Let's see what happens when a place that is generally agreed to be one of the most conservative states in the nation, does what we expect for conservative states to do: Cut taxes (in theory) and cut basic government services (in actuality). What is the result of all of this?
Let us consider Mississippi, widely considered to be one of the most conservative states in the Union. The presence of African-American voters dilutes that somewhat, but as for the rest of the state, white voters favored Romney over Obama by about a 9-to-1 margin, even wider than that of Alabama's white voters. What kind of state do they have to show for it? Have steadfast addiction adherence to conservative values, such as low taxes and being the most religious state in the Union--yes, slightly more so than Utah--served them well? Let's take a look at several nonpartisan, fact-based, standards of living in the state of Mississippi to judge for ourselves.
Standard-of-living ranks for the state of Mississippi
1) Life expectancy: Dead last. If it were a country, it would be tied for 71st place out of 193, right below Mauritius, Qatar and Malaysia, and tied with Venezuela and Vietnam. The US as a whole is currently 35th.
2) American Human Development Index: Dead last.
3) Per capita income: Dead last. Depending on the study, several nations--Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, France, and the UK--tend to rank higher.
4) Gini coefficient: 40th out of 50. Their income inequality is higher than those of Mozambique, Jamaica, and Malaysia, and just behind China's.
5) Obesity: Number one. This puts Mississippi on par with some of the fattest nations in the world.
6) Healthcare: Dead last.
7) Teacher salaries: Second to last (only South Dakota is lower).
8) Teenage birth rate: Number one (PDF). And Mississippi has the nation's second highest teen pregnancy rate (New Mexico is first). Incidentally, their abortion rate, despite a marked lack of abortion clinic options, is near the middle of the pack.
9) Incarceration rate: Sixth highest.
10) Infant mortality rate: Highest in the nation. If it were its own country, it would rank worse than 50th, putting it among nations such as Montenegro, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Bosnia.
And I could go on. Gallup has reached similar conclusions: The culture of Mississippi is to be stupid, poor, fat, and unhealthy. But they have Jesus, Republicans, and low taxes! So everything should be just fine, right? ...right?