Another well researched article. I will be adding this to my own stack for next week's podcast. I live in a blue region of a purple state on the east coast so I get to see these vast cultural differences nearly every day. I have been doing a series of podcasts on American tribalism that's morphing into highlighting these cultural divides that may end up splitting the United States into two distinct countries unto themselves very soon. Probably well within my lifetime, and I'm a senior citizen.
I just hope that when that day comes, I won't be forced into bugging out like a refugee from a war torn, third world country like Sudan. I've been deployed to countries like that years ago so I know what to expect but that doesn't make it any better.
Having also served and deployed, I think we will be ok even if a split occurs. Also thanks for your service. Appreciate you reading and sharing my work, I alwasy try to be substantive and well researched if nothing else.
I know we're making headway with our articles and comments when I get blasted by Trumpists from west Texas and Washington state. Keep it up and I will be sure to boost your work as soon as I am able.
In Texas, there is no state income tax—neither personal nor local—for individuals. The state constitution even bans any future income tax unless the constitution is amended by a two-thirds legislative majority
State Sales Tax: 6.25% on most retail sales, leases, rentals, and taxable services
Local Sales Tax: Local jurisdictions (such as cities, counties, special districts, and transit authorities) may add up to 2% more, capped at a combined maximum of 8.25%.
The most you’d ever pay in sales tax within Texas is 8.25% in total
Property Taxes: Texas does not impose a state-level property tax—but local governments (like counties, cities, school districts, and special districts) collect property taxes. The average effective property tax rate is around 1.5–1.6% of assessed home value
Franchise Tax: There is a state-level franchise (or gross margin) tax imposed on businesses (not individuals). The 2022–23 rates were 0.375% for retail and wholesale entities and 0.75% for other businesses
Most of our tax increases are due to Trumps Tariff shit, which we are pissed off about.
Your highest taxes will be in cities like Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Houston, each of which are Democrat run cities.
If you make 50+k a year, you can live comfortably. You can build a home, start a business, and make a living.
I want your definition of Freedom, since Liberty in Texas is a personal concern. The state rarely interferes, unless it endangers the public or children.
I lived in central Texas from 2015 to 2020. I will never return. I don't even like to drive through anymore for fear of the DPS pulling me over for little reason other than they don't like the stickers on my truck. I might sneak in and visit my son in Houston sometime but even he is thinking about moving to Arkansas. All of my other kids left long ago.
I hope you enjoy Texas as it sounds like you do. But it's not for me.
Cool. Happiness is important. Live where you want to.
Oh, by the way, I've never heard of DPS pulling anyone over for stickers on their car. They pull people over for speeding and unsafe lane changes.
Small town cops usually end up on youtube for violating the fourth amendment. And the state agency that oversees police education is trying to weed out the corrupt cops. One small town has had their police department shut down and is about to lose their sheriff's office due to rampant violations of the constitution.
Unless, of course, he brings any females with him. I live in Texas and they’ve been taking away my rights and the rights of my daughter since Abbott and his corrupt cronies came to power, though my husband and son are doing just fine since they’re white. Though I have loved living here for decades, it has become an embarrassment to have to be associated with our backwards political environment. Hopefully we will be able to change that in the next election cycle!
Funny, the rights you are talking about don't exist. There isn't a natural or god given right to kill a child. It's not in the constitution, it's not in the bill of rights.
The "Right" to an abortion was codified by 9 men in black robes in the 60's.
If it's your body, and your right, then why not act responsibly and abstain from sex until you are married, or use condoms?
You can bring up the old Rape and incest thing, but that's been debunked. 85% of abortions are for convenience. only .5% are for rape or incest.
As usual, you got it wrong. Republicans in Texas would rather rule themselves than depend upon DC. There are no masters over us. You'd be surprised at how many churches there are in Texas and how religious/spiritual we are.
Churches, loudly proclaimed beliefs are no guarantee of morals. Didn’t the KKK consider itself to be doing god’s work. How many famous so-called Christians have been rapists, crooks, adulterers, etc.
Religious---probably. Spiritual---doesn't apply. We are on this earth to do two things---to Learn to Learn and to Learn to Love (not agape', filial or eros, but unconditional). If one works on those two things, we will have peace. This prescription appears in nearly every thought system of humanity. It's just not taught.
If by religious you mean empathy and support for those less fortunate that would be good but if you mean religious like you religuously follow the churches dogma and that leads to pius hate of non-believers of which there are many around ..... the mantra is that if you do not love or believe MY God then you are undeserving of being fed or clothed or housed or of receiving kindness and are basically a heathen and do not deserve the love of a God, even the love of Christ! Is that the religion you follow/practice?
