State of the Union - pre/post election & whatever...

[General Apathy]

What's so great about the Hoosier state? It's not Illinois.

a side by side Red State in practice and its neighbor Blue State in practice.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-edit-illinois-indiana-business-20170827-story.html#nws=true

A politician smiling for the cameras at a groundbreaking ceremony always makes for a silly image. But when Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb showed up in Gary recently wearing a hard hat and holding a shovel, he was doing two important things: welcoming a trucking company from south suburban Chicago Ridge, and taking a dig at Illinois.

“We are thrilled to welcome HMD Trucking to Indiana, home to balanced budgets, a AAA credit rating and a low cost of doing business,” Holcomb said. “It is clear why HMD Trucking decided to move from Illinois to Indiana. We have become the best state in the Midwest to start, get and grow jobs.”

Ouch, Gov. Holcomb, the truth hurts. Almost like getting smacked with a shovel.

Alas, it’s no longer surprising when an Illinois company leaves for Indiana. HMD is building a $6 million headquarters and depot in Gary, with plans to create 500 jobs by 2021. Alliance Steel of Bedford Park wants to build a $35 million plant in Gary. Hoist Liftruck and T&B Tube have jumped the state line. More will follow, taking jobs and investment with them. Why? Because Indiana is one of the best states in the nation for doing business, and Illinois is one of the worst.

And that isn't even bringing Chicago into it! Anyone who cares to look can readily identify that the package of high taxes, high government spending, and high pensions for retired public employees kills economic growth and causes people to flee. If a test case is needed, the adjacent states of Illinois and Indiana – relatively indistinguishable from each other and varying only in the model of state governance – proves that the critical variable in economic success is whether a Democrat set of policies or a Republican set of policies (to over-generalize) are in place. Embracing Democrat policies brings unemployment, declining incomes, and an angry and depressed populace. It really is hard to understand why voters would hand control to Democrats anywhere. Assuming, that is, that actual voters are the ones casting ballots, as I discussed in an earlier post today.

[Adam Smiths Left Nut]

Illinois. So shit that it has the 5th highest GDP in the nation, while Indiana is 16th.

Of the 5 highest GDP's in the country, one is a red state, 3 are blue and 1 is a swing state.

Of the bottom 5, 1 is blue, 4 are red.

But hey, if the red states are doing so well, maybe Alabama and Louisiana can pay their share of taxes instead of sitting, hands open at the federal feeding trough?
Us blue staters are getting pretty tired of footing the bill while being berated by a bunch of bumpkins.
When said bumpkins are now demanding that the entire economy be up-ended so they can get more federal subsidies while productive industries are punished, yeah, it gets my blood boiling.

[Adam Smiths Left Nut]

Ultimately, the answer is in the pudding though.

The GOP is the party of old white protestant men.

People who aren't old, white, protestant men don't vote GOP on average, because why would they vote for a party that treats them with contempt?


You want everybody to vote GOP? Fix your party.


Think there's no problem? Explain in your own words why women, jews, african-americans, hispanics, gay people, muslims etc. vote for democrats in general, and I'll tell you exactly what the problem is.

Heck, why are catholics split down the middle while protestants aren't?

[General Apathy]

Yet you don't discuss the side by side comparison at all. Why is that?

The trend documented in the article isn't limited to those two states. Texas (red) is getting numerous new businesses fro both NY and CA (blue). The reasons are the same. The trend will likely continue as well.

[kyotebue2]

My late Mom, though Catholics were not Christians as she was a Southern Baptist.

[General Apathy]

Ultimately, the answer is in the pudding though.
The GOP is the party of old white protestant men.
People who aren't old, white, protestant men don't vote GOP on average, because why would they vote for a party that treats them with contempt?

You want everybody to vote GOP? Fix your party.

Think there's no problem? Explain in your own words why women, jews, african-americans, hispanics, gay people, muslims etc. vote for democrats in general, and I'll tell you exactly what the problem is.

Heck, why are catholics split down the middle while protestants aren't?

First off, it isn't MY party. Second, I've posted numerous things that the GOP needs to fix if it wants to survive. Third, I don't see where you get the idea I think there is no problem especially based on the very critical posts I have previously put up here. So your canards really don't pertain to either me or the article in question.

The article speaks in terms of red vs blue approaches to running a state. It does not have to be party driven at all. In fact, if you look, I think you'll find some blue states who are doing some of those successful approaches, just as you'll find some red states who are not.

Why do you think the businesses are running away from states like Illinois, CA and NY and moving to states that follow the policies discussed in the article?

[General Apathy]

My late Mom, though Catholics were not Christians as she was a Southern Baptist.

Showing that religions of all kinds have blind spots and biases. I was raised as a Catholic and even as a child I could not accept some of the things that the church insisted were true.

[Altius]

My late Mom, though Catholics were not Christians as she was a Southern Baptist.

The nuns at my Catholic school warned me about playing with Protestant kids.

Guess you and I shouldn't talk about wargames, then.

[General Apathy]

200,000 deportation cases quietly 'closed' under Obama

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/200000-deportation-cases-quietly-closed-under-obama/article/2632724

During the Obama era up to 200,000 deportation cases were "administratively closed" without action, a move that left tens of thousands of illegal immigrants free to roam America, sometimes indefinitely, according to a new report. When added to those cases still pending court action, it brings the backlog of cases to about 800,000, far more than previously known.

There are initial cases being scheduled over four years in the future. 334 judges handling more than 610,000 cases. Many cases have continuances filed, making the process even longer. This is problematic for both the administration, who is trying to get the bad guys out as well as immigrants that are trying to have permission to change their status or to bring in additional families legally.

https://youtu.be/TM3Gj4villQ Has a discussion of the issue.

[kyotebue2]

Oh, it's ok Altius, I'm Pagan now.