Steppenwolf wrote:"Living and working and dying," and "entitlement zones"? Does that count the agricultural subsidies, price floors, rural welfare, and pork barrel projects? As I've said a million times, it's much easier to talk about free markets than to actually enact free market policies (something this administration has failed at). Red Areas are even guiltier than the Blue Zones, although they're also more prone towards self righteousness with regards to hand-outs (many or most of which they receive).
You're correct in general, I know. But the people I know and work with who vote republican do so at least partially because they think the government ought not to be in the handout business, and those I work with and know who vote democrat do so at least partially because they think the government ought to regulate the market more closely.
True the farmers live on subsidies, but why? Because the market has been regulated beyond survivability. That doesn't excuse our responsibility to change, but at least the republicans pay lip service ot smaller government. And with the level of conservativism going into both houses right now, I expect at least a little more restraint that we've seen in the past.
I've worked for watchdog groups before and have seen the way Repubs start acting an aweful lot like Dems talk once they get up there. But I've also seen the times when they've kept true to their promises. Democrats (and I'm speaking very generally, there are noteable exceptions in both parties) don't even promise fiscal restraint, they promise whatever they think they must promise to get that demographic vote.
Hey, maybe Dems ought to change their name to the Demographs and the Repubs can be just 'Pubs.
