There’s a parallel between the huge migration to Florida and the history of Western Civilization.

As everyone knows, people are fleeing blue states with oppressive government and high taxes, for red states such as Florida and Texas. Last year, Florida was the fastest growing state in the nation and already this year has seen an increase of an estimated 358,735 new residents.

The latest evidence of the growth locally is a new area code being assigned to the 1 million-plus Jacksonville metro area.

Capitalism, which has propelled civilization to unimaged heights, began in the Christian monasteries of the Middle Ages. Along with improved technology such as the iron plow, the slow, steady progress since the fall of Rome accelerated in the time known as the Renaissance.

That spurtwas made possible by wealth created by capitalism and capitalism flourished under freedom. Furthermore, the centers of wealth production and progress moved from Italy to Belgium and to England as the level of freedom decreased in one place and increased in another.

The net result of increased freedom was the Industrial Revolution and more improvement in the lives of humans in 200 years than in the previous 2,000 years.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been a champion of individual freedom since taking office and with the help of an equally enlightened legislature has made the state a bastion of freedom, growth and progress.

This happened despite the energetic efforts of Democrats and their media supporters to suppress liberty.

DeSantis is lambasted daily in the media for doing things that the people demand and common-sense dictates.

The critics prefer a government-dominant system, the same kind that history has rejected except in backward states like Russia, Cuba, North Korea, Venezuela and other places that would be the most desirable on Earth if the beliefs of liberals had any validity.