Posted on 11/09/2004 4:12:20 PM PST by hemi dawg
Left-Wing Buchananites ... Lawrence O'Donnell and Eleanor Clift, reacting to President Bush's stunning re-election victory by out-Buchananing Buchanan:
O'Donnell: The big problem the country now has, which is going to produce a serious discussion of secession over the next 20 years, is that the segment of the country that pays for the federal government is now being governed by the people who don't pay for the federal government. . . .
Ninety percent of the red states are welfare client states of the federal government. They collect more from the federal government than they send in. New York and California, Connecticut, the states that are blue are all the states that are paying for the bulk of everything this government does, from the ward of Social Security to everything else, and the people in those states don't like what this government is doing. . . . ... Obviously, this is crazy talk. But it's interesting crazy talk, because it reveals something about how the liberal elite views America. O'Donnell talks about secession driven by economics: Blue states pay a disproportionately high share of federal taxes, while red states receive a disproportionately high share of subsidies. Well, fine, but isn't it the blue-state types who favor higher taxes, especially on "the wealthy"? If guys like O'Donnell feel overtaxed, why not make common cause with the Republicans and starve the beast? ... They are willing to pay higher taxes to subsidize the rest of the country, provided the rest of the country allows them to dictate their social policies.
A week ago the red states rejected this view. The blue states are not going to secede, but maybe, just maybe, they will respond with a tax revolt. Now there's a liberal cause we could get behind.
(Excerpt) Read more at opinionjournal.com ...
Upon reflection, a case might be made that the institution of the US Senate accounts for some of the differential. Certainly THE SOUTH has historically had all Democrat Senators, and it was under their rule that the red state spending patterns were established.
Some numbers maven would have to correlate the relative over/under representation with federal spending.
Or maybe high population staters are just more willing to bribe low population staters to allow blue state favorite sons to be in positions of power.
Thanks for the link. I am still amazed at how ridiculous the left is acting on this. Do they actually think bad mouthing the red states is the way to win the next election? Do they think the Red States are going to so easily forget the insults??
For a group of people who are supposedly smarter they are sure acting dumb.
>>For a group of people who are supposedly smarter they are sure acting dumb.<<
Key word: Supposedly.
Couldn't agree with ya more!
I'm still trying to figure out what Buchanan has to do with this. He always opposed income transfer and big government. He was a constructionist who relied on the Constitution in his support of tariffs, on the theory that a government that had to live off tariffs would be small enough to be harmless.
Some numbers maven would have to correlate the relative over/under representation with federal spending.
Or maybe high population staters are just more willing to bribe low population staters to allow blue state favorite sons to be in positions of power.
There are lots of explanations for the map.
First, check out Maryland and Virginia. Government employees in the suburbs of DC. Then the farm states - farm subsidies (ethanol and etc.).
Then the states that have a lot of Native Americans - with their subsidies. Not many Indians in Manhattan or the Bronx.
Then states that have large defense suppliers. The data doesn't address how this money is spread through subcontracts to all of the other states.
Then states that have large military installations. Most of them are in the red states. Then consider where most of our veterans and military retirees come from. Not generally from downtown NYC or San Francisco.
And that's just a start.
It's true, however little of that aid is requested, rather most of it is forced on us through threats to cut off other Federal funding such as highway funds.
Check this one out:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1275894/posts
Seems that the states that get the most federal funds are also the states that give the most to charity.
I'd guess that most of us are paying our alloted taxes so that makes it fair. Hasn't that been the mantra for the Dems>Fairness?
Well, we pay our fair share then--and the rich states pay their fair share.
As far as benefits, have the Dems ever said that the wealthy ought to get their fair share of taxes back in the way of benefits? I don't think so.
Bravo Sierra...it is actually the other way around IMHO. Inner cities, represented by the DNC, eat up the lion's share.
I could actually buy it, but it's a trick statement. The Red states tax "subsidies" are, for the most part, originally intended to benefit the Blue. With farm programs, you keep their food cheap. The highway money paves the roads connecting the blue areas and the retired blues (Social Security and Medicare) frequently infec... I mean migrate to the Red states warmer climes.
It seems to me that the democrats tried seccession once before.
Most of the wealthy in the blue states live in red counties....
I'd like to see the same analysis by individual voter or precinct. Exit polls showed that the republicans won the over 50k per year voters.
It's a Hemi Dog!
Billions of dollars continue to be confiscated from all US taxpayers because the affluent left in Boston won't own up and pay. It's a stupid plan. Why is traffic going to be better by burying the same volume underground in a tunnel that leaks?
Even Ted Kennedy doesn't want to hear about the Big Dig anymore because it means he gets no more freebies out of the Senate.
Boston harbor remained a mess for years because PeeWee Dukakis couldn't bring himself to clean it up by billing the people who made it dirty.
Wow! Excellent information! Thank you.
super-cool photo! Thanks! I want that Dawg!!
If I'm not too behind the times, I believe agriculture is the number one industry in America. And the majority of that industry is in the red states.
In addition to feeding the blue states, excepting of course their truffles, caviar, imported French wines, and certain smelly cheeses, we also help feed a considerable portion of the world with our surplus agricultural production..
Furthermore, agricultural commodities are the backbone of our exports. Without them, the import/export balance of trade would be insupportable. Most of the trade that passes through our coastal ports and through the blue enclaves along our rivers is produced in the red states.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.