I love how people in Red States are called “working poor.” “Poor” is not a function of how many dollars you earn. Its a function of the purchasing power of your take home income. If you make $150,000 but pay half of it in tax and then pay $35,000 per year for an apartment and pay 150% of the cost of food that other people pay, you aren’t “rich.” If you make $40,000 and pay 15% in tax and a couple thousand rent and pay 80% of the national average for food, you aren’t poor.
I never got why there were "elite" Communists. The only thing I could chalk up was that they believe they, or their buddies would be in power.
But your post actually got me thinking about what if housing costs and food costs were level nationwide (a la Communism, supposedly). Then, the "poor" in these states would actually be poor, because their rents would rise to offset the decrease in rents in blue states. Same with food.
These "elites" think they'll be able to keep their free-market salaries, while reducing their cost base. That's why they're so "concerned" about the "poor".