  Someone pointed out that in the recent vote on the fiscal cliff, the Republicans who broke to support the Democrats were mostly Republicans outside the South. 

But here is what seems to be happening in Red states as a way to mitigate the growing intrusion from our federal government.  For example ..

Louisiana Republican Governor Bobby Jindal, for instance, called on Thursday for ending the state's income tax and corporate taxes, with sales taxes compensating for lost revenue.

A similar plan is being pushed by Republicans in North Carolina. Kansas, which cut its income tax significantly last year, may trim further. Oklahoma, which tried to cut income taxes last year, is expected to try again.

Upon my retirement, many of you have asked me about escape plans.  While leaving the country for more “economically free” countries like New Zealand or Chile, may not be an option for some of you, finding a relatively “hands off” state within the United States may be a start.  Texas, Florida, Tennessee and others are some examples of states with no income tax.  That’s a start.  Texas couples a lack of income tax with a lack of stringent business regulations, which can put a damper on business growth.  But as you can see, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Kansas (yes, not in the South) have realized the significance of attracting producers with business-encouraging tax structures.

Republican-run states also recognize the importance of keeping a balanced budget, which has proved crucial to attracting producers.

Thanks to a Republican governor committed to developing its natural resources, not punishing entrepreneurs who do, Texas legislators are facing an $8.8 billion surplus over the next two years. To the east, Republican governors Bill Haslam of Tennessee and Rick Scott of Florida have also turned recession deficits into budget surpluses. Moving north, Michigan’s Gov. Rick Snyder, Iowa’s Gov. Terry Brandstad, and Indiana’s out-going-Gov. Mitch Daniels, also can now all boast surpluses in the hundreds of millions of dollars. All of these governors managed to turn their state’s fiscal situation around through spending cuts, not tax hikes.

It’s no wonder that responsible Americans would want to flee to states which practice fiscal responsibility. Another attractive feature to Americans who celebrate freedom, liberty and fiscal restraint are states with right-to-work laws.

According to an annual study conducted by the moving company United Van Lines, the top ten states that Americans are fleeing from continue to be those states that do not have Right-to-Work laws.

You can click the link to find out which states people are leaving, but it makes absolute sense that people are fleeing states that do not have right-to-work laws.