Blahgger

My friend David writes via email:

Blogger seems to be bogged down and won't accept comments, so I'm sending you mine: amen to your assessment of the "I will work to earn your support" bullshit. I was deeply offended when I heard that, for reasons not dissimilar from yours. As for the chicken-killing trick: that only works if the dog can smell. Recent results suggest that more than half the dog can't: how much worse will the chicken have to stink before that half notices? And how much should the olfactorily-abled have to suffer because they don't/can't/won't?

Adam Newton points out that the electoral vote map (CNN.com has a nice one, with results viewable by county, in shaded colors, even) is blue only on the coasts and in the midwest--in short, where people actually read, the state is blue. It's actually laughable how much the red states match the stereotypes of them as havens for redneck hicks. Bottom line: I'm not taking a job in any county that isn't at least white on that map, if not sky blue or darker.

You can see a more detailed, county-by-county map here; it's a fascinating look at how the electoral college skews the popular vote.

The bulk of the red states are also "deadbeat states" -- they get more federal dollars back in the form of subsidies, military spening, pork, and other programs, than they put into the federal pot through taxes. They essentially live off the productivity of the blue states. But boy, do they hate big gubmint!

As far as the dog analogy -- yes, it does suck if you have to live with the dog while that chicken is festering. But the alternative is to shoot the dog. Not an option, politically, I'm afraid. In terms of the Lincoln quote I posted earlier, I didn't turn my back on the fire, but I still have blisters. That's the downside of living in an organized society, I guess -- other people's actions affect you whether you like it or not. Makes a nice, quiet cave seem pretty attractive, ddoesn't it?