I live in a blue state and I’m all for it.
You should avoid arguing with the intellectually challenged. When you get into it with the uninformed, the uneducated, or the just plain dumb, one has to ask who is the bigger fool — the person of limited intelligence or the genius who argues with them? As Mark Twain said, “Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience.” It’s always best to walk away from morons and be quietly amused by their nonsense.
That’s what’s best. But then there are other times when you just can’t let it pass — it’s just too easy, and too much fun. Low hanging fruit, I know, but still worth the picking.
I’m getting at Marjorie Taylor Greene and her suggestion that we separate into two countries — red states and blue states. As it is seditious, not treasonous (because we’re not at war), my gut reaction is to lock her up!! But after only a moment’s thought I realized that I might be able to put up with a little sedition/almost treason if it lines my pockets. Yep, I can definitely do this.
By the way, splitting up the U.S. is our equivalent to U.K.’s exit from the European Union. That was a right wing movement in the U.K. to get back their freedom from the EU. Well, they got back their freedom, and they also got an 8% reduction in GDP, an 11% reduction in investments in the country, a 7% reduction in trade and exports, and labor shortages in some sectors.
But I digress. So how does the breakup into reds and blues help me? For one, Blue State resident such as myself (NY) have been subsidizing the Red States for longer than I can remember. According to budget and monetary reports, 38 states pay less in revenues to the federal government than they get back. That means 38 states do not carry their load. And guess what? Most of the freeloading states are red — in fact, the federal government has to support each red state to the tune of $16.6 billion per year on average, while blue states need about $3.3 billion.
So, if you’re a resident of a blue state you make up the shortfall of the free-loading red states with higher state, local, and property taxes. The average Florida resident, for example, pays about $2,300 in real estate taxes, vs. $6200 for New Yorkers. As for state income tax — it’s 4% – 11% in New York, vs. 0, that’s right, 0, nil, nada, nothing, in Florida.
That would have to change for the red states once their blue sugar daddies depart. I for one look forward to Floridians having to pay state income tax and higher real estate taxes once they’re on their own. And then the real fun will begin when the Reds institute tax cuts, and then cut the services of their freeloading residents. Cutting services and raising taxes are givens, since the red states don’t make much money — they account for only 42% of the total U.S. GDP (vs. 58% from blue states), despite the fact that they account for about 50% of the population.
So I should realize some tax savings when we get rid of the freeloaders. But blue residents will also feel safer — we’ll have sensible gun legislation and better oversight committees to police the police. And we’ll have more freedom — women will reclaim the right to make decisions about their bodies, books won’t be banned or burned, no one will try to prevent you from voting, and there won’t be any death penalty.
Now, because the reds are anti-government and afraid of the deep state, the federal system goes with the blues. That includes all it’s agencies, like the military and departments of education, commerce, FDA, etc. The red states won’t have any need for an educational system since they prefer to home-school their kiddies and avoid all the needless vaccines, such as for polio. Ms. Boebart’s GED should come in handy for home schooling. (I should mention some of the greatest minds of the last century, Einstein for example, had no formal education. But we’re pretty sure Ms. Boebert is no Albert Einstein.
With the Federal government and its oversight agencies gone, the red states can eliminate all the regulations that handcuff corporations. Then you have to wonder what could possibly go wrong if financial institutions, railroads, airlines, oil companies, and others, are fully deregulated? Oh wait, that happened in 2007 with the financial crisis, and just recently with the train wreck in Ohio. Not to worry, because with Fox News on the job, most red state residents will never hear of such things and hence can remain blissful.
Of course, this break-up isn’t going to happen. In fact, anyone with just a little smarts (that eliminates Marjorie Taylor Greene) can figure out it’s just not practical on so many levels. What happens, for example, if democrats/liberals are elected in a red state (which is likely to happen once the residents experience conservative policies), does that state switch to the blue union or stay in the red union? And what’s gonna happen when the red state governments run out of money — will they come to us for help?
Not sure how all that will be handled, but I’m feeling we’ll need to build a wall.
