Posted on 06/26/2006 8:11:58 PM PDT by rhema
10. Mitch Daniels—Indiana
While the former Bush Office of Management and Budget chief upset Indiana conservatives with his call for a temporary tax increase on those earning more than $100,000-per-year (the legislature rejected this), he nonetheless overcame a $645-million deficit with spending cuts. He has also attracted more private-sector business to the state and signed a voter identification measure that infuriated liberals.
9. Mike Rounds—South Dakota
Has made nationwide headlines by pushing a measure to ban all abortions in his state—a move almost certain to lead to the Supreme Court’s revisiting Roe v. Wade. Rounds did sign phone tax and cigarette tax increases to deal with a deficit he inherited, but backs his state’s no-income tax stand and calls for property-tax relief when the state has more money.
8. Tim Pawlenty—Minnesota
Unchanged on pro-life and other social stands from his days in the legislature, Pawlenty cut more than $171 million from the budget to cover a deficit in ’03 and has called for a constitutional limit on the growth of spending.
7. Haley Barbour—Mississippi
The former GOP national chairman never veered from his no-new tax, no government-expansion policies and was a take-charge leader during Hurricane Katrina. But he has disappointed some fans by becoming a visible lobbyist for more federal tax-funded post-Katrina relief.
6. David Heineman—Nebraska
Since succeeding Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns as governor in ’05, Heineman has won high marks for vetoing a bill to provide in-state tuition for children of illegal immigrants. His stand was key to his winning the GOP primary this year for a full term over Rep. Tom Osborne, revered former college football coach.
5. Rick Perry—Texas
After serving as George W. Bush’s lieutenant governor and then succeeding him as governor in ’01, Perry put through a zero-based budget to deal with a $10-billion deficit in ’04-05 and has maintained his state’s no-income-tax policy. He has proposed a $6-billion property tax cut. Perry is far tougher on border security and illegal immigration than his predecessor.
4. Jon Huntsman—Utah
After less than two years in office, this philanthropist and former Reagan and Bush Administration official has denounced the “No Child Left Behind” federal education scheme, signed a measure to void illegal immigrants’ driver’s licenses and replace them with a special “driving privilege” card, and supports school vouchers and phasing out the state sales tax on food.
3. Matt Blunt—Missouri
Backed by Republican majorities in both houses of the state legislature, America’s youngest (36) governor has successfully pushed for tax cuts as well as slashing the size of government.
2. Bill Owens—Colorado
“A sterling record of fiscal accomplishment” is how the Cato Institute characterized GOPer Owens’ six years in office. He backed a state tax and expenditure limit, cut income, capital gains and dividends taxes, and resisted raising taxes when his state had a $850-million deficit in ’03. Owens remains strongly pro-life and backed a statewide marriage initiative.
1. Jeb Bush—Florida
Winding up his second term as governor, Bush has signed a tax cut of some kind almost every year he has been in office—from slashing property to intangibles taxes—and not trimmed his pro-life, pro-voucher sails, although his refusal to permit natural gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico has upset many conservatives. He would be an obvious Republican presidential possibility in ’08 were he not following his father and brother.
Well, the state employees in Missouri despise Matt Blunt because he is shrinking the number of state employees in the welfare office.
I am not a resident of any these states and I cannot attest to their conservative ranking, but as a conservative, I have always been impressed with Mark Sanford the Governor of South Carolina when I have heard him speak.
Amen!!
This...list...is so disappointing as to be disgusting.
Bill Owens #2 governor.
Jeb Bush #1 governor.
Boy, are conservatives screwed. We have no bench!
We know what "shrub" is. We just don't think it is, or you are, funny anymore.
And for what it's worth, I'd vote for Jeb Bush in a heartbeat over anything with a D behind it.
Gov. Daniels deserves no credit.
He is a disgrace.
I will cast my first vote for a democrat in 2008. His opponent. I don't care who it is.
He has shoved more stuff down our throats and we're just filled to the brim with his BS.
governors for president for sure. senators not a chance. do you think they will ever get it? I dont.try sonny perdue governor of georgia.