Would not be surprised at all at the number of churches. How it does or doesn’t respect others & consider all equal is often quite surprising. Church, loudly spouted beliefs are no guarantee of sound morals. Some of the biggest names in religion have been crooks, womanizers, sexual predators, racists.
After reading such an awesome overview, picking on a tiny detail seems churlish, but: I could only wish taxation were either/or—sales/income—in my state, good ol' New York. If real estate and Wall Street loopholes were plugged, would sales taxes still be needed? Of course, if Washington stopped robbing blue state taxpayers to provide even those short lifespans for red state freeloaders …
There's also the "friendliness factor." I'm originally from Chicago but have been in Houston (a blue island in a red state) for decades, and I'm keenly away of how friendly (or not) people are when I travel, which I do a lot. I have found the friendliest people in California and upper midwest, and the unfriendliest in the deep south and here in Texas. I realize this is a totally unscientific assessment, but it's something I've noticed for years. I'd love to see a poll or study comparing general happiness of residents of blue and red states.
Agree. It is definitely noticeable. I have family in Texas & have seen more than once the sexism disguised as curtesy: “I’ll get that . It’s a long reach for such a little lady.” I have never encountered anything like this in the NE. I’ve never met a stranger in NYC, never been patronized in MA. Southern hospitality is often not so hospitable.
Really a great article! We should be screaming these numbers from our rooftops. Fuck Republicans. I'm so tired of all their bullshit lies. I want to live in my BLUE America! Fuck red states! Maybe it's time to just split up! I'm sick of the talk. If Republicans put boots on the ground in blue states only, we should all be talking about our escape plan!
I 100% agree with you *directionally* but I think you're being a little selective here or else excluding important variables.
For example, what does the Deep South have in common besides being Republican (at least for the last two generations)? A historical legacy and slavery and a deep, historical underdevelopment relative to New England. Which is the cause and which is the outcome, then? Is Mississippi Republicans because it's poor? Because it's certainly not poor because it's Republican. It was poor long before Mississippians started voting Republican.
And that is even more true when you look at a classic "problem" state like West Virginia. It was a Blue State in my lifetime. They even voted for Michael Dukakis in 1988, for goodness sake! And it was really poor and really unequal and really unhealthy then, as now. The voting public's cynicism and impatience from voting Democrat their entire lives and not seeming to get much back for it is an important factor leading them to the GOP by the 2000s.
And what are we to make of the Blue State par excellence, California, which has a massive absolute and relative poverty rate right alongside Texas? For all that progressive spending, they still can't fix things like poverty, housing, and K-12 education quality. Clearly there are other factors in play.
Also, what do the "exceptions that prove the rule" tell us about actual causes and effects? A very objectively successful deep red Republican state like Utah is a fascinating use-case. As is a place like Nebraska, solidly Republican for the last century-plus.
Why are Western States more healthy than Eastern ones? Or Northern better than Southern, no matter their party in power? What does that tell us?
I'm not just trying to "problematize" your thesis to be difficult, but to challenge the common notion among Progressives that Red States are just objectively bad and it's a real mystery why anyone bothers to live there. Also, it's important to note what variables actually do help make life better in a state, once you separate out other variables you can't control. Because that's where political gains can be made and policy focused.
You raise excellent points about confounding variables. You're absolutely right that the Deep South's problems predate Republican control. Slavery and its aftermath created systematic underdevelopment that persists today.
But here's what the data shows when we control for these factors:On historical legacy: Yes, Mississippi was poor before turning Republican. But it's gotten relatively WORSE since. In 1980, Mississippi's per capita income was 67% of the national average. Today? 64%.
Meanwhile, formerly poor blue states like Vermont went from 86% to 98% of national average over the same period.On West Virginia: Perfect example. When Democrats controlled it (through 2014), it ranked 38th in life expectancy. Now under Republican control? 47th. The decline accelerated after the flip.
On California's poverty: You're right about housing costs driving poverty there. But look at poverty-related outcomes: California's infant mortality is 3.9 per 1,000. Mississippi's is 9.1. CA's life expectancy is 79 years, MS is 71.
Poverty with healthcare and education support is vastly different from poverty without it.
On Utah: Mormon culture is doing the heavy lifting there with strong social safety nets through the church, low substance abuse, and tight communities. It's essentially running a Scandinavian welfare model through religious institutions. Nebraska similarly benefits from agricultural wealth and demographic homogeneity.The geographic patterns you note (West vs East, North vs South) actually support the thesis when you look closer. They map almost perfectly onto which states expanded Medicaid, invest in education, and have progressive tax structures.
