This morning, as I was doing the Sunday crossword puzzle, the question arose as to which state was at the bottom edge of the Mid-Atlantic states. We weren’t sure if it was North Carolina, or Virginia. I went to Wikipedia for information.
I was very surprised to find that New York, and West Virginia are included in the Mid-Atlantic states. Personally I would have sent New York off with Connecticut, Rhode Island and the rest, and I see West Virginia as the lead to the Midwest.
Then I read this paragraph:
“The Mid-Atlantic is a relatively affluent region of the nation, having 43 of the 100 highest-income counties in the nation based on median household income and 33 of the top 100 based on per capita income. Most of the Mid-Atlantic states rank among the 15 highest-income states in the nation by median household income and per capita income.”
Although it shouldn’t, those statistics astonish me. I thought the wealth of the nation was much more evenly distributed, but apparently, there are just pockets of wealth where there are large cities, such as Chicago, Denver, L.A. or San Francisco and their suburbs.
I think these statistics show that those who gravitate toward government most likely haven’t a clue about the nation’s distress. They live among the wealthy and probably assume that everyone has problems similar to theirs: should we buy a new BMW van for the family, or where will we go for vacation this year.
What Enron and the banks and automobile industry did to the wealthy is a far cry from what happened to those who were already living on the edge, and were hurt through the actions of others. It’s not a question of should we buy a new car, but, can we afford a car at all.
I am no longer confident that a person who has less than several million in assets can get elected to the federal government. I don’t know how to persuade the government that they need to focus on the issues of poverty at home, and I’m very concerned that they have eroded the financial base of the middle class.
I’m feeling very pessimistic this morning, and I’d like some good news about our government. Does anyone have any?
Sorry, when it comes to government, I’m not sure there is ever any good news. Hey, when they term a congress as “the most productive”, that means they have passed the most laws – probably curtailing the most liberties. While the “least productive” pass the fewest laws, which messes with us little people the least (after all, most wealthy people/congress critters can afford the best lawyers and get special breaks – regardless if that is the official line)
Bogie, when I was young I was very naive. I’m still naive, but becoming much more cynical about our government. I used to see it as an agent for good. Now, I see it as a place where individuals go to manage their own affairs and increase their own assets. What a damned shame that is!
I wouldn’t say that I am a socialist. I’m definitely not a communist (I don’t believe that system works, anyway). But, it seems to me that our government could be using the funds they receive more wisely. I’m incensed by the pork barrel spending that really amounts to a senator or representative waving the flag and saying, “Look how much I got for our district!” Was it a wise use of the money, or just advertising for the Congressman?
I detest the really stupid grants that I read about, and I wish we could find a way to stop sending cash to countries who are not our friends! Why do we choose to spend so much on bad designs for new weapons when we have children who are starving? Why do we not support education and research which could improve the quality of life in both the near and distant future?
I agree with you that less government is probably better for most of us, especially when you think about the fact that roughly a quarter of our population works in some form of government! Township, county, city, state, federal, police, fire, military, we have layer upon layer and they all want or need a piece of the pie. Anywhere we can simplify, prevent duplication or simply CLOSE a department, we should!