“No arts; no letters; no society; and which is worst of all, continual fear and danger of violent death; and the life of man solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” ― Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan
Conservatives promote the delusion that they alone know what is good for the average American. That if you follow their guidance and enact their policies, Americans will enjoy peace and prosperity, free from worry about crime and disease. Salaries will soar and everyone will retire with an assured financial future. And the citizen will suffer such an excess of winning they will tire of victory. It is make-believe. It has no basis in truth. And it flies in the face of statistics that are a click away.
Simply stated, if your goal is to gain weight, get shot, live in poverty, catch an STI, get sick, and die young, you should live in a red state. Let’s have a look at the numbers.
Life expectancy by state
This is the big one. Whatever you may attain counts for little if you are not alive to savor it. And if you are here but are sick, it’s tough to enjoy it. By this measure, it is safe to say that conservative philosophy will put you in jeopardy before it kills you.
Gun Deaths
Conservatives have one go-to statistic in the gun debate. The gun death rate in Chicago. But let’s look at Illinois overall. That blue state is an also-ran when it comes to gun deaths. The Deep South and the Mountain states are undisputed champions when it comes to burying residents with gunshot wounds. And what of big bad New York? The gun death rate in the Northeast is so low in parts it has almost literally disappeared off the map. And the gang-bangers in California? It appears they can’t keep up with the Bible-thumping good old boys and their self-defense regime.
Obesity
Many red states should consider changing their state animal to a corn dog and the state motto to ‘á la mode.’ On the off chance a dyed-in-the-wool right-winger might stumble across something healthy, cooks are on the alert to bread it, deep fry it, push it up against a biscuit, and smoother it in gravy. And just in case that does not maintain an impressive BMI there is always sweet tea and soda, which red states lead the nation in consuming.
Sexually transmitted infections
Let’s do a thought experiment. Imagine taking a population of horny, hormonal young people and telling them not to have sex until they are married while pretending there are no STIs, and keeping condoms a deep dark secret. What do you think will happen? If you guessed the urge to hook up, combined with grinding ignorance, would lead to an explosion of sexually transmitted disease, you would be correct. But that’s conservatism for you. They design policies that are based on teens and young adults having more impulse control than David Vitter and Jim Bakker.
Here are some other facts about living in red America
Educational attainment
Of the 21 states with the lowest percentage of residents with a college degree, 18 are red states. On the flip side among the states with the highest percentage of college grads, you will not hit a red state until you get to Kansas at #17.
State GDP per capita
Blue states are generally more productive than red states. Take New York and Florida. Ron DeSantis will sneer about high-tax and big government liberal states, but New York’s per capita GDP is 69% larger than Florida’s ($95,447 vs. $56,325). Of the top 10 states by this metric, seven are Democratic. Of the bottom 10, nine are Republican. This statistic also illustrates that when red states do make headway, they tend to be in the Northern plains — never in the Deep South.
Median income
Unsurprisingly, the more productive blue states also lead in median income and average earnings. Red states like to boast about their low tax burden. But what they do not say so loudly is that low taxes on tiny incomes still leaves the worker with little purchasing power. In terms of median income, of the top 10 states, nine are Democratic. Of the bottom 10 states, nine are Republican (including Florida).
Suicide
Seven of the top ten states by suicide rate are Republican. Nine of the ten states with the lowest suicide rates are Democratic. Is the fact that suicide rates are higher in Red states due to conservative policies or is it merely a coincidence? I do not know. But it is a reasonable starting hypothesis that it is. I invite conservatives to explain how it is not.
I will grant you that despite all these stats there are many who are leaving Blue states for Red States. Why? I suspect that analysis will show that they are people who are better educated, and financially better off. Higher earners will certainly be attracted by lower tax rates. And Red states tend to be warmer. Meanwhile, the people who were born in those states will not share in this. Especially those on the bottom economic rung.
Minimum wage
The federal minimum wage is $7.25. There is a glaring consistency in the politics of the states that haven’t raised it locally.
Conclusion
If you are well-educated, mobile, and well-off you can live wherever you want and enjoy a decent lifestyle. But if you are an average citizen, your prospects for a long, prosperous and healthy life are better in a Blue state.