my opinion is that areas with inelastic voters (the south being the most obvious example) are that way because it is a failed state. A place like WA-8, on the other hand is more elastic because almost all of the things that exist in the south don't exist in a place like WA-8. Reichert, of course, is a moderate-minded congressman and the district is not one that has a liking for demagogues (look at who he ran against in 06 and 08).
Psychometricians and social scientists have talked about human capital and the signs of good human capital and low human capital
Signs of good human capital are as follows:
Achievement Motivation
Altruism
Anorexia (there's a reason why this doesn't exist in human capital deficient Africa)
Artistic Ability
Craftwork
Creativity
Dietary preference for less sugar and fat
Educational Attainment
Emotional Sensitivity
Extracurricular Attainment
health, fitness, longevity
sense of humor
income
breadth and depth of interests
leadership
logical ability
memory
voluntary migration (i.e. mobility)
moral reasoning
motor skills
musical ability
occupational status
perceptual ability
practical knowledge
reading ability
social skills
high SES
spelling ability
talking speed
Signs of Human Capital Deficit
Accident Proneness
Acquiescence
Alcoholism
Authoritarianism
Societal Conservatism
Crime
Delinquency
Dogmatism
Impulsivity
Infant Mortality
Lying
Obesity
Psychoticism
Racial Prejudice
Reaction Time (tends to be higher)
Tobacco use
truancy from school
anyone here agree?
Very interesting list. Do you have a link to a story behind the list? Btw what is SES?