You're right that we need to separate variables we can control through policy from those we can't. But that's exactly why this data matters: states with similar historical challenges achieve vastly different outcomes based on policy choices made in the last 20 years.
One aspect of the homeless problem in blue cities that I would like to see studied, is how many of those people actually come from red states? Based on the street interviews I've seen on various docs, it would seem to be quite a few. If those anecdotal impressions reflect an underlying reality, it would make the moral posturing of red state politicians inherently hypocritical.
Excellent point. Also the homelessness is worse in 4 Florida cities than it is in San Francisco. They just don't count people as homeless if they have a few dollars on them and use other dishonest and misleading systems for counting.
I do wonder how much the cause-and-effect goes in the opposite direction. Arguably the best predictor of voting patters is education level. A college degree positively correlates with left-leaning political sentiment, higher incomes, and better health outcomes.
Local control of schools and their resulting performance is a lagging indicator, and a real problem. Education's falling scores/issues are not "red" or "blue" despite Republicans calling it a Democrat problem. Many districts - (which, remember, are funded primarily by local taxes, except for Title I schools, so if they are in a "red" area, they are led by Republicans, as the money dictates control) - are top/admin heavy and spend the money increasingly to support that, rather than evidence-based educational programs for public school students. And then, to add insult to injury, spend hefty amounts on attorneys to protect the system. The largest canary in the coal mine are students with dyslexia (20% of all students) and developmental language disorder aka DLD (7% of all students), which almost always goes hand in hand with dyslexia. Many schools would rather do the cheap and easy computer based and/or "script"-heavy programs, which fail these kids. They are "carried" through school and/or drop out, which ultimately affects their well being and productivity - as well as ability to understand politics, national and local issues.
Compare the factors you discuss here against public education performance - it's not always dollars spent per pupil, it's dollars spent doing the best evidence-based programming - over time, and I guarantee you that you will see a correlation. Mississippi public schools have indeed improved their reading instruction (hopefully they are addressing DLD as well) so I'm looking forward to seeing their improvement over time, assuming all other factors are either remaining static and/or improving as well.
To sum it up, millions of tax payer dollars are spent in thousands of districts each year, with little taxpayer oversight and a grossly limited state and federal regulatory structure. It's the biggest heist of the decade, in my opinion. They can spend the money any way they choose, transfer money between accounts, cook the books - and few conduct specific audits, and the "punishments" are laughable. At most, some states do virtual "desk audits" (if/when a parent complains), which are worthless. We have seen this in other sectors, in which taxpayer dollars are not spent wisely - and it has to blow up before we take action.
I’m a retired widow living in a red part of a blue state. I’m now hoping to sell my house & reverse that: move to a blue city in a red state. Im a senior, no children to consider, have limited income, no family where I am. With the move I’m planning, I would reverse all of tthat. I sometimes question my plan because of the current political situation: would I actually be safer staying a blue state? Maybe so but the financial & personal aspects outweigh the others. Many reasons for people living where they live. (I wouldn’t want to move to a red area of a red state: MAGA land )
And I’m originally from Alabama but now live in LA. I’m now divorced so was considering moving back to save money until Trump took office and then thought “oh hell no” I don’t care how much money I save I’m not moving back during the fall of our democracy. Not with every Trump idiot carrying a gun on them. No way in hell. I will visit only until this nightmare (hopefully) ends
Actually I take this back. I think it’s actually more important to go now even though I’m afraid. My brother reassures me that I will be safe but I’m truly shocked by what I’ve seen on their Facebook pages. I had no idea people I knew would act like Charlie Kirk was a saint. The racism is just now so blatant and scary
These pundits dont read....they make money off of your outrage designed to pump up the algorithms to keep the dupes engaged. Its a social media business model. Then they ADD the supplements and survival gear for extra income. Joe Rogan is a multi-millionaire from the dupes.
Much more lucrative to grift than being a comedian that he started out to be.
The policies of any state should be “do no harm” and lift as many people out of poverty. What future a state offers its children matters no matter who is in power.
Republicans are no better exemplified in their cruelty and lack of compassion than by what we see with Trump’s social safety net policies and his use of ICE to harm people.
