What are you doing here?

So, I’m going to kick things off with a question that has always bugged me about those with whom I disagree, politically speaking. Why are you here? Geographically speaking, that is. I don’t ask that to be sarcastic, or snippy, or anything like that, I honestly want to know.

Here’s the thing, this country is the closest, probably ever, match to my political ideals, to the way that I want to live my life. It’s far from perfect, sure, and I am certainly a fan of working to improve it wherever we can, but on the whole, I think that its pretty darn great. On top of that, I think that Tennessee is certainly one of the best places within the country, as far as matching my political ideals and lifestyle. I ended up here by accident (well, family circumstances), but for the last 10 years of my life I could have been anywhere that I wanted, and I’m still here.

So here’s the thing, if you want socialized healthcare, if you really think that’s a good way for your world to be, why don’t you go somewhere that has it? If you want a more progressive tax system, well, heck, they’ve got that out there, too. More environmental regulation? Yep, it’s there. More people riding their bikes and mass transit? You can find it if you try. A country more well liked by the rest of the world? Hey, if that’s what you care about, it’s available to you. Yet, a great many people choose to stay here. Why? Why not just live in France, or Canada, or at least a more liberal part of the country like San Francisco or New Jersey?