I think this is my fourth or fifth visit to this part of the country in the last year or so alone. And every time I come out here the more impressed I am with the people. Politics aside, the people seem to be one standard-deviation nicer than people elsewhere. The college kids I meet tend to be sharp, but also very decent. Normal workers — flight attendants, cab drivers, store clerks, waiters, etc — all seem to be just slightly more professional for professionalism’s sake. I don’t want to live out here — Milwaukee is hardly a garden spot and Madison has very high level of lefty zomboid infiltration — but I always leave with just a bit more respect for the people than when I arrived.