This has been true for a long time–Daniel Patrick Moynihan made something of a hobby of pointing this out–but the Tax Foundation has a new study confirming it. (Hat tip: Andrew Sullivan.) I assume that this pattern is largely a result of farm programs, military spending, and higher average incomes in the blue states. (Am I missing anything else?) My question is: Why does military spending tend to help the red states so much? Is it simply that conservative states have tended to have older congressmen who chair important committees and direct funds to their districts? That’s the explanation one hears most often. Or is it (also) that a significant military presence reddens an area?