Yesterday it was reported that CA Gov. Jerry Brown mocked TX Gov. Rick Perry's radio ad inviting Californians to bring their business to Texas, and during his 'state of the state' address IL Gov. Pat Quinn proposed raising the minimum wage in Illinois to $10/hour.

Let's file these economic differences of opinions under the concept of 'federalism.' How to measure the effectiveness of each set of ideas under this concept? Here's one way: compare the different costs in moving from one state to the other by how much it is to rent a 26-foot moving truck (which would be large enough to move a 4br dwelling).

The rental price of a U-Haul from Los Angeles to Houston: $2,415.
The rental price of a U-Haul from Houston to Los Angeles: $1,140.

The rental price of a U-Haul from Los Angeles to Austin: $2,278.
The rental price of a U-Haul from Austin to Los Angeles: $1,075.

The rental price of a U-Haul from Chicago to Austin: $1,536.
The rental price of a U-Haul from Austin to Chicago: $704.

The rental price of a U-Haul from Chicago to Houston: $1,462.
The rental price of a U-Haul from Houston to Chicago: $552.

That seems to provide a stark comparison.