Red State, Blue State

Amazing how the red-blue lingo has found its way into our political discourse. Seems reflective of a horse-race mentality, one that excludes most states from any consideration whatsoever, and concentrates less on the ideas promulgated by each party than by their ability to appeal to the median voter.

Anyway, since I’m told that we now have Red State readership (thanks, old man), I though it would be appropriate to link to this, from Daily Kos:

States receiving most per dollar taxed from the Federal Government
D.C. ($6.17)
North Dakota ($2.03)
New Mexico ($1.89)
Mississippi ($1.84)
Alaska ($1.82)
West Virginia ($1.74)
Montana ($1.64)
Alabama ($1.61)
South Dakota ($1.59)
Arkansas ($1.53)

States receiving least per dollar taxed from the Federal Government
New Jersey ($0.62)
Connecticut ($0.64)
New Hampshire ($0.68)
Nevada ($0.73)
Illinois ($0.77)
Minnesota ($0.77)
Colorado ($0.79)
Massachusetts ($0.79)
California ($0.81
New York ($0.81)

That’s right, kids; the red states, those that tend to vote most heavily Republican, receive the most money from the Feds, and pay the least. This finding isn’t new, and has been circulating around the internet for quite a while. Paul Krugmanbrought attention to this phenomenon quite a while ago, but it bears re-examination.

Implications and conclusions? The whole notion of a “self-reliant” Red America is nonsense. Rural states receive a ton of money from urban states, and don’t give much back. Republicans like to tell their constituents that the taxes they pay are going to support an African-American welfare mother with nine children in the depths of some inner city. It ain’t true. Indeed, the taxes of African-American mothers are going to support white farmers in rural states. Those who cry most loudly for small government receive the greatest largesse of big government. One would almost come to believe that huge government subsidies are fine, as long as they go to good, hard working, white Christian folk. If, for example, you live in Nebraska, and your representative claims that he wants to rein in government, you can conclude that he is lying; what he really wants to do is bring more goodies home, and give less to places that actually need it.

Reasons for this? One element is ideological; tales of sorrow and poverty in the heartland tug more than tales from the inner city, thus we complain less when our money disappears into the rathole of agricultural subsidies. Most red states have large rural populations that work in agriculture, and agricultural subsidies are among the most indefensible of spending programs sponsored by the Federal government. Rural states also tend to have fewer people, which, oddly enough, means that they have disproportionate representation in the Senate, giving them political power beyond what they deserve. That means that the pork comes rolling in, Democrat or Republican. Finally, many Federal programs divide cash evenly between states, regardless of population. This is why Cheyenne, Wyoming receives anti-terrorism funds that should go to Washington DC or New York.

This ideology is most repugnant in the West. Since the beginning of white settlement, the West has depended on the Federal government for protection and investment. Private enterprise would never have constructed the roads and railways that link isolated Western cities, nor would private enterprise have allocated water rights in a manner that would allow such cities as Las Vegas, Phoenix, or Los Angeles. The West is populated because the Federal government saw fit that it should be. Yet it is in the West that we hear the loudest cries of self-reliance. Apparently, rural Westerners can pry themselves away from the Federal teat only long enough to denounce Federal influence on their lives. I am reminded of a fine Bloom County strip from the 1980s; Opus is reading a book to become a farmer, and the final page requires that he say “Keep those flat-footed Federal goombahs out of my business”, followed by “Hurry up with my relief check” without cracking up.

UPDATE: Matt at What is the War observes:

I would add that this largely holds true within states as well. Ellensburg and LaConner only have electricity, phone, and mail service because they are able to dip into the tax base created by cities like Seattle and Tacoma. If these small towns had to rely on their own taxes to pay for such things, they’d probably still be getting their mail via pony, and their electricity via generators powered by children pedaling stationary bicycles.