Smart America Said “NO”

Take a look at the following map; it explains why Kamala lost:

Harris captured every state in the top 20 ‘educated states’.

These people believe in roughly the same values:  higher education, better healthcare through public services, Reproductive Rights for women…  the liberal list goes on.

Their economies fuel the sub-par economies of the Republican states, funding their educational programs and health care (such as it is).

And they have generally been trained in the fine art of propaganda, and how to critique a lie.

And as their population are Democrats, they watch Fox News with half the frequency as Republicans.

You could break America down into two categories:  well-educated Democrat-leaning states where people can spot a lie, and poorly educated Republican states where lying is a preferred menu item.

Red and blue states vary so much in their economic trajectories that they may as well be two distinct countries within the United States, says the CFA Institute.

Blue states have enjoyed higher economic growth rates than red states since the Great Recession of 1929.  Red states benefit from their economic prowess through federal redistribution programs.

When you combine education with social and economic advancement, you get two countries, delicately labelled by Jeff Tiedrich to give offense to no one:

Now, consider what would happen if we re-aligned the map so that the ‘social similars’ are pushed together.  Canada could be included because it is like California but with Seasons.

The advantages:

• The ‘US of Canada’ would have a population of more than 150-million people – only half-a-dozen countries would have more people (and Russia is not one of them).

• It would have a combined GDP worth more than $12.5-trillion…about half of the current U.S. economy and bigger than any other country in the world except China.

• It would be the largest country in the world.

• Canada and California both have “.CA” for domain names.  In this Internet age, this is a big consideration.

• We have roughly the same Liberal values. When Americans East of California use the term “socialist’ or “communist”, people in the ‘US of Canada’ interpret it to mean “Center”.

• We could help each other: California can lend Canada some of its sunshine, and Canada could lend it some Royal Canadian Mounted Police to help with crime.  They only look cute in their red uniforms  -  in actuality, they ride horses and use pokey-sticks.  Like hockey.

• West Coast people like surfing.  Canada has the world’s longest coastline…albeit it a bit cooler in most places than the sunshine state.  Its coastline is even longer than Australia’s, and Australia is a freaking Island!

• California needs water.  Canada has water.  Right now it has a policy to avoid selling water.  But with the climate changes that are happening, B.C. almost washed into California on its own anyway!  The Canadians might as well get some cash for it.

• We would be pushing the same agendas across the world stage, making a better world through the values of tolerance, scientific knowledge, environmentalism, and progressive growth.

• Joining Canada would give the Western States direct access through their own new country to the East Coast!  Just drive North, turn right at Vancouver, and drive for 6,000 kilometers.  About 4,000 miles.  BTW, we could convert everyone to the metric system, which is used by all civilized countries in the world.  Except the U.S.  But I’m being redundant.

• Americans want to move to a public healthcare plan.  Canada has decades of experience with that, and it works so well that a person of my age has an average lifespan four years longer than my American counterpart!  Just by being Canadian, protected by public healthcare.  Certainly my extra years have got nothing to do with smart lifestyle choices!  Enough said.

• If Canada had California, it would be protected from imminent invasion by Mexico.

All that remains is to pick a name for the new country, if the “U.S. of Canada” sounds a bit drab.  Just throwing a few ideas out for starters, what do you think of:

• Don’t-You-Dare-Come-Here-You-Loathsome-Republican-Pricks-istan

• CaliCanada

• Canifornia

Canifornia is growing on me…give me your thoughts on the name, and other reasons why we should get together!

BTW, this idea has actually been incorporated into a petition to the California State Senate;  I think the petition got 69 supporters.  So the momentum is out there, folks!

And let me leave you with a final thought as we adjust to the idea of another Trump Time.  When his father was 86 (Donald is now 78) he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.  He died eight years later. If Donald follows the same path, he might have it already - it shows up a decade after you have the condition - and make it only a few years into his presidency before he is overwhelmed by the loss of memory, reasoning, and language skill.  Of course, he’s a Republican, so it may take longer to register.  But he won’t be there forever.

Nature laughs: he has finally obtained his goal and he can’t remember what it was.

We have to brace ourselves to find things to laugh at over the coming four years.  It will be tough, but the time will pass whether we’re laughing or not, so we might as well find humor wherever we can.

While we’re plotting the Bernie Sanders Revenge Economy…

Thank you for following Barry’s Substack, focusing on the meaning behind the headlines.

I have decided henceforth to cover (mostly) the good things that are happening – things that Trump cannot spoil.  Long-trend science and economics are keys for America in the decades after Trump.

The Monday Special article will feature the views of Hanna Ritchie, whose very positive book “Not The End Of The World” will help you re-think climate change and humanity’s role on Earth.

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