I was shocked when I temporarily worked in LA a few years back by how many homeless folks there were. St. Louis has more than I’d like to see but it is nothing compared to LA. Two things to note though: in LA if someone needed a tent to live in, there wouldn’t be an issue with someone buying them one. And a lot of homeless folks move to California due to the pleasant climate so they don’t freeze to death in the winter which is a legitimate concern where I live and in a lot of the country.
It's good and it's important - necessary - that you get these numbers out there in a coherent, persuasive way, as you have done/ What's sad is that the MAGA base doesn't care, doesn't want to believe, and doesn't listen. Still, it's good that we are armed with this information and maybe some of the vulnerable people in those states are swayed. If the GOP thought their policies were popular, they would not try so hard to manipulate the vote.
Thank you. I especially appreciate your extensive list of the sources you used to obtain your facts and statistics. As a longtime resident of TN, I also have spent some time looking up the dismal statistics for Tennessee, a red stronghold. As one example, TN is at the top of this maternal mortality chart/article and many of the southern states are right there with TN. (Article title states “2025,”however, the statistics are compiled from the period 2018-2022.) https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/maternal-mortality-rate-by-state
Appreciate it, I am making it a point to start including detailed citations/sources for my work so that people can use that info and share it elsewhere.
Not disagreeing with the article, but I think it might be important to note that Mississippi has dramatically improved its literacy rates through following proven research. Of course, these gains will be threatened by the current administration/regime.
Reading starts in Kindergarten. My daughter went to a wealthy public school district where they tried to convince parents that our children could read by relying heavily on picture clues. That’s not reading. The 2nd half of that school year, we moved to St. Louis and she was enrolled in an inner city public elementary school. She learned how to actually read from February to May without benefit of any pictures. They used phonics (sound out the word by understanding what each letter sounds like) and it was very easy to grasp using this method. Phonics is the same reading concept that I grew up with in the early 1970’s. I am not aware of what methods have been used that have led to a chunk of our population not being able to read. Another point to be considered is if the child’s parent(s) do or don’t know how to read or write. And access to books. Plus access to hearing people read books out loud to those children. I know the libraries here in St. Louis have morning reading times for children to come and be read to not only in the suburbs where I have chosen to live but also in the city. My brother in law was a library employee that was in charge of the reading to children program in the city library system. Public schools need to figure out how to help their children read and make sure that all of those children are reading at the appropriate reading level for their grade. We don’t need multigenerational literacy issues to persist when educators have the ability to stop it.
Mary: check out Read Right Systems (http://www.readright.com/) A company I was in used it to enable over 1000 of its non-readers or crippled readers (less than 8th grade) to become excellent readers at grade 12 levels. They even had a PhD in pulp chemistry in program who was a crippled reader. In 25 hours his reading difficulties were fixed. Phonics doesn't work as well as RR.
Wow! Thank you for all the citations and for grouping it in simple format so the contrasts are apparent. I look forward to researching where my (red) state sits amongst those stats. Or maybe I dread it.
Restacking with great respect. Thank you for doing the homework.
Another well researched article. I will be adding this to my own stack for next week's podcast. I live in a blue region of a purple state on the east coast so I get to see these vast cultural differences nearly every day. I have been doing a series of podcasts on American tribalism that's morphing into highlighting these cultural divides that may end up splitting the United States into two distinct countries unto themselves very soon. Probably well within my lifetime, and I'm a senior citizen.
I just hope that when that day comes, I won't be forced into bugging out like a refugee from a war torn, third world country like Sudan. I've been deployed to countries like that years ago so I know what to expect but that doesn't make it any better.
Having also served and deployed, I think we will be ok even if a split occurs. Also thanks for your service. Appreciate you reading and sharing my work, I alwasy try to be substantive and well researched if nothing else.
I know we're making headway with our articles and comments when I get blasted by Trumpists from west Texas and Washington state. Keep it up and I will be sure to boost your work as soon as I am able.
Hell yea 🌲🌲🌲
That is so good to hear. Those trumpists will need to hear this information 200+ times before they may begin to claim it as their own. We can hope.
Terrance, you may be interested in my thoughts on the subject, which has been the focus of my Substack for the past year. Start with this piece: https://pacificgravity.substack.com/p/partition-prologue
I read the first lines and it does look interesting. Please tell me a little more and we'll see.
Well done Author.
Blue state freedoms don’t extend to law abiding citizens being able to protect themselves from crime.
Dude, you should move to Texas. We promise we'll leave you alone to live like you want to.
Taxes are too high in Texas, plus less freedom.
How do you figure that?
Here's how taxes are done it Texas.
