The thing that stands out about Chester compared with comparable small declining cities in the state is the fact that most of the factories in and around Chester are still operating. It doesn’t seem that Chester desperately lacks employment opportunities, but rather that those jobs aren’t going to Chester residents nor meaningfully lifting the tax base.

Thanks for the detailed response

Land of the free, they say

The consequence for this shouldn’t be jail time or a fine—it should be seizure of the vehicle and a lifetime ban on holding a drivers license again. There is absolutely no legal right to operate a motor vehicle—it’s a privilege that has gotten completely out-of-hand. There are cameras everywhere in DC, it’s easy to tell whether it’s aggravated or accidental. I agree with OP that it’s increasingly the former, and without any consequences (nobody ever pays the fines, cars will drive around with like 5-figures in owed fines) this behavior will only get worse and the bodies will continue to accumulate.

Also, bollard-protected pedestrian zones. Absolutely no reason any private vehicle ought to be downtown.

I can’t prove causality, I could prove correlation, but frankly it isn’t worth the effort to gather and interpret all the necessary data. If you’re interested, I’d encourage you to test the correlation that I suggest.

If I were to string together an anecdotal argument for causality, however, it would be a sense of threatened white identity. The linkages between this belief and Republican political affiliation are well-documented. To extend this to the significant trend and spatial distribution in names your data shows (1.5% is significant from a possible sample of 000s of names), I would contend that this is a form of ‘defensive’ cultural consolidation of rural whites who feel threatened by national shifts in ethnic composition, share of college-educated adults, and economic growth heavily favoring metropolitan areas.

It’s a way of saying ‘we’re different, we’re not like them’

Responding to your edit: your data literally shows that there’s nothing unique about these names anymore. I also never explicitly mentioned income—I think that’s less predictive than race, education, and place of residence.

California also has fresh peaches and warm weather.

Montana also has a lot of ‘eighs’

I’m sticking to my hypothesis

The correlation I had in mind were rural whites without a college education. The map seems to back me up.

I assume anyone with a name like this is a Republican, or was at least raised by one

Class consciousness.

2022 was the year I started paying for porn. My ex gf is actually the person who persuaded me to do so.

If my employer announced they were doing this it would be my supervillain origin story

I mean we literally had it 100 years ago, but I’m sure that defeatist attitude has served you well over the years

We’ll literally let a guy loose after 11 DUIs rather than fund adequate public transit

Freedom to hand over thousands of dollars per year to automotive giants, insurance companies, and oil executives.

We’re more behind the times than checks notes Missouri on this issue

People over-obsess about crime figures. Most crimes are petty, and most victims know the perpetrators. In reality your lifestyle, people you associate with, education/career background, and other social factors have much more to do with your likelihood of experiencing crime than your place of residence.

Would Mastriano, who has a high-profile history as an election denier, accept an electoral defeat? If not, what would happen?