Voting By Foot Works Quite Well
By John Hood
RALEIGH — Did you know that the voters of San Francisco will decide this fall whether the city will set up its own municipal bank? Or that the state of Illinois is setting up a state-funded program of food aid for people who lose access to federally funded nutrition assistance because they don’t meet the work requirement? Or that the socialist mayor of Seattle, Kate Wilson, urged her constituents to boycott one of the city’s homegrown businesses, Starbucks? Or that, under the leadership of socialist mayor Zohran Mamdani, the city of New York has just prohibited rent increases for nearly a million apartments?
Unless you live in these places — in which case, thanks for reading this Carolina columnist! — or nerd out on public policy, you’ve probably heard little or nothing about these developments. They are unlikely ever to affect you or your family.
When our country’s founders began setting up independent governments and writing new constitutions 250 years ago, they got many things right. They assigned legislative, executive, and judicial responsibilities to separate branches rather than concentrating too much power in a small cabal or single person. Treating the people as the ultimate sovereign instead of as subjects of a monarch claiming divine authority, they sought to safeguard individual liberty not only by constitutional design but also by bills of rights enforceable in court. And rather than treating the national government as the primary wielder of coercive power, they assigned only limited duties to Congress and the president while leaving states and localities with most of the responsibility for day-to-day governance.
These were wise decisions. They limited the stakes of any given election, for example, which allowed Americans to go about their daily lives without constant fear and reduced both the tenures and potential damage of corrupt politicians. Our structure also allows folks with vastly different views and preferences to arrange their personal and professional lives accordingly.
That is to say, it allowed — and continues to allow — Americans to vote in three different ways. Yes, we cast ballots in occasional elections for federal, state, and local offices as well as to settle certain financial, legal, and constitutional matters through direct democracy.
Even more frequently, we can vote with our time and resources. We purchase specific goods or services from specific vendors, foregoing others. We read, watch, or listen to some news, information, and entertainment while tuning others out. We support some institutions, causes, and candidates for office while ignoring or opposing others.
The third way we vote — the costliest way, actually, but often the most efficacious — is with our feet. If you don’t like key characteristics of your community, including how it is governed, you and your family can move somewhere else. Americans have been a footloose people for centuries. Even today, millions of people relocate every year from one neighborhood, city, or state to another.
In 2025, more Americans relocated to North Carolina (+84,100) than to any other state in the union. I think that’s a testament to our attractive mix of natural and human resources, comparatively robust economy, and generally pro-growth, pro-liberty policy choices. Perhaps you’d ascribe the influx to something else, or be more prone to complain about it rather than celebrate it. To each his own.
But perhaps we can all agree that the federalist principle of decentralization deserves celebration. I think that setting up a government-run bank to offer mortgage loans and other financial services is a terrible idea. I think giving able-bodied people welfare without work requirements, sabotaging local businesses, and monkeying around with the apartment market are even more terrible ideas.
Because I don’t live in the places pursuing them, however, I can neither halt their implementation nor suffer their harmful consequences. They don’t worry me. At the same time, those who believe such policies are wonderful can go live in San Francisco, Seattle, New York, or Chicago. That also does me no harm.
Here’s to our venerable right to vote by foot!
John Hood is a John Locke Foundation board member. His books Mountain Folk, Forest Folk, and Water Folk combine epic fantasy with American history (FolkloreCycle.com).
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Many people move because their current jobs require them to. Also many people can move to an area and get a job. Also a change in family situations may require a move – looking after an elderly parent ,for instance. Sometimes the policies of a state – good or bad – or in between – just aren’t the deciding factor. Economics play into it as well. Not everyone can pick up and move. There are people who can barely afford rent/mortgage now. I know some people (In Appalachia region – another state entirely) who are down to eating one meal a day – that’s all they can afford. Of course – they are getting exactly what they voted for..so there’s that – but still – I have enough empathy to realize no one – not one person – should be going hungry – even under an evil state or federal administration.
Sure we can vote with our feet – as long as our feet have money….it’s sad that this writer discounts the thousands (If not more) in this state alone – who would love to move out off or maybe to another part of the state – but can’t afford to. Have you forgotten that the truly poor.exist? Not lazy people – poor people. I would think it’s the same way in most every state.
You don’t want municipalities to be in banking ….what about all the non profits in the banking business like not for profit credit unions????what’s the difference???
How wonderful for this columnist! He apparently has the wherewithal to move wherever, whenever he wants and apparently he thinks everyone is in the same socioeconomic situation as he is blessed to be in. I’ve seen many columns by this same person in this website and have come to the conclusion that he thinks anyone that can’t pick up and move at will, can’t afford to pay ever increasing electricity bills, can’t afford to pay increased property taxes (if they are lucky enough to own property) and can’t afford groceries for their family are deficient, lazy or defective in some manner. They’re just looking for a handout, they just want your money, be afraid, they’re different.
I had a message exchange with my somewhat older sister this morning, full disclosure, she is mid 70’s and I’m 70. I had sent her an article from the N&O about flesh-eating bacteria being identified at the coast. You see, we just recently had a close call with a relative in another state who was initially diagnosed as having contracted just that, and after research realized the best case was that you’d loose a limb in trying to isolate it. Best case scenario, your arm or leg or… is cut off. We commiserated about global warming (it increases the chances of contracting flesh-eating bacteria) and how it is changing things so much for our children and grandchildren. In our world growing up, my Marine father and public school librarian mother made enough to put food on the table every day, clothing was affordable as were cars. We went to good (fully funded) public schools. Remember when NC was proud of its schools and for a time the NC motto was “the education state”. Not now. We were taught empathy for those who didn’t have what we had, we were taught not to judge another person least we be judged next, we were taught to help those who struggled in school and in the world.
In the America we live in now the American Dream is just that, a dream for most. How many of you reading this could afford the mortgage on a $300,000 starter home? Legislators both state and national pass bills giving huge tax cuts to ultra-wealthy individuals and very profitable corporations. I understand Elon and Bezos both need new super yachts to keep up, or maybe another private jet. While middle class Americans struggle to literally survive in many cases they send their tax dollars to Legislators who in turn hand it over to sports entities for the poor struggling athletes, gold-plated ballrooms and yes, more tax breaks for the “have it all” class. I understand that the NC Legislature’s goal is to pass a 0% tax on corporations in NC. Is this really good leadership? How does this help the majority of citizens? Continue to ask these questions and to help and care for your fellow North Carolinians when you can.