In a twist that’s catching the eye of locals and media alike, retired California public workers are settling red states and finding they may not be as conservative as they thought, bringing their “liberal baggage” with them.
Many of these retirees have flocked to Idaho, specifically the town of Eagle, a suburb of Boise, and with them bringing not just their pensions but also a set of political beliefs that’s stirring the pot among Idahoans.
The Los Angeles Times recently reported that an influx of ex-cops and firefighters have landed in Eagle. These individuals, though identifying as conservative, are seen by some locals as veering towards socialism due to their substantial California pensions and expectations.
The political landscape in Eagle recently became a battleground for Californian identity. In the latest mayoral race, two Californian migrants competed, with the central debate being “who was the least Californian.”
Jason Pierce, a long-time Idaho resident and former mayor, lost his re-election bid to a newcomer with a large pension from California.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Pierce expressed his frustration, stating, “It’s ludicrous these people call themselves Republicans.”
He points out the irony of these new residents advocating for the same kind of benefits that led to California’s deficit, saying, “You find a lot of Californians who move here don’t realize how much [liberal] baggage they’re bringing with them.”
“They want to give the same kind of benefits to officers and state employees here,” Pierce said. “And it’s like, ‘Wait a minute, you literally created a huge deficit in California, and now you want to do the same thing here?’”
Brad Pike, who won the mayoral election is one of the newer retirees who migrated to Eagle bringing his $123,000 pension with him. Pike has been a Republican for over four decades.
He told Fox News, “I came here looking for anything that’s not the liberal, socialistic view of the government in California.”
Despite this declaration, Pierce and others notice a growing divide between Californian and Idahoan perceptions of conservatism. Pierce stated, “We take care of ourselves. We take care of our neighbors, and you’re getting a lot more people wanting, you know, others to take care of them. It’s odd.”
“Californians have been programmed in a way that they think they’re conservative, but then they move to a place like Eagle, Idaho, and they start asking for the same things that the government was providing them in California,” Pierce said.
“Honestly, they don’t even realize what they’re doing, but you have to kind of go, ‘Wait a minute, so you want your taxes to go up?’ Oh, I’d be willing to pay a little bit more, and it’s like, wait a minute, you just left all this.”The financial implications of this migration are significant. The Los Angeles Times reports that nearly 90,000 Californians receive their pension outside the state to the tune of $3.6 billion, with Eagle, Idaho, being a primary destination. This shift coincides with California’s recent population decline and the loss of significant tax revenue.
Pierce worries that this influx from California might inadvertently shift Idaho’s political landscape, likening it to Colorado’s transition from red to blue.
He suggests that these conservatives might be unknowingly promoting liberal ideas. “I don’t think it gets done on purpose by the conservatives or the Republicans,” Pierce explained. “I think what they get is bamboozled into the Democrat talking points, and they’re very easily able to promote their ideas without them sounding liberal.”
There is no question that there is a tension between Idaho’s established conservative values and the new perspectives brought by Californian retirees. As they seek a new life in Idaho free of huge taxes, high crime and woke policies, these individuals might be unintentionally carrying over the very same philosophies they attempted to leave behind, posing a potential challenge to Idaho’s political and social landscape.
https://thefederalistpapers.org/opinion/transplanted-conservative-californians-finding-political-pushback-red-states-accused-taking-liberal-baggage/
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