The Blue States have the money because they have the more developed economies. Certainly, places like the South have been developing heavily in the last few decades, but they are still generally more poor than places like New York or California.
What exactly do you mean by more developed economies? I’ve lived in four states (Maryland, California, Delaware and Virginia) and spent a fair amount of time (at least a month) in several others. This is a purely a matter of preference, of course, but given the choice I’d much rather spend time in somewhere like North Carolina or Texas than I would in New York City or Boston. Strange how the places that have the most money and development are the more impersonal and difficult to get along in.
Again, I make no pretense that this is objective.
OK...
But freedom is the great equalizer.
If we establish it, stabilize it and defend it, business WILL flourish. The population WILL flourish, because that is what happens when you unburden people.