leaving for greener pastures

This article talks about the net LOSS of population suffered by Michigan

Since 2001, migration has cost Michigan 465,000 people, the equivalent of the combined populations of Grand Rapids, Warren and Sterling Heights -- the state's second-, third- and fourth-largest cities.

No out-migration like this has ever been studied. The state attributed the loss to retires and unemployed blue-collar workers, but the paper found out some facts about the people leaving;

The state suffered a net loss to migration of 18,000 adults with a bachelor's degree or higher in 2007 alone

Michiganians who fled the state in 2007 took with them almost $1.2 billion more in paychecks than the paychecks of those moving in.

While almost 13 percent of Michigan's population is over 65, only 2.5 percent of those leaving are that old. That means outmigration is adding to the costs associated with an aging population,

The one thing the article never addresses is the tax rate in Michigan. It is one of the higher ones in the nation and keeps growing, with the burden being shifted to businesses (which are fleeing the state, or being taken over by the government) and to the "rich" ( which by the net loss in paychecks tells you who else is leaving). The state has been controlled by Democrats for almost 30 years and the policy has been to buy votes with more government services. People with money will only take so much before they take their "ball" and go play somewhere else.