I’m not a coffee connoisseur. I’m not really a wine connoisseur; I just took a course to get certified at Level 1 because I thought it would be a cool hobby. We make most of our coffee at home, and so while there are a few varieties of beans I like, the truth is that in a blind taste test, I would not be able to tell Starbucks from Dunkin’ Donuts or Maxwell House. As I understand it, Dutch Bros is particularly beloved among those who are devoted to the mystical ways of java. 

The fine people of Oregon, and particularly the residents of Grants Pass, are singing the bean blues this week over the fact that Dutch Bros is moving its headquarters to Arizona. Last year, the company began the process of relocating much of its workforce there at a cost of millions of dollars, and the announcement that the corporate office was officially hitting the road was made this week. So the whole kit and caboodle (or is that beans and basket?) is decamping from the northwest, which leaves Nike as Oregon’s heavy-hitter.

As the wise philosopher Gomer Pyle once said, “Surprise, surprise, surprise!” 

The Portland Business Journal had the company’s official statement:

Over the past several months, we have seen the functional and cultural advantages of having more of our field support roles working together in one place. To support the next phase of Dutch Bros' growth, we're relocating additional roles to our new Phoenix office and making strategic changes to the structure of several teams. Bringing more people together will allow us to better serve our customers and crews across the country. With these changes, the Phoenix office will become our official HQ.

That’s a great breakup letter, and this is coming from a guy who was dumped multiple times in his youth. I’m impressed.

Of course, it’s no secret why Dutch Bros is exiting stage right. It’s doing it for the same reasons that every business and person who can leave a blue state does. From The Oregonian:

“Dutch Bros has been a fixture in our community for a long time,” said Sen. Noah Robinson, a Republican whose district includes parts of Josephine County. Like other Republicans, he said the state’s economic policies may have contributed to Dutch Bros’ departure. “In general, Oregon is not a friendly business environment,” Robinson said. He said homelessness and crime in Grants Pass may have been factors in Dutch Bros’ decision. Other Republicans blamed the state’s tax policies.

You would think that by now, the blue states would get it. And there is ample evidence to show that they do not. But the truth is, they do get it. They know exactly why people and companies are calling U-Haul: crime, regulations, taxes, and an overall environment designed to curtail personal freedoms and advance particular agendas. They know it as well as we do. But they can’t bring themselves to admit that they are wrong. Furthermore, they still cling to misplaced optimism that tells them that if they continue with their boneheaded policies, things will eventually work out somehow. But that’s not the only reason.

Umpteen articles have been written about the chaos in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, as well as the fact that similar block parties are scheduled across the United States this weekend. Despite the apparent urgency of the situation, the Left is still playing the long game, and the riots are just another facet of that. The idea behind them is to help wreck the entire system from the top down, from the bottom up, from the inside out, and from the outside in. 

The Left is banking on the fact that if it keeps up the pressure long enough and steadily enough, in as many places as possible, it will come out on top in the end. So, blue states will take the hit for now, because the Left believes that in the future, it will be able to tell every company, organization, church, synagogue, man woman and child what they can do, where they can do it, how they can do it, and if they can do it at all.

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