Shouldn't blue and red states be separate countries?

[George 2]

That's how irreconcilably different we are.

The following might be considered only half tongue-in-cheek:
http://www.therationalradical.com/misc/redbluesplit.htm

Excerpts:

That's right, how about the Prime Blue States secede, and leave all the Red Bushian wasteland expanses to their own devices!

...Who needs them? Besides growing our food and providing some other natural resources, what good are those places? Populated largely by morons who continually vote to screw themselves, I don't want to be associated with them any more.

They'll still sell our new country food and resources, because who else could buy them? But the rest of us won't have to be stuck with their fundamentalist-inspired, imbecilic social claptrap and their bellicose, kill-them-all foreign policy that bloodies our name and besmirches our souls more and more with each passing year.

...The Bushian Red states can form a fundamentalist Christian theocracy. Bill O'Reilly can be the morals czar and make sure no Eminem or Ludacris besmirches that nation. John Ashcroft can still be Attorney General, and outlaw breasts and dancing. And on the economic front, wanting to avoid evil "big government," there will of course be no minimum wage (let alone a living wage!) so all those intelligent working class people who vote for Bush and his ilk can have their dream come true and work for Third World wages.

A million questions naturally arise, the four main ones of which are:

--There are Constitutional means to add states to the union, so are there -- or could there be enacted -- Constitutional means for states to leave?

There's a lot more.

Cathartic reading on a mournful day such as today, even if the idea is (just immediately?) not doable.

[Qanisqineq]

1. I thought blame posts belonged in GD: Fight and Acrimony

God I am sick of these posts.

[Cobalt Violet]

2. I would like nothing more. n/t

[flyingfysh]

3. That's what the Civil War was about

[The Backlash Cometh]

4. If you make it permanent, I'll glady leave Florida.

[cally]

5. YES

Blue states export our tax dollars to support the red states. Let them go it alone.

[Eurobabe]

12. edit found figures on DailyKos post

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/9/27/19921/9310

States Receiving Most in Federal Spending Per Dollar of Federal Taxes Paid (red states in bold):

1. D.C. ($6.17)
2. North Dakota ($2.03)
3. New Mexico ($1.89)
4. Mississippi ($1.84)
5. Alaska ($1.82)
6. West Virginia ($1.74)
7. Montana ($1.64)
8. Alabama ($1.61)
9. South Dakota ($1.59)
10. Arkansas ($1.53)

In contrast, of the 16 states that are "losers" -- receiving less in federal spending than they pay in federal taxes -- 69% are Blue States that voted for Al Gore in 2000. Indeed, 11 of the 14 (79%) of the states receiving the least federal spending per dollar of federal taxes paid are Blue States. Here are the Top 10 states that supply feed for the federal trough (with Blue States highlighted in bold):

States Receiving Least in Federal Spending Per Dollar of Federal Taxes Paid:

1. New Jersey ($0.62)
2. Connecticut ($0.64)
3. New Hampshire ($0.68)
4. Nevada ($0.73)
5. Illinois ($0.77)
6. Minnesota ($0.77)
7. Colorado ($0.79)
8. Massachusetts ($0.79)
9. California ($0.81)
10. New York ($0.81)

Two states -- Florida and Oregon (coincidentally, the two closest states in the 2000 Presidential election) -- received $1.00 in federal spending for each $1.00 in federal taxes paid.

[Canadian_moderate]

6. Besides differences between states...

It's also urban versus rural.

My lovely wife is a democrat original from Lycoming County, PA. That county votes Repub in a clean sweep. It's disheartening because the people there seem nice enough. Unfortunately they do not see what damage Bush has done to the USA, the World and the USA reputation around the world.

[Not Me]

7. Actually, it kinda' will happen on its own.

People will migrate to areas of the country that suit their needs.
This was one of the key premises that Richard Florida cited in his book, "The Rise of the Creative Class". And those areas who don't embrace diversity, creativity, education and civic involvement will be left behind. Examples: (HIS not mine) Austin vs. Houston, Boston vs. Philly.

Places--cities and states-- that value these principles will be rewarded with positive, and high value inflows of people and money.

[The Backlash Cometh]

8. Please give me a list of all your creative cities.

Boston does scare me a little because I understand it's very expensive and very high-brow.

[Bluebear]

9. High-brow, nah

We're regular folk up here. It's our uniting President who painted us all as nuts and elitists.

[American Tragedy]

10. Funny, Repub areas depend more on federal subsidy than anywhere

And the blue states and Dem metro areas provide the most revenue for the government, thus sustaining those rural states.

If they hate welfare so much, as their voting patterns and general attitudes seem to imply, maybe they should stop accepting it. They already often pay less in taxes.

[independentpiney]

11. Secession woudn't work

Confederation is far more practical.

[flpoljunkie]

Re your thesis, check out this map for a laugh.

[ObaMania]

13. I think in a way it has happened

Because I think most in the blue states don't think they even have a leader.