Uncommon Questions by Tom Seidner
A
s obsessed as I am with the upcoming election, equality is that many states have one segment of the I don’t really want to write about it. The issues population having an outsized influence over the are changing too quickly for me to feel confident rest, often in an urban/rural divide. This again could that my words will be relevant in the weeks after the be addressed in forming new governmental sectors. Fall RFD is distributed. Instead, I want ask a series An argument could be made that these new entities of unpopular questions. Not necessarily unpopular might not even have to be geographically contiguin the sense of controversial, though they may be, ous. Wiser minds than mine might explore all sorts but I’m actually more interested in asking questions of possibilities. I am aware of maps that show that that may not be commonly discussed. And, being small geographic areas of the country have more me, I will make some suggestions. Those may well influence in the current system in a way that favors prove to be unpopular. cities. But our aim should always be one person one The first is “Why are there still states?” Every vote, not one acre. four years people remember the Electoral College A reasonable next question is “Why are we as a confounding obstruction to democracy. But always the best country or the worst?”. We are often nothing is ever done about it, because states with forced to choose between American Exceptionalism comparatively small populations would never ratify and a view that could be called America as Predaan amendment that would eliminate it. So, if we are tor. Frankly, both just come down to America as going to honor the radical part of Drama Queen. I am always wary Radical Faeries, maybe we need of any notion that does not allow to go to the root of the problem. for the possibility we might be The idea of states came from the average. Other countries struggle original thirteen colonies, which with many of the same issues we were British divisions that maindo such as distrust of immigrants, Why are there tained their sense of being distinct income inequality, the division still states?” entities. As the country spread between church and state, the westward, new states were added balance between what is owed to on in ways to accommodate pothe country and to the individual, litical interests. A slave state was and how to address the mistakes added on to balance a “free” state. of the past. If we persist in the A portion of the Great Plains was delusion we have all the answers deliberately added as separate states to bolster the or the fear that all we are capable of is interference number of seats they would command in the Senand destruction, we cut ourselves off from engagate. Most states now are characterized by greater ing in dialogues with other countries to our mutual internal diversity, for example between urban and benefit. We have resources that can benefit others as rural areas, than they are distinct from their neighlong as we let them tell us what would actually help. bors. So, the result is that the government of this We can ask for aid in addressing issues that have country is largely determined by divisions whose stymied us up until now. We can learn from the identity may lie in which sports teams they host. failures and successes other countries have had with States enable Republicans to have a disproportional their health care systems, for example, often incorcontrol of the Senate as well as the Electoral Colporating both private insurance and governmental lege. States rights advocates have traditionally been administration, as long as we recognize the diversity the proponents of the most regressive and divisive of their solutions and ignore the rhetoric of both the national policies. And while some might point to left and the right who refuse to distinguish between state governors as being both a bulwark against them. Because politicians are only voted for by the presidential power and a source of sanity during the citizens of individual countries, they tend not to pandemic, the same could be achieved by any intelprioritize planetary issues that require a worldwide ligent division of the country, as long as population solution. Climate change, regulations to ensure of each area was roughly equal. Another barrier to clean air and water, responsible management of veg4
RFD 183 Fall 2020
