Tyranny of the Urban Statists

Governor Northam is governor of the state of Virginia because he won three areas, northern Virginia near Washington DC, Richmond and the Norfolk area. 79 of Virginia's 95 counties did not have majority votes for him. But the 16 counties that did go for him did so in a big way and he ended up winning by nine points. There is no question he won the popular vote but geographically, the vast majority of Virginia did not support him.

Because he has chosen to rule as a statist and not as a defender of rights, there has been a backlash from that geographic majority. 91 of Virginia's 95 counties have voted to become second amendment sanctuaries which means that even some of the counties that went for him have rejected his anti gun proposals and statist agenda. What is happening in Virginia is symptomatic of a conflict that has been growing for a number of decades and becoming ever more impassioned.

This conflict is between the values of urban residents and the inhabitants of rural areas and small towns. People who live in or near large cities expect a pervasive, autocratic and active government. People in what is often called “small town America” are more suspicious of government and rely on themselves and local communities to solve problems. In Virginia, the people living in the central and western part of the state are not interested in Northam's autocratic proposals reflecting the statist ideals of the urban centers of Washington, Richmond, and Norfolk that delivered him the governorship.

This situation is reflected in national elections. In 2016 President Trump won 81% of the counties in the United States reflecting 84% of its geographic area. But Hillary Clinton won 88 of the largest 100 counties and it gave her a popular vote edge. In 2008, President Obama won 28% of the counties, in 2012, only 22%. It is clear that urban areas trend statist democrat. The fifty largest cities account for 15% of the country's population and the vast majority, particularly the ones with populations over one million, are run by statist democrats, and run badly. It is these cities that have often provided us with the most corrupt and moronic public officials.

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, impostors, thieves and traitors are not victims, but accomplices.” George Orwell

Little of this would be of consequence if government officials, particularly at the state and national level, would confine themselves to their proper role of merely protecting natural rights. However, that ship sailed a very long time ago. Now government is in everything and does anything, all its officials ignore their oaths of fidelity to the constitution, and we have majority rule, the rule of the mob. That mob lives in the cities where corruption is rampant, government regulates minutia and societal mores are reduced to absurdity. So when the joint smoking, gun grabbing, sugar banning, surveilling, taxing, welfare state loving transvestite uses the power of government to force compliance with his views on gun toting, bible thumping, independent minded rural people, there is going to be conflict.

Elections have consequences but in a republic it is not winner take all, do as you please, carte blance. Citizens do not go to the voting booth to select a tyrant for the next two, four or six years. The losers should not be plundered and enslaved. But this is where we are. Each election is about who gets to plunder whom, who gets to wield the vast power of the state for whose benefit, whose values are forced on whom. Is it any wonder our elections have become so contentious and politics so vulgar and noxious? We cannot have an active state and personal liberty. We must choose. Only the return of small, limited government that protects the rights of all equally will foster the civility and harmony we all prefer.