NY smart, WV stupid... according to a New Yorker

My boss doesn't like me answering some letters to the editor, even if I really want to. Here, for example, is a letter that came today from someone in New York. At first, I was inclined to not run it, but on second thought, I will. Think of the responses it will get.

Hello, what I'm hearing is that a state that carried George Bush in both elections is now, according to all polls, favoring John McCain. Yours is a state that finds itself in the same, if not worse, economic position as you were seven years ago yet your citizens would still vote for what amounts to the status quo. West Virginia has been ranked 48th in the nation in income however I suspect you rate even lower when it comes to voter intelligence.

My first thought was to reply with, "You New Yorkers can clean up messes that are far worse than anything we have in West Virginia, and then we will compare the intelligence of our respective voters." But our readers will come up with stuff a lot better than that, I bet.

Speaking of which, I remember way back in 1972 during the campaign for governor. Arch Moore was running for a second term against the man who at the time was secretary of state -- Jay Rockefeller. A commercial showed busy street scenes from New York City. An announced asked people what they thought about a West Virginian running for governor of New York. There was a mix of astonishment and laughter, with the last line being a person saying something like, "That's as ridiculous as a New Yorker running for governor of West Virginia."

Arch won, by the way.