I have the unfortunate privilege of living in one of the most corrupt, dysfunctional states in the country, which happens to also be the state from which the current occupant of the White House hails from. Of course that would be Illinois. There is also a bit of an irony in that I moved to Illinois (14 years ago!) from a state that can give this one a run for its dysfunctional money, California. But at least California has good weather! Although it is really bad for business. (Illinois gives it a good run for the money there, but California is still worse.)

We at The American Culture and the Liberty21 Institute are big on the importance of culture in the health and direction of our society, including its politics. (Yes, politics is part of a culture, but we tend to focus on those areas of a society, like education, media and entertainment, that have a huge influence on how people see the world.) Yet politics also affects the culture and most certainly the quality of life of citizens. And politics is about the distribution of power, with real consequences backed by law, so we should never flee politics because we think culture is more important; both are. And as we compare the economic climate of red and blue states, politics has an effect on the prosperity of a state, or the lack thereof.

We in Illinois probably have one of the worst political cultures in the country with the results to show for it. In a piece yesterday, George Will called it, “The effect of one-party rule.” And I bet you could guess which party that might be. Although in Illinois, there have been many Republicans who have joined the party. Yet people in the state keep voting in the party that has made this one of the worst run states in the country. The piece Will writes is about the upcoming election for governor, between the incumbent machine Democrat and the zillionaire Republican who promises to change things.

If things somehow do change in Illinois, which will be very difficult even if the zillionaire does win, I still desperately want to flee to a red state where the politics, economics, and the culture are more hospitable to liberty and America’s best ideals.  This article says it well, and tells me I’m not alone, “Half of people living in Illinois and Connecticut want to get the hell out.” Hmm, what do those two states have in common? (Hint, they’re not red!)

One day as conservatives continue to infiltrate the culture and as the results of progressive/liberal policies prove increasingly deleterious, I have to believe the majority of Americans, even the low information voters, will wake up and put the progressive/liberal genie into the dust bin of history.