[Wallace T.]

The largest portion of these favored areas is in the Acela corridor with the remainder mostly in Midwestern cities like Chicago. These are communities of limousine liberals who despise most of the country south of the James River and west of the Fall Line. Chicago, a few other Midwestern cities, the coastal West, and resorts like Aspen and Park City are acceptable, but the rest of the country is to them terra incognita.

[rellic]

Here is where we diverge. And it would be an interesting discussion,
20% of our GDP is produced in the area you refer to(Acela corridor).
When I took economics, I never accepted counting Federal government in the GDP. Since government doesn’t produce anything, it should not be counted in the GDP. It may provide “services”
but that is mostly done at the threat of your freedom
if you don’t comply.
Your Acela corridor economics is mostly Government.
WA D.C. is there.

I could spend a day cutting down trees I own
and use those trees to build a house.
That is both a service and a product.
Getting permission from the government to build that house is BS! And should not be included in a GDP number.

That is my personal fact based view.