I know CA is worse now, and MN is better in some ways. MN Property tax used to be progressive; 1, 2, and 3 percent rates, now only 1 percent for all property values, which helped a lot.

MN still has high income taxes, and sales tax keeps ticking upwards; 6.5 to 6.75, and soon 7.125 (all this year)

We have had 3 gas tax increases this year too (using the frog in the boiling water theory of incrementalism) from 20¢ to 25.5¢ headed to 28.5¢ over the next few years.

I swear MN has the dumbest voters in the nation.

More simplistic thought. In reality the RINOs as I know them are Democrats in disguise and they have given us the California we now know. That sounds like a winner you idiot.
Fools like you are incredibly gullible. The Dems count on the uneducated populace thus you are perfect. Bet that is the first time you have been called perfect. I tire of jokes like you ….can you tell?

Jamson64 on November 23, 2008 at 10:46 AM

…and why are RINO’s winning elections? Because those candidates have appeal.

Why are conservatives losing? Because they lack a broader appeal.

RINO’s and Neo-cons tend to still be pro-business and against allowing a free flow of illegals to invade the country.

I fail to see how that has caused the jobless rate to increase. I would blame it on liberal policies that encourage illegals and discourage businesses from growing.

You can point the finger at your mythical ‘RINO’s’ (Republicans don’t have to conform to your ideology to be considered Republicans).

Or you could ask ‘Gee – is being 100% anti-abortion in every single case (even if a woman is raped and giving birth to the child threatens her life) costing us the chance of getting good candidates elected that might help prevent other pressing issues such as unemployment, defense, and gun rights’?

Maybe if you conservatives weren’t so adamant about having a ‘litmus test’ then we could start displacing some of those liberals and more conservative agendas could be pushed.

I’m not for abortion. I think it is disgusting that it has turned into an alternative to birth control – but when you are so loud and proud about outlawing abortion you are driving moderates away.;

…and when you start belittling or calling for members of your own party to be removed because they don’t agree with you 100% on every issue you aren’t exactly immproving your chances in the future.

Maybe some of you ‘conservative’ idiots will wake up and realize that one of these days.

i would blame your pigheadedness on the recent failures of the Republican party.

Are you a Leftist posing as a Republican or just an idiot?
Rinos are what have placed the GOP in the sewer that it’s in. When are these people going to learn, YOU CANNOT OUT-LEFT THE LEFT.

nelsonknows on November 23, 2008 at 7:08 PM

Are you a leftist trying divide and conquer the party – or just an idiot?

If you are going to point out flaws of one group of members of the party – then I can point out flaws of other members.\

Neo-cons and RINO’s aren’t calling for conservatives to be kicked out of the party – yet conservatives think that it would be great to kick out Neo-cons and alleged ‘RINO’s’ (which is a label that usually gets applied on a whim).

Neo-cons and RINO’s aren’t taking the failures of the liberals and blaming them on the conservatives – yet the conservatives are more than happy to blame everyone else and accept no blame of their own.

Frankly I see a widespread failure of conservative candidates to get elected anywhere but in the most conservative districts. They have no appeal other than to a very thin ideological base.

Maybe you conservatives should discuss that and how to remedy that situation – but I don’t think alienating members of your own party is a good start. You might think it is a great idea – but that is just because your viewpoint is so narrow you cannot see the whole picture.

Conservatives are the new RINO’s. Let’s kick the scumabg conservatives out! They are holding the party back.

Are you a Leftist posing as a Republican or just an idiot?
Rinos are what have placed the GOP in the sewer that it’s in. When are these people going to learn, YOU CANNOT OUT-LEFT THE LEFT.

Mr Purple on November 23, 2008 at 7:43 AM

More simplistic thought. In reality the RINOs as I know them are Democrats in disguise and they have given us the California we now know. That sounds like a winner you idiot.
Fools like you are incredibly gullible. The Dems count on the uneducated populace thus you are perfect. Bet that is the first time you have been called perfect. I tire of jokes like you ….can you tell?

@Nonfactor – the state legislature is 75% Democrat.

ErikTheRed on November 22, 2008 at 2:30 PM

Nonfactor continues its simplistic thinking.

Arnold is one of the biggest RINOs ever and with Dems controlling the legislature what a surprise that Cali is tanking.

Hum… Republican Governor of California, Republican President… How can we blame this on Obama?

Nonfactor on November 22, 2008 at 2:28 PM

And here I thought the [cough] DEMOCRAT [cough] legislature passed the laws for the Governor to sign.

But like most of America there just aren’t that many viable conservatives out there. They get no support – the movement looks dead.

Conservatives are the new RINO’s. Let’s kick the scumabg conservatives out! They are holding the party back.

Chuck Schick on November 22, 2008 at 6:34 PM

+1

And I doubt Alberta is brimming over with illegals willing to work off the books for half the wages.

I highly doubt there is a correlation, I’m going to college in Alberta Canada and they raised the minimum wage from 6-8 and there isn’t a plague of unemployment. In fact there so desperate for workers that the government recently passed a law allowing 12 year olds to be able to work in some of the service industries.

During the election cycle I read a story about an assistant manager of a dollar store who was making 10 bucks an hour. I made that much working at an entry level position in my college over the summer. Which is just sad.

Its in the economies best interest for everybody to earn a living wage. If your making minimum wage, all of your income is going towards surviving and not pumping money into the local economy.

Ric on November 22, 2008 at 4:15 PM

Alberta is soaked in oil and until recently there was an oil boom so this wouldnt surprise me. Minimum wage, benefits mandates, etc are all great when things are good. Its when things are not that they really do harm- like now. They prolong jobless recoveries… because they encourage holding off hiring until the position pays for itself. Make the position more expensive to fill, you fill less of them for longer. It’s pretty simple.

