Random Thoughts From Around America

By Dr. Herny Flores, NewsTaco

You’ve probably wondered where I’ve been for the last two weeks well I’ve been traveling and caught up with book functions.  I’m composing this offering from a modestly priced motel across the street from Mississippi State University.  No I’m not chasing a bunch of crazy guys in bedsheets; I’m here for a wedding celebration.  I arrived here from Chicago and before that I was in Denver.  Nice contrasts in American culture.  In three weeks I’ve traveled from the land of “open carry,” to that of recreational marijuana use, to big city noises, to rural conservative.  The contrasts have allowed me to retain my belief in my personal ideological identity but they also have led me to ponder the state of our country, its place in the world and how very different Americans think and feel about politics.

First Random Thought – How Different We All Are? 

As we’ve seen in the media over the last several years there have been allusions to the marked differences between “Red” and “Blue” states.  Some states have become so overwhelmingly dominated by either of the two major political parties that there appears to be no hope for competitive elections any time soon in those states.  Not only are these states controlled so thoroughly by one of the two parties, the social values and social differences within those states have become diametrically different.

In some states same-gender marriage is no big issue while in others folks will scream and be downright hostile if you even bring the topic up.  In some states the relationship between environmental degradation, climate change, global warming, and the food we eat and water we drink is clear and well understood by almost everyone.  In other states deniers dominate the policy process claiming that both climate change and global warming don’t exist or are natural occurrences in the life of the planet and we don’t have anything to worry about because “things” will get back to normal eventually.  In some states people claim that guns kill people while in other its people using guns that are to blame.  In some states racism is not a problem and is either a figment of one’s imagination or a thing of the past; while in others racism is alive and well and quite evident if everyday life.

Second Random Thought – How Politically Ideologically Different Are We? 

One of the issues that set us apart, red from blue states, is the ideological orientation of both the leadership and the voters generally.  The leadership of the red states see the states as being sovereign over the national government.  Actually, these folks like to say that the states and national government, as designed by the founding fathers, enjoy equal or dual sovereignty.  Of course, this is just an excuse because they don’t like to take policy direction from a national government headed by an African American!  Blue staters appear to see government, particularly the national government, as the level of government responsible for the general welfare of the nation and thus should lead national policy initiatives.

Although Red staters like to argue that they wish the state to stay out of the decisions they make on a daily basis they are the first ones wishing to legislate a woman’s right to make decisions over her own health, who has a right to get married, limiting the right to vote and whether some schools should be “more” equal than others.  Blue staters don’t want the state to get involved in many social areas but do see the need to regulate individual decisions when they appear to harm the good of the whole community.

Third Random Thought – Implications for all These Stark Differences 

I was commiserating with a friend last week about the stark differences we both see between the various states in the union and he stated that what he most feared was the fragmentation of the nation into two very different countries.  Part of his fear is based in the secession movements that have sprung up in some states such as in Texas, Colorado and California where folks are openly talking about separating from either the nation or their respective states.  I think he has a point and we need to think about this seeming widening national divide and what it means for the future of our great nation.

Henry Flores, PhD, is the Distinguished University Research Professor, Institute of Public Administration and Public Service; Director, Masters in Public Administration (MPA); Professor of International Relations and Political Science at St. Mary’s University. He is the author of Latinos and the Vorting Rights Act: The Search for Racial Purpose.

 Latinos and the Voting Rights Act: The Search for Racial Purpose.