Over-hyped nonsense.
The great "tax hike" in both CA and NY (and MA) was because of the GOP taxscam, by the way, where State and Local taxes were no longer deductible above $10k - a modest house in MA crosses that threshold in property tax alone. A two-income middle class couple owning a modest home in Orange County or LA County or San Fran County got crushed by the "tax cut."
But still the idea that these places are hollowing out is absurd. It's a miniscule change in population, and a lot of it has to do with people being able to work remotely in the major industries - high tech, computer gaming. Many people don't want to live in crowded and expensive areas, but that's where the money is, right? So now, a lot of people don't have to do that anymore. I don't think that's a bad thing. Big fight among computer game companies out there, poaching talent by offering them full remote. There are very few wealthy people fleeing - but they're high profile, so it makes it seem like a flood. It's not. Many leaving are middle class, for the above reason.
I bought a house in CA 5 years ago for 1.85. It's worth 3.2 now, easily. Yes, tough times. And news flash, I pay less than double in property taxes on that property than I pay on my MA home, which is worth about a quarter of that.
Pissed at Manchin and Sinema? Manchin, no, as he's representing the people of West Virginia and is consistent in his beliefs. I don't like that he's a fossil fuel guy and think that's holding us back, but WV is fossil fuel... Sinema is a fraud and always has been, ever since she was a grifting green, so I never had any use for her. The reports that her favorite parts of the day are hitting up big donors don't surprise me at all, or that she got $750k from Big Pharma so block the drug negotiation clauses.
To your larger point, sure, I don't like a lot of the things those two are blocking, like paid family leave and the government negotiating drug prices. None of this really affects me personally at all, except for a possible tax increase if much of it goes through, since I'm n the highest bracket, which might revert to 39.5%. The change in my tax burden won't change my lifestyle one iota. Not one tiny bit - it would amount to a the hit from a single bad day on Wall St.
Here's a hint: Once you're above a certain level of wealth in the USA, worrying about taxes is indeed a personality flaw.