In Texas, there is no state income tax—neither personal nor local—for individuals. The state constitution even bans any future income tax unless the constitution is amended by a two-thirds legislative majority
State Sales Tax: 6.25% on most retail sales, leases, rentals, and taxable services
Local Sales Tax: Local jurisdictions (such as cities, counties, special districts, and transit authorities) may add up to 2% more, capped at a combined maximum of 8.25%.
The most you’d ever pay in sales tax within Texas is 8.25% in total
Property Taxes: Texas does not impose a state-level property tax—but local governments (like counties, cities, school districts, and special districts) collect property taxes. The average effective property tax rate is around 1.5–1.6% of assessed home value
Franchise Tax: There is a state-level franchise (or gross margin) tax imposed on businesses (not individuals). The 2022–23 rates were 0.375% for retail and wholesale entities and 0.75% for other businesses
Most of our tax increases are due to Trumps Tariff shit, which we are pissed off about.
Your highest taxes will be in cities like Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Houston, each of which are Democrat run cities.
If you make 50+k a year, you can live comfortably. You can build a home, start a business, and make a living.
I want your definition of Freedom, since Liberty in Texas is a personal concern. The state rarely interferes, unless it endangers the public or children.
Wow nice write up detailing Texas’ taxes Joseph! Appreciate it. 🙏🏼
I lived in central Texas from 2015 to 2020. I will never return. I don't even like to drive through anymore for fear of the DPS pulling me over for little reason other than they don't like the stickers on my truck. I might sneak in and visit my son in Houston sometime but even he is thinking about moving to Arkansas. All of my other kids left long ago.
I hope you enjoy Texas as it sounds like you do. But it's not for me.
Cool. Happiness is important. Live where you want to.
Oh, by the way, I've never heard of DPS pulling anyone over for stickers on their car. They pull people over for speeding and unsafe lane changes.
Small town cops usually end up on youtube for violating the fourth amendment. And the state agency that oversees police education is trying to weed out the corrupt cops. One small town has had their police department shut down and is about to lose their sheriff's office due to rampant violations of the constitution.
We not perfect, but we are trying to get better.
Unless, of course, he brings any females with him. I live in Texas and they’ve been taking away my rights and the rights of my daughter since Abbott and his corrupt cronies came to power, though my husband and son are doing just fine since they’re white. Though I have loved living here for decades, it has become an embarrassment to have to be associated with our backwards political environment. Hopefully we will be able to change that in the next election cycle!
Funny, the rights you are talking about don't exist. There isn't a natural or god given right to kill a child. It's not in the constitution, it's not in the bill of rights.
The "Right" to an abortion was codified by 9 men in black robes in the 60's.
If it's your body, and your right, then why not act responsibly and abstain from sex until you are married, or use condoms?
You can bring up the old Rape and incest thing, but that's been debunked. 85% of abortions are for convenience. only .5% are for rape or incest.
Empty promise.
“This is a feature, not a bug for Republicans, they would rather rule over hell than serve in heaven.”
As those of us educated in a blue state know, line is John Milton’s “Paradise Lost”. Excellent article.
"...rather rule over hell..." The key point about Satan from Milton's "Paradise Lost".
As usual, you got it wrong. Republicans in Texas would rather rule themselves than depend upon DC. There are no masters over us. You'd be surprised at how many churches there are in Texas and how religious/spiritual we are.
I don't think we would be surprised. Religious people are generally the most arrogant and cruel folks I've ever met.
Churches, loudly proclaimed beliefs are no guarantee of morals. Didn’t the KKK consider itself to be doing god’s work. How many famous so-called Christians have been rapists, crooks, adulterers, etc.
Amen! The church (no matter which flavor) always sells certainty and superiority. Its a grift on human egos.
Religious---probably. Spiritual---doesn't apply. We are on this earth to do two things---to Learn to Learn and to Learn to Love (not agape', filial or eros, but unconditional). If one works on those two things, we will have peace. This prescription appears in nearly every thought system of humanity. It's just not taught.
Texas gets 73 billion dollars from California every year. Prove how self reliant you are by turning that money down.
Indeed. They are sucking at the breast of California. The tough John Wayne persona is a Hollywood joke.
And California receives 175 billion. Huh.
California is a net donor of $83b.
Churches are probably part of your problem. They preach what they don't obey. It's a massive self righteous grift on the uneducated.
If by religious you mean empathy and support for those less fortunate that would be good but if you mean religious like you religuously follow the churches dogma and that leads to pius hate of non-believers of which there are many around ..... the mantra is that if you do not love or believe MY God then you are undeserving of being fed or clothed or housed or of receiving kindness and are basically a heathen and do not deserve the love of a God, even the love of Christ! Is that the religion you follow/practice?
