People In Red States Have Nasty, Brutish Short Lives

Red State Policies Lead America's Life Expectancy Into The Toilet

Kaiser reported at the end of the year that 40 years ago “life expectancy at birth in the U.S. and in comparably large and wealthy countries was similar, but over recent decades, life expectancy has improved by much more in peer nations than it has in the U.S. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased mortality and premature death rates in the U.S. by more than it did in most peer countries, widening a gap that already existed before the pandemic.” Heavily Republican counties across America— whether in blue states or red states— dragged down life expectancy rates because of an unwillingness to get vaccinated. The country is 68% fully vaccinated, but look at these backward counties, all red:

• Slope, North Dakota- 11% vaccinated (89.0% Trump)

• McPherson, Nebraska- 15% vaccinated (91.1% Trump)

• Cameron, Louisiana- 18% vaccinated (90.7% Trump)

• McCone, Montana- 18% vaccinated (84.7% Trump)

• Holmes, Ohio- 18% vaccinated (83.2% Trump)

• Loving, Texas- 19% vaccinated (90.9% Trump)

• Harding, South Dakota- 19% vaccinated (92.0% Trump)

• Arthur, Nebraska- 20% vaccinated (91.2% Trump)

• Garfield, Montana- 20% vaccinated (94.0% Trump)

• King, Texas- 21% vaccinated (95.0% Trump)

• Gaines, Texas- 22% vaccinated (89.3% Trump)

• Long, Georgia- 22% vaccinated (% Trump)

• Winston, Alabama- 22% vaccinated (90.5% Trump)

• Moore, Tennessee- 22% vaccinated (81.6% Trump)

• Billings, North Dakota- 22% vaccinated (85.2% Trump)

• Crowley, Colorado- 22% vaccinated (72.6% Trump)

• Grant, Nebraska- 22% vaccinated (93.3% Trump)

• Logan, Nebraska- 22% vaccinated (90.4% Trump)

• McKenzie, North Dakota- 23% vaccinated (82.7% Trump)

• LaGrange, Indiana- 23% vaccinated (76.3% Trump)

• Powder River, Montana- 23% vaccinated (85.4% Trump)

• Storey, Nevada- 24% vaccinated (66.3% Trump)

• Grant, North Dakota- 24% vaccinated (82.9% Trump)

• Newton, Texas- 25% vaccinated (80.1% Trump)

• Douglas, Missouri- 25% vaccinated (84.3% Trump)

• Dewey, Oklahoma- 26% vaccinated (90.0% Trump)

• Charlton, Georgia- 26% vaccinated (74.8% Trump)

• Thomas, Nebraska- 26% vaccinated (88.3% Trump)

• Sioux, Nebraska- 26% vaccinated (87.8% Trump)

• Hayes, Nebraska- 26% vaccinated (92.2% Trump)

• Dunn, North Dakota- 26% vaccinated (83.4% Trump)

• Oliver, North Dakota- 27% vaccinated (86.1% Trump)

• Blaine, Nebraska- 27% vaccinated (88.3% Trump)

• Brantley, Georgia- 27% vaccinated (90.2% Trump)

• Wheeler, Georgia- 27% vaccinated (69.3% Trump)

• Newton, Missouri- 27% vaccinated (77.9% Trump)

• Scotland, Missouri- 27% vaccinated (78.6% Trump)

• Bent, Colorado- 27% vaccinated (66.1% Trump)

• Schuyler, Missouri- 28% vaccinated (80.2% Trump)

• Reynolds, Missouri- 28% vaccinated (82.9% Trump)

• Motley, Texas- 28% vaccinated (92.6% Trump)

• Lanier, Georgia- 28% vaccinated (70.2% Trump)

• Eureka, Nevada- 28% vaccinated (88.0% Trump)

• Heard, Georgia- 29% vaccinated (83.8% Trump)

• Cleburne, Alabama- 29% vaccinated (89.8% Trump)

• DeKalb, Missouri- 29% vaccinated (79.0% Trump)

• Wibaux, Montana- 29% vaccinated (86.3% Trump)

• Ralls, Missouri- 29% vaccinated (77.6% Trump)

