editorials

The beauty of having red states and blue states and various mixtures of the two was that we could tolerate differences and live united without infringing on each other's rights. The reason this is more difficult all the time is because we have such a huge and powerful federal government. If the federal government was less intrusive, then a red state would be little affected by having a "blue president." Red states and blue states could live side by side with very little angst whatsoever. The only cause for our seeming extremes today is the one-size-fits-all approach of the federal government.

Growth of the Fed govt is less now than 10 years ago. Intolerance increases largely because of the self-interested voices that pretend to speak for 'Red' and 'Blue' today.

I am just tired of sending my tax dollars to red states. These states continually get more and more federal tax dollars from the blue states yet they complain more and more about the Federal Government. It's time we start reducing the federal subsidies to the red states.

It may or may not be true the red states would have more guns. That's a problem, really? The Reds would have no military other than their local guard. All federal army and navy bases would close and relocate. Do you really think the Union would give the Reds a single fighter jet, let alone an aircraft carrier?

Yes, other than N Dakota (and O'Canada) most of the oil lies below Red states. I'm not sure that's a problem though since oil is sold on the world market. Everyone gets excited about the proposed Canadian pipeline thinking the US will get that oil for free or something. No, that oild will be piped all the way to TX so it can be refined and sold to China and the rest of the world. That's why you don't see the obvious solution - building refineries in N Dakota and NOT piping it all the way to TX - being implemented.

In 1964, when the Civil Rights Bill was being debated, Richard Russell, a Georgia Democrat, told the Senate: "We will resist to the bitter end any measure that would have a tendency to bring about social equality and intermingling and amalgamation of the races in our (Southern) states." The Bill, of course passed, and a somber President Lyndon Johnson said to journalist Bill Moyers: "I think we've just delivered the South to the Republican Party for the rest of my life, and yours."

The end of any sort of enforcement of the Fairness Doctrine gave rise to Limbaugh, Howard Stern, and the rest. As for serious talk of secession, it's just more balloon juice from the usual blowhards.

I would really like to get past this red state/blue state nonsense and have more people think about a red, white and blue country where we can agree to disagree but still come together as Americans.

Red Blue 2012 election map along side a civil war map...

http://richardrguzman.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Red-Blue-Civil-War-e1352321069997.jpg

Go figure.

"I am just tired of sending my tax dollars to red states. These states continually get more and more federal tax dollars from the blue states yet they complain more and more about the Federal Government."----Then vote to reduce the size of the federal government. Works like a charm.