😂
Would not be surprised at all at the number of churches. How it does or doesn’t respect others & consider all equal is often quite surprising. Church, loudly spouted beliefs are no guarantee of sound morals. Some of the biggest names in religion have been crooks, womanizers, sexual predators, racists.
Are you for real?
After reading such an awesome overview, picking on a tiny detail seems churlish, but: I could only wish taxation were either/or—sales/income—in my state, good ol' New York. If real estate and Wall Street loopholes were plugged, would sales taxes still be needed? Of course, if Washington stopped robbing blue state taxpayers to provide even those short lifespans for red state freeloaders …
Totally valid point, I love that.
There's also the "friendliness factor." I'm originally from Chicago but have been in Houston (a blue island in a red state) for decades, and I'm keenly away of how friendly (or not) people are when I travel, which I do a lot. I have found the friendliest people in California and upper midwest, and the unfriendliest in the deep south and here in Texas. I realize this is a totally unscientific assessment, but it's something I've noticed for years. I'd love to see a poll or study comparing general happiness of residents of blue and red states.
Awesome idea for some research
Yes, this would be a good research project. Might compare other countries too.
Agree. It is definitely noticeable. I have family in Texas & have seen more than once the sexism disguised as curtesy: “I’ll get that . It’s a long reach for such a little lady.” I have never encountered anything like this in the NE. I’ve never met a stranger in NYC, never been patronized in MA. Southern hospitality is often not so hospitable.
True this. I moved from Kentucky to Chicago years ago. Much friendlier folks. I hesitate to even visit Southern states now.
Interesting will keep this in mind
Really a great article! We should be screaming these numbers from our rooftops. Fuck Republicans. I'm so tired of all their bullshit lies. I want to live in my BLUE America! Fuck red states! Maybe it's time to just split up! I'm sick of the talk. If Republicans put boots on the ground in blue states only, we should all be talking about our escape plan!
How about our resistance plan.
I 100% agree with you *directionally* but I think you're being a little selective here or else excluding important variables.
For example, what does the Deep South have in common besides being Republican (at least for the last two generations)? A historical legacy and slavery and a deep, historical underdevelopment relative to New England. Which is the cause and which is the outcome, then? Is Mississippi Republicans because it's poor? Because it's certainly not poor because it's Republican. It was poor long before Mississippians started voting Republican.
And that is even more true when you look at a classic "problem" state like West Virginia. It was a Blue State in my lifetime. They even voted for Michael Dukakis in 1988, for goodness sake! And it was really poor and really unequal and really unhealthy then, as now. The voting public's cynicism and impatience from voting Democrat their entire lives and not seeming to get much back for it is an important factor leading them to the GOP by the 2000s.
And what are we to make of the Blue State par excellence, California, which has a massive absolute and relative poverty rate right alongside Texas? For all that progressive spending, they still can't fix things like poverty, housing, and K-12 education quality. Clearly there are other factors in play.
Also, what do the "exceptions that prove the rule" tell us about actual causes and effects? A very objectively successful deep red Republican state like Utah is a fascinating use-case. As is a place like Nebraska, solidly Republican for the last century-plus.
Why are Western States more healthy than Eastern ones? Or Northern better than Southern, no matter their party in power? What does that tell us?
I'm not just trying to "problematize" your thesis to be difficult, but to challenge the common notion among Progressives that Red States are just objectively bad and it's a real mystery why anyone bothers to live there. Also, it's important to note what variables actually do help make life better in a state, once you separate out other variables you can't control. Because that's where political gains can be made and policy focused.
You raise excellent points about confounding variables. You're absolutely right that the Deep South's problems predate Republican control. Slavery and its aftermath created systematic underdevelopment that persists today.
But here's what the data shows when we control for these factors:On historical legacy: Yes, Mississippi was poor before turning Republican. But it's gotten relatively WORSE since. In 1980, Mississippi's per capita income was 67% of the national average. Today? 64%.
Meanwhile, formerly poor blue states like Vermont went from 86% to 98% of national average over the same period.On West Virginia: Perfect example. When Democrats controlled it (through 2014), it ranked 38th in life expectancy. Now under Republican control? 47th. The decline accelerated after the flip.
On California's poverty: You're right about housing costs driving poverty there. But look at poverty-related outcomes: California's infant mortality is 3.9 per 1,000. Mississippi's is 9.1. CA's life expectancy is 79 years, MS is 71.
