Written by Arthur Bell   

This is Part II in a four part series.

THE UNITED STATES OF RED AMERICA

(Alaska, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Idaho, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia)

Based on the current temperament of the Red states, Red America would feature strong states’ rights for their 23 or so members. Assuming they keep the current U.S. Constitution, the interpretation would be strictly “originalist,” striving to understand what the framers’ intended, not slanted by contemporary mores and norms. This interpretation would severely limit the role of the Federal government – giving it the right to raise an army, print money and conduct international relations, treaties and trade. Beyond this, each state would decide its own fate. Recent Supreme Court rulings set the tone, for example, freedom of speech would be broadly interpreted and staunchly defended so that contributions to political candidates and causes, both corporate and private, are unrestricted. The 2nd Amendment would be interpreted in such a way that would bar any restrictions on Americans bearing weapons. It is also very possible that Red America would scrap the Constitution all together and get even closer to the country’s roots by installing the Articles of Confederation as an operating system more friendly to the primacy of states’ rights.

Given the Right’s devotion to the writings of the Objectivist Ayn Rand, one could expect that the states in Red America would place no restrictions whatsoever on business. There would be no environmental regulations to slow economic growth. Businesses would not be constrained by minimum wage laws, mandatory benefits, OSHA-type health and safety rules. Banking and Finance would be unburdened from regulations on cash reserves and leveraged speculation. Taxes on business as well as investments would be almost non-existent, spurring an economic boom. The corporate contribution to society would be in the form of providing jobs and generating capital. Collective bargaining would be out-lawed, thereby freeing business (and government) from onerous labor demands and their subsequent expense. Probably the closest model in existence is China. There, corporations are freed of all constraints and the government is a partner in greasing the wheels of industry. China’s economy is booming and the middle class is on the rise. This bodes well for Red America’s economic prospects. With the booming economy comes lower unemployment and wages naturally rising as workers become scarce.

Education in Red America would be privatized in the belief that the private sector can better provide quality, affordable schools. Freed of unionized teachers and tenure, unfit teachers could be replaced at will while quality teachers would see their incomes blossom. This would draw a higher-level applicant, raising the level of teachers overall. Curriculums would be organized around standardized tests that would enable careful tracking of student progress and teacher effectiveness. However, there would be no centralized curriculum, each county or town would have autonomy in their decisions. Parents would be able to afford these private schools because they would no longer be over-burdened by taxes and because of the strong economy. The schools would be cheaper to run because teachers and school employees would not be using collective bargaining to inflate salaries, benefits and pensions. Curiously, the Red states have a strong tradition of public universities. But these are most likely so embedded with industry in the form of underwriting, grants, research facilities and the like as to make them private/public endeavors already.

Health care would be a personal responsibility. Citizens might or might not get health insurance from a job but there would be no requirement for an employer to provide it. Most people would purchase it on the open the market or do without if they choose. Health insurers would be free to accept or deny customers as they saw fit, one of the things that would lower the cost of insurance for all. Insurance costs would also be kept down by allowing providers to drop coverage when a patient’s costs reach a certain limit or by allowing hospitals and emergency rooms to turn away the uninsured. Traditionally one of the Right’s biggest proposed health care cost-savers is tort reform. By limiting the payouts for malpractice suits doctors’ expenses would go down drastically because their malpractice insurance would be extremely low. People could afford health insurance once the federal tax burden is removed and the economy is strengthened by deregulation.

While states would be free to choose there is little doubt that much of Red America would be a Christian theocracy. While other religions would be tolerated, Christianity would be the official state religion, most likely evangelical or fundamental. Because of this, displays on government buildings would be only Christian in nature. Students would be obliged to recite Christian prayers and those students of different or no faith would be expected to pray along with everyone else. Creationism would be taught alongside or perhaps instead of Evolution. English would be the official, required language. Abortion availability would be determined state by state but most likely would be outlawed across Red America and replaced by Christian charities supporting out of wedlock mothers and helping them to place an unwanted baby in caring adoptive families. Couples unable to conceive would no longer need to go to China for a baby. Abstinence would be taught as the only means of birth control, lowering unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases as well.

With government so small taxes would be almost non-existent. This would put so much money into people’s pockets that the economy would necessarily boom. People would pay only for the services they use. Government would save huge amounts with privatized police forces, fire departments and prisons (especially without union haggling.) Highways would no longer cost government anything as they would be purchased by the consumer directly in the form of toll roads. Water supply and sewage likewise would be a direct purchase for the customer. Smaller local roads would most likely still have to be built and maintained by government. Public parks and natural attractions could also be taken off the taxpayers’ back by selling them to private concerns who would charge on a per-use basis. All of this would result not only in very low taxes but a corresponding surge in private sector employment to fill all these new jobs.

The one place tax dollars would be spent is on the military. One would expect that Red America would have a massive military capable of not only defending the homeland but of protecting Red American priorities around the world.

Because Red America would be committed to states’ rights and each state would be making their own laws much of this is highly speculative. There could be 23 varying versions of everything described. However, Texas offers us a good example of what a Red America might look like. Certainly we would see far less regulation of everything from insecticides to speed limits. People would be expected to take responsibility for their actions and take care of themselves. No more “safety nets” in this “empowerment society” where everyone has to stand on their own hard work. This responsibility would translate into a more sane society. With no government handing out welfare or food stamps or Social Security or Medicaid or Medicare we would become more self-reliant. In the long run people would become more charitable as no one would feel the disadvantaged were gaming the system by getting welfare or Medicaid.

Finally, Red America would be a return to the traditional values of America. Marriage would be between a man and a woman, some states would most likely re-assert laws against homosexuality. The death penalty would be a corner stone of the legal system – an eye for an eye. People would be free to own any weapon and carry wherever they choose. This would make for one of the safest societies ever. Because there is no government to turn to in times of natural disaster, neighbor will naturally turn to neighbor. This is an America where people do right by each other because the next time it could be you, not because it is required by law. There will be no coddling in Red America, no mincing words, no political correctness. People say what they mean and if it hurts someone’s feelings – well, sticks and stones… Immigration laws would be strictly enforced and the wall along the Mexican border would be fortified with the conviction of keeping Red America an English-speaking, European-descended culture. However, states like Texas might have “guest worker” policies to encourage and regulate inexpensive labor coming across the border. There would be fewer lawyers in Red America – transactions would be made on a hand shake and settled with a gun. This is Ronald Reagan’s mythical America on the hill, finally realized -- a place where everyone is free to be all that they can be. Red America would be a lot like Texas and its national anthem The Battle Hymn of The Republic.


Coming next -- Civil War 2.0 Part III The United States of Blue America

Part I can be seen at ReaderSupportedNews.org

http://readersupportednews.org/pm-section/21-21/10722-civil-war-20-or-the-qcivilq-civil-war-part-i-was-lincoln-wrong

(Part I argues for the partition of the U.S. into two nations -- Red and Blue America.)