Gerrymandering is a workaround to disarm the vote. I wonder if it is impossible to "gerrymander" economic zones at the same time. Could underground markets and "cross-district" business alliances put empower districts where voters have been defeated?

We're already there. For the most part, the areas where the educated people, money and businesses are, cities and college towns, vote Democratic, and the areas where the educated people, money and businesses aren't, the rural areas, vote Republican. That's why gerrymandering works, because one side is concentrated in a few areas and the other isn't. The better economic solution would be to spread out and dilute the troglodyte vote, but there's a reason the trend is moving to the cities rather than away.

I was surprised to see the NCAA in here. Are state universities closely tied to the legislature? If students decide to unionize and not buy books for two years, is that enough pressure? Bookstores are a ripoff anyways. Fucking clickers and access codes and shit can all go die in a fire.

If you want your people treated with respect, you don't send them somewhere adamant about discriminating against some of them. Here's their press release.