Why is Kansas so conservative, to the point of dysfunction?
One of the key factors is that it has two major cities that make up half the state, which are highly atypical. The poor urban core of Kansas City is in Missouri, and Wichita, due to a lack of natural boundaries, has a very low population density. Also, neither of its major cities is home to a major university.
Another key point is that Kansas is seeing the rural areas and small towns that make up 98% of its land decline in population to the point where economies of scale for basic services are breaking down, except in areas experiencing large amounts of immigration for farm related industries that remain poor.
2 comments:
But poor people usually aren't conservative, are they?
Poor people in rural areas are usually socially conservative and fiscally liberal, i.e. populist.
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