I loved Pawlenty's response. It was a classic!
I'd be amazed if any of the Twin Cities "elites" actually took him up on his offer though. Very amazed.
The fact that they include Perry's $6 million property tax "cut" that was offset by business and excise tax increases (and will result in a net increase in tax collections) as a tax cut makes me doubt the rest of this articles claims.
"How about the Top Ten Liberal Govs. 1) John "Mamma" Baldacchi...Maine"
Teddy "Dumba$$" Kulongoski of Oregon would be right up there. The man is a complete idiot and almost as liberal as the commie before him was. I hope the people of Oregon aren't stupid enough to re-elect him this year, but knowing the people of Oregon, he will get re-elected because half of the state is made up of raving lunatic, crunchy granola moonbats.
That's darn funny! I have often wondered why wealthy liberals didn't simply give more money to the government.
In his current campaign for reelection, he mocks the libs up in Columbia (state capitol for those of you in Rio Linda :).
IMHO, a genuine conservative.
I agree, but Bill Owens let us down big time on the amendment c and d issues. I hope it was temporary imsanity as otherwise
he has been a decent governor.
This is pure unadulterated Horse$h!+.
I agree. I did a vanity post on Perdue several days ago.
In poll after poll jeb bush has at least 60%+ of the country saying they would never vote for him. He'll sink faster than the titanic, we just aren't going to elect another bush so quickly.
LOL, i cant stop laughing...
I did see one poll with his negatives very high. I have not looked for others. I personally don't think such polls are that meaningful for someone who has not been on the national stage that much.
Still JEB says he is not running which is why I keep looking at midwestern governors. If one has the personality and could get the nomination, he would be a shoe in in the general if he could carry a couple of extra midwestern states that have been very tight the last two elections.
George Pataki is #1 by far
TAXES
New York has the highest taxes in the country on EVERYTHING!!!!!!!
SPENDING
Under Pataki New York even though it has ~15 million fewer people it still spends more than California. In 2002 Both New York and California spent $90 Billion dollars. In 2003 with both facing hugh deficits Grey Davis at least proposed some cuts while Pataki even with NY facing a $10 Billion dollar deficit actually increased spending by $4 Billion.
And that $90 Billion number is actually way more since unlike California which has Prop. 13 Pataki can and does push massive unfunded mandates onto the counties (most notably Medicaid). Almost every county in NY has had double digit property tax increases consecutively the past couple of years.
BTW Texas with population just little above NY spent $67 Billion in 2002, And their counties do not have anywhere near the big property tax burdens like NY. Let me assure you the difference between NY and California and Texas is not due to the cost of snow removal.
Spending under Pataki
|
HEALTH CARE
Pataki has also socialized medicine in NY more than Hillary ever dreamed. Right now 1/6 New Yorkers are on the state medicaid dole with more to come because even with a $10 Billion deficit Pataki still plans on adding 720,000 more people onto the state doles via his Family health Plus and Healthy NY medicaid schemes. http://www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/fhplus/index.htm
And lets not forget New York's smoking ban is much more draconian than California's and once again all 38 NY state Senate Republicans unanimously passed it and Pataki signed it.
2nd ADMENDMENT
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1095868/posts
and
GOVERNOR PATAKI SIGNS LEGISLATION TO COMBAT GUN VIOLENCE
Quote
"Governor George E. Pataki today signed into law comprehensive legislation to combat gun violence, including a provision that makes New York the first state to close the so-called gun show loophole by requiring background checks on prospective purchasers for all sales at all gun shows.
The law also requires that firearms be sold with child safety locks; imposes a State ban on assault weapons; raises the minimum age to obtain a permit to purchase a handgun to 21 years old; implements a DNA for Handguns program; establishes a gun trafficking interdiction program; and, directs a study to be conducted on "smart gun" technology."
Environment,
The same thing especially with upstate where there is the Forever Wild clause.
And even though the rest of the country rejected it, Pataki is actually going forward in implementing the Kyoto protocol on global warming on his own.
A little more on the insanity of New York
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.