redrawing state lines

[Bill McBlueState]

There's a little discussion going on in GD:2004 about Western Massachusetts seceeding from the rest of the state.

For the rest of you...

Where else should state lines be redrawn for cultural or political reasons? For example, western PA has a lot more in common with eastern Ohio than it does with eastern PA. Or for political reasons, it would help Dems to combine all those big rectangular states out west so they don't each get two senators and three electoral votes.

Anyone up for some fun with geography? :dork:

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

1. split Missouri in half east and west

Long Island, NYC and Westchester should be a state along with contiguous counties in NJ and CT

[youngred]

2. Cut NYC off of New York State

they don't care about upstate and upstate hates them

[GregorStocks]

3. Split NH into...

New Hampshire and Central New Hampshire (consisting of one kid ).

[goobergunch]

4. We've done this before

That map was the consensus agreement...I'll see if I can find the thread (Early May/Late April, 2003)

EDIT: The thread's on this page, but unfortunately the database is corrupted.

[Bill McBlueState]

5. wow, even by county

Thanks! I'll spend some time staring at this. :)

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

6. Oh yeah, I remember that now.... oh no, are we opening that

festering wound?

[donco6]

9. Colorado is close, but the island of Denver . . .

. . . should be broken out from the western slope. Anything past the Tunnel should be with Utah.

[lazarus]

13. direct link

This should be a direct link to that thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/cgi-bin/duforum/duboard.cgi?az=show_thread&om=529&forum=DCForumID70&archive=yes

Oh, I see what you mean. That bites.

[Rabrrrrrr]

7. Manhattan should be its own state

And the UP and upper Wisconsin could join together. Or perhaps the UP with all of WI.

[DODI]

8. I would like to give Fairfield County, CT to NY (eom)

[Rabrrrrrr]

11. Might as well - they all work in NYC

:-)

[DODI]

14. They are also why everybody thinks all of CT is rich and repug

We aren't.

[Rabrrrrrr]

16. ooh, yeah, that is a real scary area of uptight conservatives

selfish me-first people.

[Devlzown]

10. Southern Mississippi has talked about

separating for years. We're culturally more like southern Louisiana than we are the rest of Mississippi, although I don't think most people here would want to be part of Louisiana either. The separitists generally advocate the formation of a completely new state. Many down here feel that the amount of power we have in the legislature is way out of proportion to the amount of tax money we send to Jackson.

[lazarus]

12. Florida panhandle

By all rights, the Alabama state border with Georgia should continue south to the coast, and the Florida panhandle should be part of Alabama.

Economically, they get most of their money from Alabama (tourism, shopping, etc.). Most people living in southern Alabama find it easier to run down to Pensacola/Ft Walton Beach/etc. than to go north to Montgomery.

Politically, the panhandle is much more conservative, fitting with Alabama. Also, the panhandle tends to feel a bit ignored, since so much of Florida is focused on Orlando and Miami.

I think the Florida capital should just shift on down to Orlando, or that area, and the panhandle be given to Alabama. But Florida would never do it. Too much money coming in from Alabama.

California really should split into at least two states, north and south. People who don't live here don't realise how bloody huge this state is. Not just geographically (I know Texas is huge, but it's empty) but culturally, this state is immense. San Diego County is the size of several counties in Alabama, the last place I lived.

While we're at it, instead of just splitting states up, how about combining some? Instead of worrying too much about geographic size, let's go more to population. Some of those empty midwest and western states could be merged. That would also bring the Electoral College and Senate demographics more in line with the national demographics. (Did you know that, by population, Democratic Senators represent over 55% of the US, but less than 50% of the Senate?)

[Bill McBlueState]

15. thanks for the stat

by population, Democratic Senators represent over 55% of the US, but less than 50% of the Senate

That's useful to know. I had a feeling that was the case, but I didn't know the exact numbers.

[lazarus]

17. actually

the specific numbers (I pulled 55% from memory) thanks to TahitiNut:

"Even though the Senate is currently 51 Republicans, 48 Democrats, and 1 Independent (Jeffords) ....

The Democratic Senators represent 55.1% of the population of the United States, 55.3% if you include Jeffords, and the Republicans only 44.7%.

(This is based on 2000 Census figures.)"

[Rabrrrrrr]

18. No, can't combine those big states

They're already too big, so that generally the outer fringes that are far away from the capitals tend to be ignored. If they were made twice the size, there'd be real lack of representation within the states themselves. Northern WI is almost like another world as far as the people in Madison, way in south WI, are concerned.

Th UP of MI is basically ignored.

Northern MN gets ignored by it's government.

If anything, I'd say to start splitting them up into smaller states.

[lazarus]

24. But if we do that

Then an even smaller percentage of the population gains a larger control of the government.

[trof]

19. YAY! We get the Florida panhandle back.

It really oughta be ours.

[Padraig18]

20. Illinois:

Chicago and the collar counties should become a separate state. Everything north of I-80 that is not Chicago/collar counties should become part of Wisconsin. Everything between I-80 and I-70 should be a state, and everything south of I-70 should be joined to Kentucky or Missouri.

It makes more cultural and political sense than the current scheme.

[Liberal Christian]

21. Wisconsin should probably get the UP from Michigan

The UP and Northern WI have more in common than the UP and the Lower Peninsula. Besides, can't every state use another economically depressed area?

[Rabrrrrrr]

22. And WI might as well take Northern MN and Mississippi

too.

:hi: WyoMee!

[Padraig18]

23. WI is going to wind up as a HUGE state, if we keep at it.

They're getting all of IL north of I-80 (except Chicago and the 'burbs counties) from my division of IL.

:P

[Liberal Christian]

26. Mississippi?

Now that's a boundary line I'd like to see.

Did you go to one of them there Republican schools, Rabrrrrrr?

[Rabrrrrrr]

27. I just going with your "depressed areas added to WI" idea

[Liberal Christian]

28. Ah, of course

Silly me

[Liberal Christian]

29. Wow ... what a waste of a 200th post that was!!

[Rabrrrrrr]

31. Congratulations on 200 posts!

WOO HOOO!!!

:party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party:

[SmileyBoy]

35. Wisconsin would NEVER annex part of Minnesota.

If anything, Minnesota would annex the bulge of Western Wisconsin land from Superior to Eau Claire to LaCrosse.

[Piltdown13]

25. Split off El Paso County and maybe a couple of the other

far-west Texas counties and add them to New Mexico. That area has lots more in common culturally and economically with New Mexico than it does with the rest of Texas, something Far West Texans are reminded of every legislative session and budget...the rest of the state would like to pretend they don't exist.

[Mr.Green93]

30. do away with states

go to regional governments.

[afraid_of_the_dark]

32. Am I just making this up?

But I thought I remembered hearing about how Northern California wanted to become their own state, because they're tired of paying big city prices for their suburban living. Or I could have dreamed it. :shrug:

[CO Liberal]

33. Make Colorado Springs A Separate COUNTRY

So the rest of us don't have to deal with James Dobson and his half-baked, dimwit homophobes any more.

[SmileyBoy]

34. Merge the two Dakotas, split California, give statehood to Upper Michigan.

That's what I think should happen. But it's only my humble opinion.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

36. Make Northeat Urban Corridor one state

Boston to DC. Western Mass has more incommon with VT/NH/Upstate NY than Boston.