The Grass is Greener in Red States

How smart were the Framers in the design of our system? Darn smart. Beyond studying government systems for decades, they collectively sequestered themselves for four months arguing daily on how to craft a proper design. Recent events allow us to measure their wisdom in one aspect of the design. They set up a system with thirteen (at the time) laboratories for political experimentation. How’s it working.

Twenty-seven states are run by Republican governors and twenty-three by Democrat governors, and there are no Republican mayors in the largest twenty cities. The relative approach to governance across America has become increasingly disparate.  The purpose of government is to keep us safe and improve our lives.  Factually, how are the two political parties doing?

 Covid19

Deaths in Blue States were 45 per 100,000, while deaths in Red States were 21 per 100,000. This means that a person was more than twice as likely to die from Covid19 in a state with a Democrat governor.

When the legislatures and tenure are examined, the results become even worse for Democrat leadership. The two Republican states in the top 10 are the traditionally Democrat states of Massachusetts and Maryland, where Democrats continue to control both houses of the legislature.  Throw into the mix the District of Columbia (78/100,000) and the picture becomes dismal.

Crime

All top ten cities are run by Democrats and nine have the worst crime record in the nation. Detroit has been the most dangerous city in the nation for four years running.  The average for these ten cities is 1,560 violent crimes per 100,000 people.  By contrast, the nation’s eighth largest city, San Diego, has only 370 victims per 100,000 and has been designated by the FBI as the safest city in America. San Diego, which was Republican recently elected a Democrat mayor. We’ll see if they can maintain their stellar reputation.

Violent protests have occurred primarily in the Democrat controlled cities of Minneapolis/St Paul, Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, New York and D.C.  Insurance claims are estimated to be “catastrophic.”

Taxes

On average, income taxes are 30% higher in Blue States with California, New York, Minnesota, Oregon, New Jersey, Hawaii, and the District of Columbia leading the pack in high rates.  If you like paying taxes, the following Democrat cities have an additional city income tax: New York City; the District of Columbia; Louisville; Birmingham; Baltimore; Detroit; Kansas City and St. Louis, MO; Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Toledo, OH; Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, PA.

A Google search came up with no Republican mayor that imposed a city income tax.

Illegal immigrants

Nine of the top ten cities with an illegal population have Democrat mayors, with one progressive Independent.  Six of these cities self-designate as sanctuaries. Texas has a state law forbidding sanctuary cities or it would likely be eight out of ten.  Nearly a quarter of the nation’s illegal immigrants reside in California, where they constitute more than 6% of the population. (Other estimates are far higher.)

Homelessness

New York has the highest number (47) of homeless per 10,000 residence, followed by Hawaii (46), Oregon (35), California (33), Washington (30), Massachusetts (29), Nevada (25), with Colorado and Maine both at (19). All Blue States. In contrast, the large Red States of Florida (15), Arizona (14), and Texas (9) come in much lower.  The remaining Red States are all below 13 per 10,000.

According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, an average of 568,000 individuals were homeless in 2019.  Over one third of those live in the three Blue States bordering the Pacific Ocean, the citadel of progressive Democrats.  Add in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania, and you have well over half of the nation’s homeless in eight Democrat states.  Outside of Hawaii and Southern California, the weather does not attract the homeless to these states.

Income Disparity and Poverty

 When cost of living is taken into account, California has the highest poverty rate (18.1), putting almost seventeen percent of California residents below the poverty line.  California poverty is only exceeded by Washington D.C. (18.2).  Overall, Blue State poverty is 4.2% greater than in Red States, but the picture become bleaker when income disparity is examined.  Income disparity is 7% greater Blue States than in Red States, and only four Democrat states and D.C. are above the national average (.486) as measured by the Gini coefficient. D.C. (.542), New York (.523), Louisiana (.499), Connecticut (.495), and California (.490), substantially skew the average upward for the rest of the nation.  Ironically, these bastions of progressivism constantly harangue the rest of us about the evils of income disparity.

The results are crystal clear. Now, it’s only left to be seen whether we’re smart enough to use the Framers design to better our lives and the lives of our children.