text: Funny? It seemed a serious statement to me, not a funny one. I have lived and worked in every region of the US, and though Oregon has considerable racial diversity, it has few black people compared to almost everywhere except Alaska. I also agree that housing is too expensive in Oregon, and in that regard California is worse.
  
  But the point I was making is that the West and East Coasts export a surplus of money, and that the South and the flyover states get that surplus, thus are welfare states overall. Considering that, it would be painfully ironic if the federal government refused to return funds that originated primarily in the productive states that subsidize the rest of the country.
  
  Good post, thanks.