• Frontier, Nebraska- 29% vaccinated (85.0% Trump)

• Stanton, Nebraska- 29% vaccinated (80.9% Trump)

• Nance, Nebraska- 30% vaccinated (78.4% Trump)

• Loup, Nebraska- 30% vaccinated (81.5% Trump)

• Keya Paha, Nebraska- 30% vaccinated (89.8% Trump)

• Ripley, Missouri- 30% vaccinated (84.6% Trump)

• Holmes, Florida- 30% vaccinated (89.0% Trump)

• Telfair, Georgia- 30% vaccinated (65.2% Trump)

• Neosho, Kansas- 30% vaccinated (72.3% Trump)

• Banks, Georgia- 31% vaccinated (88.5% Trump)

• Bacon, Georgia- 31% vaccinated (86.1% Trump)

• Saluda, South Carolina- 31% vaccinated (67.0% Trump)

• Clay, Tennessee- 31% vaccinated (77.9% Trump)

• Grundy, Tennessee- 31% vaccinated (82.0% Trump)

• Spencer, Kentucky- 31% vaccinated (76.4% Trump)

• Borden, Texas- 31% vaccinated (95.4 Trump)

• Shannon, Missouri- 31% vaccinated (81.0% Trump)

• Garfield, Nebraska- 31% vaccinated (86.7% Trump)

• Golden Valley, North Dakota- 31% vaccinated (84.9% Trump)

• Williams, North Dakota- 31% vaccinated (81.9% Trump)

• Oregon, Missouri- 32% vaccinated (81.2% Trump)

• Roberts, Texas- 32% vaccinated (96.2% Trump)

• Echols, Georgia- 32% vaccinated (87.1% Trump)

• Jeff Davis, Georgia- 32% vaccinated (81.3% Trump)

• Cottle, Texas- 32% vaccinated (81.6% Trump)

• Campbell, Wyoming- 32% vaccinated (86.8% Trump)

• Martin, Texas- 32% vaccinated (86.0% Trump)

• Niobrara, Wyoming- 32% vaccinated (85.5% Trump)

• Crook, Wyoming- 32% vaccinated (88.6% Trump)

• Cherokee, Alabama- 32% vaccinated (86.1% Trump)

• Switzerland, Indiana- 32% vaccinated (75.4% Trump)

• Petroleum, Montana- 32% vaccinated (85.6% Trump)

• Carter, Montana- 32% vaccinated (89.7% Trump)

• Washington, Colorado- 32% vaccinated (86.3% Trump)

• Idaho, Idaho- 32% vaccinated (81.4% Trump)

• Perkins, South Dakota- 32% vaccinated (83.9% Trump)
  

There are only 7 states where life expectancy is under 74. They’re all backward red hellholes that hold the country back. From bad to worse:

• Arkansas- 73.8 (Trump 62.4%)

• Tennessee- 73.8 (Trump 60.7%)

• Kentucky- 73.5 (Trump 62.1%)

• Alabama- 73.2 (Trump 62.0%)

• Louisiana- 73.1 (Trump 58.6%)

• West Virginia- 72.8 (Trump 68.6%)

• Mississippi- 71.9 (Trump 57.6)

There are half a dozen states where the life expectancy is 79 and above. And obviously they are all blue states. From good to best:

• New Hampshire- 79.0 (Trump 45.4%)

• Massachusetts- 79.0 (Trump 32.1%)

• California- 79.0 (Trump 34.3%)

• Minnesota- 79.1 (Trump 45.3%)

• Washington- 79.2 (Trump 38.8%)

• Hawaii- 80.7 (Trump 34.3%)

Generally speaking, people in blue states live longer; people in red states are sicker, poorer, less educated, more prone to superstition and conspiracy theories and they die earlier. They spend less on public health. They discourage higher wages for workers. The obesity crisis is out of control. Their lives, in the words of Thomas Hobbs are nasty, brutish and short. In context, his assessment of red states was prescient:

No arts; no letters; no society; and which is worst of all, continual fear, and danger of violent death: and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.

The national average, which is still dropping thanks to conservative policies, is 76.4. There are 19 states below the national average— 14 red, 4 purple and 1 (New Mexico) blue.