Texas Governor Invites Wave of Immigration from New Jersey

If you're one of those "please don't move to Texas" people, Greg Abbott's op-ed in the New Jersey Star Ledger may make your head spin, but our governor makes good points that we should all be proud of.

The piece, dated April 17, 2018, is a call to New Jerseyites to flee from NJ Gov. Phil Murphy's recent state budget proposal, which calls for a $2.7 billion spending increase that'll be funded by tax hikes.

Abbott brags about Texas' not having a state income tax (which I think we can all agree is one of the best things we've got going for us), its business-friendly atmosphere, and the praise our state has received in recent years when it comes to creating jobs and growing our economy.

With all this success, it's inevitable that people will want to move here to make better lives for themselves. In many cases, that can mean bringing values and viewpoints that aren't always in line with Texas traditions.

Trust me, I'm just as annoyed as you when someone who moved here from Cali or Portlandia starts whining about our Tex-Mex not being "baja" or our music scene not being hipster enough for them. (As if Austin isn't right freakin' there in the middle of the state.) But I think the majority of people who move here do so for a reason - because they want what Texas has to offer both in terms of business and culture. Speaking from personal experience, most transplants I know are thrilled to be living here, and tell me horror stories about the burdens and high costs of living in their home states.

So, to the people of New Jersey considering taking Greg Abbott up on his invitation, I say bienvenido.

But no guidos.