[jyl]

Thanks, turbo6, I am still trying to follow the thread although work was so busy this is the first time I've looked at PP BBS since getting to the office.

The stuff you posted is interesting. Actually, this whole issue is really interesting.

I've mostly been a big-city person - born in NYC, moved around a lot as a kid (US, Canada, Europe), then settled in CA. These are mostly "blue" places.

But I've also spent a lot of time, for the last 12 years or so, in a smaller city in Central WA. The town is Yakima, for those who know the state. There's a lot of agriculture (hops, apples), some light industry, a good bit of timber, some good fishing (Yakima River through the canyon), a big military base nearby (Army tank warfare training center) Yakima is definitely a "red" place.

Some people grow up in Yakima and love it, and some grow up there and don't love it. The latter usually leave - often they go find work in Seattle or other "blue" places. I know Seattle somewhat well too - lived there for a while. I was thinking about the difference between those two places, and what makes one a "red" place and the other a "blue" place. That's kind of what this thread is about, which is why it is so interesting to me. I'm glad cegerer posted the map.