Business Tycoons

Fifteen Most Right Wing States In America: The Candidates

As America moves forward on so many issues socially, the “hinterland” of the nation languishes in its revelry of backwardness, allowing themselves to be influenced by Christian fundamentalists and business tycoons who do not give a damn about the rights of women, the rights of children, the rights of gays and lesbians, the right to safety from gun extremists, the right to labor protections, the right to promotion of the environment, the rights of minorities, the rights to basic health care, the rights to a public education, and the right to basic civil liberties for all citizens and non-citizens.

Instead, there are many states who are working to outlaw abortion completely within their boundaries; to deny poor children free breakfast and lunch; to refuse to recognize same sex marriage protections; to expand the rights of gun enthusiasts at the expense of public safety; to refuse to expand unemployment compensation and the minimum wage for workers; to undermine environmental protections and fight the federal government on the creation of new national parks and monuments; to imprison and execute minorities on a much larger scale than whites; to refuse to expand Medicaid or provide any kind of health care for the poor and disabled; to promote privatization of schools and charters and cut spending on public schools; to teach creationism as science in public schools; and to give police undue power to shoot and kill when uncalled for in many domestic situations that arise as part of a troubled social structure in America!

Trying to make a list of fifteen most right wing states is not easy, as there are numerous candidates for such dubious honors!

It is as if we live in two Americas–the progressive, modern, secular, advanced states of the two coastlines and the upper Midwest; and the backward, 19th century mentality, theocratic, backward states of the “hinterland”, resentful of a changing America that includes large numbers of people of very different backgrounds and agendas than these mostly rural, isolated states, many with much smaller population, but having influence through the US Senate, and the Tea Party ability to create barriers in the US House of Representatives.

Here is a list of states that the author believes have the unique distinction of competing for the most backward, reactionary states in America in the 21st century. These states are not being ranked, but just listed at this point.

Alabama
Mississippi
Louisiana
Arkansas
North Carolina
South Carolina
Tennessee
Kentucky
West Virginia
Nebraska
Kansas
Oklahoma
Idaho
Utah
Wyoming

Notice nine of the fifteen are the old South or border South; three are the Great Plains; and three are the Mountain West.

The author welcomes discussion of this list of most right wing states, and he will make a judgment later on which state is the most backward in 2014!

Two Billionaires: Steve Jobs And Donald Trump–One Constructive, One An Embarrassment!

With the death of Steve Jobs, one of the most significant business tycoons of all time, on the level of Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and Alexander Graham Bell, we have lost one of the great business leaders of all time, not just for his innovations in technology, but also as a model for keeping out of the public spotlight!

Jobs, a perfectionist often difficult to relate to in private, was a person who avoided publicity like the plague, but whenever he uttered his thoughts or introduced new technology, he always came across as a person with a good heart and instincts. His commencement speech at Stanford University in 2005, in which he said one should follow his dreams as we all eventually will die, was a brilliant example of the decency and vision of this man!

At the same time, we have Donald Trump, best described as a publicity hound, a person who wants constant attention, has had three wives, gone bankrupt a couple of times, loves to fire people on his TV show, enjoys being courted by Republican Presidential candidates, and makes a habit of saying and doing things that divide us in a difficult time. He is, without question, a real “character” with a tremendous ego that he loves to display!

This is not saying that Steve Jobs has not done anything in his private life that is questionable, since anyone is capable of having a so called “skeleton in his closet”, but Jobs avoided publicity, while Trump savors it to the extreme, showing he has a problem with his own self esteem! Nothing embarrasses him, but he is, without question, a real embarrassment!

And ultimately, Jobs changed America! When Trump passes from the scene, will anyone be able to say he made a difference in the same manner? The answer is clearly NO!