[Vision2020] Feeding at the Trough: A Reply to Frank Cheng

[Nick Gier]

Greetings Visionheads,

         Perhaps some of you saw Frank Cheng's response (12/3) to my 
"Feeding at the Trough" letter in the Daily News some time back.  I've 
posted this first letter below.

To the Editor:

In his letter (Opinion, 12/3) Frank Chang questions John Sperling’s 
statistics in his book “The Great Divide,” but offers no proof to back up 
his skepticism.
He then appeals to the latest exit polls, the most flawed figures available 
for voter opinions.  (They pointed to a big Kerry win, remember?) I’ve seen 
much more reliable surveys showing that it was Kerry supporters, not 
Bushies, who had more education.
Karl Rove confirmed this when he answered “those with PhDs,” when asked who 
the Democrats’ base was.  Bush handler-wrangler Karen Hughes once declared 
that “one should not trust anyone who reads books.”  Many Republican voters 
seemed to have taken her advice.
My Unitarian Church is filled with PhDs, and surveys of college and 
university faculties show a large majority of registered Democrats.
Mr. Cheng seems to have a very odd view of how tax revenues are 
distributed.  He appears to believe, for example, that rich Eastern 
Washington farmers deliver their taxes in potato sacks stuffed with cash to 
lazy Democrats in Seattle-Tacoma.
The mechanics are of course quite different.  Most of the large subsidies 
for oil, gas, cotton, sugar beets, wheat, milk, and many other commodities 
go straight to our red counties.  It’s one of the main reasons why third 
world countries that grow sugar and cotton cannot compete.
Urban industries such as finance, information technology, and manufacturing 
are not subsidized, and the result is $800 billion in federal funds flowing 
into the red states and counties.
Some readers objected to the last map that I give on the 2004 election 
(users.moscow.com/ngier/home/blue&red.htm), so I’m offering this more 
accurate “America: Shades of Blue and Red” at 
users.moscow.com/ngier/home/blue&redmixed.htm.  There is no “www” in this URL.
Nick Gier, Moscow

To the Editor:

A recent book “The Great Divide: Retro vs. Metro” by John Sperling puts the 
lie to comments that people live in Blue States because of government 
handouts there.  Contrary to widespread belief, no more than six percent of 
Americans were ever on Aid to Dependent Children, the main federal program.

Here are some of Sperling’s points:
·       The Red States have 35 percent of the population and 50 senators, 
while the Blue States have 65 percent of the population and 50 senators.
·       Subsidized industries (agriculture, oil, gas, etc.) dominate in the 
Red States and nonsubsidized manufacturing, financial and information 
services dominate in the Blue States.
·       The Reds pay 29 percent of federal tax while the Blues pay 71 percent.
·       From 1991 to 2001 the Reds received $800 billion more in goods, 
services, and cash from the feds than it paid in taxes, while the Blues 
paid the feds $1.4 trillion.
·       The Reds have produced 23 Nobel Laureates in science and economics, 
while the Blues have given us 235.
·       In 2004 39 states gave Kerry 1.5 million more votes than Bush, 
while 11 states (the heart of the Confederacy) gave 5 million more votes to 
Bush.
·       Check this graphic that shows the 2004 vote adjusted for the size 
of Red and Blue populations: users.moscow.com/ngier/home/red&blue.htm.

John Edwards was correct to speak about two Americas, one that feeds at the 
federal trough and one that thanklessly fills the trough.

Nick Gier, Moscow


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