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From	Message
bharryb 09-Nov-12, 16:27	Is this what makes the US so divided? I read a rather funny little bit about someone is Louisana having a petition to secede. Lots of comments on the website were along the lines of 'great, the rest of the red states will follow after Louisana!' The differences in the popular vote state by state are very very rarely more than 20% different. However if you are in a state like Texas, which on every map you ever see is painted utterly red and NY that is painted totally blue and surrounded by blue does it not give this false sense of two totally different nations? In reality, 30-35% of people in the red states are blue and vice versa. Yet everyone in Texas is painted as red and vice versa. Surely not only does it give a false sense of division but serves to entrench the extremists, giving them the false sense that everyone in their state agrees with them. In reality elections over a whole nation have been won on bigger margins that state presidential voting tallies go, but you don't have France etc wanting to split up.
chaz5 09-Nov-12, 16:35	... is the Electoral College outdated?
dmaestro 09-Nov-12, 16:53	The Electoral College never made any sense, other than as a check on the popular vote. This red and blue map gives a more accurate picture of the divisions. www-personal.umich.edu Surveys show the divide is increasing, conservatives move to conservative areas, liberals to liberal areas. Some of it is race based, conservatives are generally white, not minorities. It would not be so bad except conservatives try and shove their views down everyone's throat when they gain power in a state. I do not want them running my life and I will live where they do not gain power.
bharryb 09-Nov-12, 16:58	That is a very interesting link. Thankyou Perhaps more images like that would be more useful than the most commonly used one. I've also always wondered how Republicans present themselves as the non-government people, when by far they are the party that try to control every inch of people's lives with it, banning this and that. In Republicans opinions though making things legal (which is what seems like the democrats do) is to much government intervention  . Do they get away with basing that claim completely on the fact that they dont like taxing business. Off topic though
dmaestro 09-Nov-12, 17:12	Conservatives have mastered tyranny of the majority and of the rich and powerful. They pick an issue and frame it in moral terms, convincing a majority that any deviation must be punished. They exploit the fact that among older Americans high percentages believe in the Bible and "traditional" morality. They use their power in Texas for example to blackmail textbook publishers into putting misinformation and religious nonsense like anti-evolution language across the country. Anywhere they get power they impose as much of their social conservative agenda as they can using the government. They just don't want anyone to interfere with those who they foolishly think trickle wealth down.

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