Micky -- I agree with you. Remember the eecummings line, "Listen, there's a hell of a good universe next door, let's go"

My suggestion was to let the south secede after all -- but maybe we'll have to move into the old New England states, or some other core-blue-state region, and secede ourselves. We could all pay taxes, and have universal health care, and right to privacy, guaranteed freedoms, gun control, mandated limits on campaign spending, and free and fair elections, just to name a few. The red states could outlaw abortion, and all their 16-year-old daughters who get knocked up would come to our side "for a visit". (Boy, is THAT ever going to offend some folks!) I think the US needs a "two state solution".