So, in reactions to the terrible economy, CA rolls which way? Hard left or back to the Right?

james23 on November 22, 2008 at 6:10 PM

The GOP needs to focus on getting a fiscal conservative (which in my opinion of necessity includes a border enforcement type) elected for governor in 2010.

Everyone needs to suck it up and forget about running a social conservative in CA — we need to get someone who is electable. People here are sick of Sacramento and the libs in SF and LA, but they are not going to back a social con, despite the Prop 8 victory (that was because of anger at the CA Supreme Court at least as much as it was about traditional values). Meg Whitman is a name I’ve heard floated for quite a while, as well as Tom McClintock and Carly Fiorina.

I’ve been here two years. California is worth saving.

Hum… Republican Governor of California, Republican President… How can we blame this on Obama?

Nonfactor on November 22, 2008 at 2:28 PM

Ive lived her my whole life, as well as started and sold a company in SoCal.

Huge entitlements, lax immigration enforcement, high taxes, anti-business laws, litigation friendly, environmental overkill and higher minimum wage.

Obamanomics didnt cause California, but for some reason its modeled everything that keeps us suffering.

Meanwhile, folks who live in red states and red parts of blue and purple states need to be thinking seriously about firewalls. Blue governments will go broke sooner or later.

Well, the fact that CA pays out more to the Fed than gets back doesn’t help much either.

NorthernCross

Since 1981, the federal government has transferred almost a trillion (yes, Virginia, that’s a trillion, with a T) dollars from the industrial midwest to the south and the DC suburbs.

Over the past 25 years, Michigan has averaged 81 cents in federal spending per dollar of tax sent to Washington. CA did a little better, averaging 92 cents. CA pretty much broke even or better than that on federal spending before Clinton downsized the military. California has declined from being in the top half of spending vs taxes to near the bottom.

In general, the states with a deficit have been subsidizing the states with a gain, paying for roads, water systems, infrastructure, military bases, defense plants and salaries for the 1.6 million non postal civilian employees of the federal government.

There are almost 300,000 federal employees who make over $77,000 a year including 130,000 who make >$90,000 and more than 50,000 who make >$107,000. They get a benefit package that is more generous than anything available in the private sector, including the UAW’s contract with the Detroit 3. My favorite is the “retention bonus” where fed emps can get a 25% bonus if they threaten to leave for another job.

Maryland averaged $1.24 per dollar of tax and Virginia $1.45. There are so many highly paid federal employees that 9 of the 20 wealthiest counties in the country are in those two states, in the Wash DC suburbs, and Maryland is now has the highest per capita income in the country.

Nobody is forcing GM to pay the UAW workers the way they do. The IRS, on the other hand, forces us to pay them and other federal employees.

I highly doubt there is a correlation, I’m going to college in Alberta Canada and they raised the minimum wage from 6-8 and there isn’t a plague of unemployment. In fact there so desperate for workers that the government recently passed a law allowing 12 year olds to be able to work in some of the service industries.

How many illegals does Alberta have?

Surprised nobody’s mentioned that this year the minimum wage in California increased for $7.50 to $8.00, and last year it increased from $6.75 to $7.50. I’m sure there’s no correlation…

ErikTheRed on November 22, 2008 at 2:33 PM

I doubt it had much of an effect. When I was working entry level jobs during my college years (about 5 years ago), state minimum wage was… $5.75, I believe. I was making $8 as a shipping assistant, packing boxes and whatnot. The only time anyone was paid much under $8/hr was if the payment was under the table, and given taxes… It wouldn’t surprise me if under-the-table payments were often more valuable then legitimate, taxable salaries. All the minimum wage increases have done is caught the government up to what the free market had already determined.

That said, if the minimum wage gets raised too much more, I would anticipate further layoffs, as it is seemingly in tune with the market at this point in time.

But in the last 12 months, half of all new jobs created in the US were created in Texas. Repeat: in the last 12 months, half of all new jobs created in the US were created in Texas.

Aside from oil related jobs – which will be gone soon enough with oil at $40 – what is the average pay for those new jobs?

Now I am waiting for Democrats to come up with the brilliant idea of reducing the minimum wage to get more of these people back to work and claim credit for “out of the box” thinking.

crosspatch on November 22, 2008 at 2:48 PM

We need a mind like yours! You are right. Can’t tell you how many Prof. have said that minimum wage will really crush jobs. Businesses cannot afford to pay them min. wage plus benefits. You are right!

ErikTheRed on November 22, 2008 at 2:33 PM

I highly doubt there is a correlation, I’m going to college in Alberta Canada and they raised the minimum wage from 6-8 and there isn’t a plague of unemployment. In fact there so desperate for workers that the government recently passed a law allowing 12 year olds to be able to work in some of the service industries.

During the election cycle I read a story about an assistant manager of a dollar store who was making 10 bucks an hour. I made that much working at an entry level position in my college over the summer. Which is just sad.

Its in the economies best interest for everybody to earn a living wage. If your making minimum wage, all of your income is going towards surviving and not pumping money into the local economy.

They rent out every U-Haul they can get their mitts on and move to places with commonsense laws and taxes like Colorado, Arizona, Idaho, New Mexico, Tennesee and Texas and they try to start up the same stupid liberal loon crap in those places.

Nahanni on November 22, 2008 at 2:56 PM

Unfortunately, New Mexico has been turning left for many years now. At first, we were able to keep the looneys locked up in Taos and Santa Fe (”The City Different,” and not in a good way), but they’ve been spreading out from there. Even Ted Turner has a ranch here now. Blech!