California has 44 million people and is the 6th largest economy in the world. The 9 counties in the Bay Area where I live have a larger GDP than most countries, a little bigger than Saudi Arabia. Silicon Valley is home to cutting edge technology companies that have changed the world so much that people want to rein in "Big Tech." When Vladimir Putin complains about American cultural hegemony he's talking about California. Are you saying California and Kansas are the same? What I said was that some parts of America are more futuristic than others, which is obvious to anyone who has travelled around America. There are other parts of the country which are on the cutting edge such as Seattle, Portland, Chicago, etc... I suspect you haven't been to Kansas. To me it felt like going back in time, but that's subjective. It's not a criticism. There's nothing wrong with it. I like Kansas. I said that. Go to Wichita. Go to Fargo. Go to Paris Texas. Tell me how I'm wrong. I've done the road trips because I wanted to see for myself what the rest of the country was like. Jackson Mississippi currently doesn't have a working water supply. Downtown Flint Michigan is all boarded up. What kind of attitude should I have?

Edit: I'd say the city that is most improved as far as moving into the future is Salt Lake City. I was there in 2004 and then 2020. There's been a remarkable transformation, which I guess is understandable because the Mormon Church has 100 Billion dollars, and is the richest religious organization, right behind the Catholic Church.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wealthiest_religious_o...