Pockets of gun owner misery
Mr. Kim du Toit wrote some time ago that it must be horrible to live in an area where you are taxed nearly to death to support state and local governments that do the greatest harm - ultra-liberal and anti-American.
Let's face it, if you cherish the Constitution and traditional American values, and can't move away from states like Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, and California, you are in Hell. What's worse, your vote is invalid because of the sheer numbers of leftist voters, so you can't change the status quo.
But do we really have Blue States or just heavily-populated pockets of Blue? Blue Cities? Steven Malanga ponders this in his The Real Engine of Blue America. Here's an excerpt:
"...What makes these cities so Blue is a multifaceted liberal coalition that ranges from old-style industrial unionists and culturally liberal intellectuals, journalists, and entertainers to tort lawyers, feminists, and even politically correct financiers. But within this coalition, one group stands out as increasingly powerful and not quite in step with the old politics of the Left: those who benefit from an expanding government, including public-sector employees, workers at organizations that survive off government money, and those who receive government benefits. In cities, especially, this group has seized power from the taxpayers, as the vast expansion of the public sector that has taken place since the beginning of the War on Poverty has finally reached a tipping point..."
Read all of the Malanga piece -- he pulls no punches -- then see if you're one of those who would like a government that is modest in its exercise of power, and in which radical special interests are not excessively powerful.
Good luck to all of you unfortunate Blue Whatevers.