Poverty with healthcare and education support is vastly different from poverty without it.
On Utah: Mormon culture is doing the heavy lifting there with strong social safety nets through the church, low substance abuse, and tight communities. It's essentially running a Scandinavian welfare model through religious institutions. Nebraska similarly benefits from agricultural wealth and demographic homogeneity.The geographic patterns you note (West vs East, North vs South) actually support the thesis when you look closer. They map almost perfectly onto which states expanded Medicaid, invest in education, and have progressive tax structures.
You're right that we need to separate variables we can control through policy from those we can't. But that's exactly why this data matters: states with similar historical challenges achieve vastly different outcomes based on policy choices made in the last 20 years.
Why do people need to be indoctrinated in order to find help? It's a sacred grift on a state.
One aspect of the homeless problem in blue cities that I would like to see studied, is how many of those people actually come from red states? Based on the street interviews I've seen on various docs, it would seem to be quite a few. If those anecdotal impressions reflect an underlying reality, it would make the moral posturing of red state politicians inherently hypocritical.
Excellent point. Also the homelessness is worse in 4 Florida cities than it is in San Francisco. They just don't count people as homeless if they have a few dollars on them and use other dishonest and misleading systems for counting.
It seems mostly all we get from red politicians anymore: lies & manipulated & manipulative info.
I do wonder how much the cause-and-effect goes in the opposite direction. Arguably the best predictor of voting patters is education level. A college degree positively correlates with left-leaning political sentiment, higher incomes, and better health outcomes.
Local control of schools and their resulting performance is a lagging indicator, and a real problem. Education's falling scores/issues are not "red" or "blue" despite Republicans calling it a Democrat problem. Many districts - (which, remember, are funded primarily by local taxes, except for Title I schools, so if they are in a "red" area, they are led by Republicans, as the money dictates control) - are top/admin heavy and spend the money increasingly to support that, rather than evidence-based educational programs for public school students. And then, to add insult to injury, spend hefty amounts on attorneys to protect the system. The largest canary in the coal mine are students with dyslexia (20% of all students) and developmental language disorder aka DLD (7% of all students), which almost always goes hand in hand with dyslexia. Many schools would rather do the cheap and easy computer based and/or "script"-heavy programs, which fail these kids. They are "carried" through school and/or drop out, which ultimately affects their well being and productivity - as well as ability to understand politics, national and local issues.
Compare the factors you discuss here against public education performance - it's not always dollars spent per pupil, it's dollars spent doing the best evidence-based programming - over time, and I guarantee you that you will see a correlation. Mississippi public schools have indeed improved their reading instruction (hopefully they are addressing DLD as well) so I'm looking forward to seeing their improvement over time, assuming all other factors are either remaining static and/or improving as well.
To sum it up, millions of tax payer dollars are spent in thousands of districts each year, with little taxpayer oversight and a grossly limited state and federal regulatory structure. It's the biggest heist of the decade, in my opinion. They can spend the money any way they choose, transfer money between accounts, cook the books - and few conduct specific audits, and the "punishments" are laughable. At most, some states do virtual "desk audits" (if/when a parent complains), which are worthless. We have seen this in other sectors, in which taxpayer dollars are not spent wisely - and it has to blow up before we take action.
I’m a retired widow living in a red part of a blue state. I’m now hoping to sell my house & reverse that: move to a blue city in a red state. Im a senior, no children to consider, have limited income, no family where I am. With the move I’m planning, I would reverse all of tthat. I sometimes question my plan because of the current political situation: would I actually be safer staying a blue state? Maybe so but the financial & personal aspects outweigh the others. Many reasons for people living where they live. (I wouldn’t want to move to a red area of a red state: MAGA land )
Did a quick AI data check. Am I missing something?
Wage Context in Maryland
• For all occupations in Maryland, the mean annual wage is about $73,600‑$76,100 (2023‑2024). 
• Many “middle class” jobs would pay somewhat below or above that, often ranging from $50,000 up to $100,000+, depending on field and experience.
And I’m originally from Alabama but now live in LA. I’m now divorced so was considering moving back to save money until Trump took office and then thought “oh hell no” I don’t care how much money I save I’m not moving back during the fall of our democracy. Not with every Trump idiot carrying a gun on them. No way in hell. I will visit only until this nightmare (hopefully) ends
Actually I take this back. I think it’s actually more important to go now even though I’m afraid. My brother reassures me that I will be safe but I’m truly shocked by what I’ve seen on their Facebook pages. I had no idea people I knew would act like Charlie Kirk was a saint. The racism is just now so blatant and scary
PLEASE send this information in its entirety to Joe Rogan, the Flagrant Podcast guys and the Daily Wire.
Hell yea, that'd be awesome 🌲🌲🌲
These pundits dont read....they make money off of your outrage designed to pump up the algorithms to keep the dupes engaged. Its a social media business model. Then they ADD the supplements and survival gear for extra income. Joe Rogan is a multi-millionaire from the dupes.
Much more lucrative to grift than being a comedian that he started out to be.
The policies of any state should be “do no harm” and lift as many people out of poverty. What future a state offers its children matters no matter who is in power.
Republicans are no better exemplified in their cruelty and lack of compassion than by what we see with Trump’s social safety net policies and his use of ICE to harm people.
We have to address housing. California has 50 homeless per 10,000 and Texas 10 per 10,000! National Alliance to End Homelessness
https://endhomelessness.org/
I was shocked when I temporarily worked in LA a few years back by how many homeless folks there were. St. Louis has more than I’d like to see but it is nothing compared to LA. Two things to note though: in LA if someone needed a tent to live in, there wouldn’t be an issue with someone buying them one. And a lot of homeless folks move to California due to the pleasant climate so they don’t freeze to death in the winter which is a legitimate concern where I live and in a lot of the country.
But how much of that is because Texas treats the homeless as bad as they their ice cold hearts and soulless minds can invent?
We do not need the Bible being read in the classroom. We need the Constitution posted and discussed in a Civics class.
It's good and it's important - necessary - that you get these numbers out there in a coherent, persuasive way, as you have done/ What's sad is that the MAGA base doesn't care, doesn't want to believe, and doesn't listen. Still, it's good that we are armed with this information and maybe some of the vulnerable people in those states are swayed. If the GOP thought their policies were popular, they would not try so hard to manipulate the vote.
Thank you. I especially appreciate your extensive list of the sources you used to obtain your facts and statistics. As a longtime resident of TN, I also have spent some time looking up the dismal statistics for Tennessee, a red stronghold. As one example, TN is at the top of this maternal mortality chart/article and many of the southern states are right there with TN. (Article title states “2025,”however, the statistics are compiled from the period 2018-2022.) https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/maternal-mortality-rate-by-state
Appreciate it, I am making it a point to start including detailed citations/sources for my work so that people can use that info and share it elsewhere.
Excellent article, well researched! I’m sharing and keeping it as a reference. Thank you for compiling all this information and presenting it so well!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Not disagreeing with the article, but I think it might be important to note that Mississippi has dramatically improved its literacy rates through following proven research. Of course, these gains will be threatened by the current administration/regime.
Thanks for informing me
Reading starts in Kindergarten. My daughter went to a wealthy public school district where they tried to convince parents that our children could read by relying heavily on picture clues. That’s not reading. The 2nd half of that school year, we moved to St. Louis and she was enrolled in an inner city public elementary school. She learned how to actually read from February to May without benefit of any pictures. They used phonics (sound out the word by understanding what each letter sounds like) and it was very easy to grasp using this method. Phonics is the same reading concept that I grew up with in the early 1970’s. I am not aware of what methods have been used that have led to a chunk of our population not being able to read. Another point to be considered is if the child’s parent(s) do or don’t know how to read or write. And access to books. Plus access to hearing people read books out loud to those children. I know the libraries here in St. Louis have morning reading times for children to come and be read to not only in the suburbs where I have chosen to live but also in the city. My brother in law was a library employee that was in charge of the reading to children program in the city library system. Public schools need to figure out how to help their children read and make sure that all of those children are reading at the appropriate reading level for their grade. We don’t need multigenerational literacy issues to persist when educators have the ability to stop it.
Mary: check out Read Right Systems (http://www.readright.com/) A company I was in used it to enable over 1000 of its non-readers or crippled readers (less than 8th grade) to become excellent readers at grade 12 levels. They even had a PhD in pulp chemistry in program who was a crippled reader. In 25 hours his reading difficulties were fixed. Phonics doesn't work as well as RR.
Wow! Thank you for all the citations and for grouping it in simple format so the contrasts are apparent. I look forward to researching where my (red) state sits amongst those stats. Or maybe I dread it.
Restacking with great respect. Thank you for doing the homework.
I try to bring receipts. My favorite authors balance persuasive and accessible prose with bulletproof citations. That's what I aspire to create.
Thanks for reading 🌲🌲🌲