NYMAG: The Republican Party Must Answer for What It Did to Kansas and Louisiana

[No Excuses]

 

In 2010, the tea-party wave put Sam Brownback into the Sunflower State’s governor’s mansion and Republican majorities in both houses of its legislature. Together, they implemented the conservative movement’s blueprint for Utopia: They passed massive tax breaks for the wealthy and repealed all income taxes on more than 100,000 businesses. They tightened welfare requirements, privatized the delivery of Medicaid, cut $200 million from the education budget, eliminated four state agencies and 2,000 government employees. In 2012, Brownback helped replace the few remaining moderate Republicans in the legislature with conservative true believers. The following January, after signing the largest tax cut in Kansas history, Brownback told the Wall Street Journal, “My focus is to create a red-state model that allows the Republican ticket to say, 'See, we've got a different way, and it works.' "

 

As you’ve probably guessed, that model collapsed. Like the budget plans of every Republican presidential candidate, Brownback’s “real live experiment” proceeded from the hypothesis that tax cuts for the wealthy are such a boon to economic growth, they actually end up paying for themselves (so long as you kick the undeserving poor out of their welfare hammocks). The Koch-backed Kansas Policy Institute predicted that Brownback’s 2013 tax plan would generate $323 million in new revenue. During its first full year in operation, the plan produced a $688 million loss. Meanwhile, Kansas’s job growth actually trailed that of its neighboring states. With that nearly $700 million deficit, the state had bought itself a 1.1 percent increase in jobs, just below Missouri’s 1.5 percent and Colorado’s 3.3.

 

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/03/gop-must-answer-for-what-it-did-to-kansas.html

[Burgold]

Anyone and everyone should have predicted that. We've seen it in Reagan, Bush I, and Bush II. Trickle down economics does not work. It only succeeds in making the wealthy wealthier yet.

 

Well, in that sense, it worked perfectly as the Koch's and GOP planned. Screw everyone but the billionaire class is more or lass their platform.

[JMS]

Brownback was such a tool..  I was happy when he left Washington, and thought it was a nice way to contain the damage he would do to this country.

 

Problem is the Democratic party doesn't run a fifty state election system.   They abandon states where they don't think they have a good chance of winning.   So their is really no alternative to Brownback in Kansas.   It's just one of the many things which the Democratic party should change.

 

— as of November, Brownback’s approval rating was 26 percent, the lowest of any governor in the United States.

 

maybe we should start a Democratic outreach program in Kansas.

[Burgold]

Actually, Obama ran a 50 state campaign. It was Rove who famously stated and engineered the idea of winning 51%.

[TradeTheBeal!]

I can't wait for this thread to turn into a debate about abortion or the 1994 Crime Bill.

[Springfield]

It's all Obama's fault.

[elkabong82]

Trickle down is a ruse.

 

Proportional tax rates worked once upon a time. It's time we got back to that, taxed capital gains accordingly, and cut some of the military budget and put it into education.

[twa]

When are the Dems gonna answer for the bankruptcies ad poor fiscal policy?

 

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/07/08/dirty-dozen-liberal-blue-states-going-broke/

 

In fact, 11 of the 14 least fiscally solvent states are also on the list of the “dirty dozen” most liberal blue states. In descending order of fiscal irresponsibility, from 50th to 37th, here’s the list of fiscal shame:

#50 ILLINOIS

#49 NEW JERSEY

#48 MASSACHUSETTS

#47 CONNECTICUT

#46 NEW YORK

#44 CALIFORNIA

#42 MAINE

#40 HAWAII

#39 VERMONT

#38 RHODE ISLAND

#37 MARYLAND

 

Folk are fleeing them like rats on a sinking ship

http://dailysignal.com/2015/09/04/study-taxpayers-are-leaving-democrat-run-states-for-states-controlled-by-republicans/

[Burgold]

That's interesting, TWA. I wonder which metrics they are using. I have been reading for more than 10 years that the poorest states, the most welfare dependent states are very, very deep red.

[Going Commando]

What percentage of their wealth does the average 99 percenter spend? What percentage of their wealth does the average one percenter?

[Riggo-toni]

I managed to escape the PRNJ, but have had a helluva time trying to sell my house because people are leaving the state in droves. I finally accepted an offer that was 60k below what I owed because I can't afford to keep paying 15.5k a year on a home I don't even live in.

[Sacks 'n' Stuff]

Brownback was such a tool.. I was happy when he left Washington, and thought it was a nice way to contain the damage he would do to this country.

Problem is the Democratic party doesn't run a fifty state election system. They abandon states where they don't think they have a good chance of winning. So their is really no alternative to Brownback in Kansas. It's just one of the many things which the Democratic party should change.

so your party had control of the state, they were able to implement all of their policies and ideals unobstructed, and it was a complete disaster.

But it's the Democrats fault…

[BornaSkinsFan83]

If only we had Estrada

[SkinsHokieFan]

Which is why I like Virginia.

 

Dems and Rs for the most part, and there are some differences, have figured out reasonable tax and spend measures. The state does well fiscally.

 

The issues are more so the welfare queens downstate stealing money from Northern VA which is badly needed for transportation. 

[TradeTheBeal!]

Which is why I like Virginia.

Dems and Rs for the most part, and there are some differences, have figured out reasonable tax and spend measures. The state does well fiscally.

The issues are more so the welfare queens downstate stealing money from Northern VA which is badly needed for transportation.

Welfare queens? All of NOVAs money is deficit Federal spending...all of it. So who's the real welfare queen?

[Bang]

Oh, pish posh. Everyone knows that money is the root of all goodness.

And if you funnel the money up to those captains of industry that have crushed all who stood in their path of success and stepped on hands as they've climbed the ladder, once they stand atop the mountain they will absolutely funnel it back down, just like human nature says they will.

All of us are always compassionate, caring people, especially where money is involved.

 

Jeez.

All it needs is a little more time, lower educational standards, a lot more of your money, and it would really help if all of you women would just shut the **** up and go make us a sandwich.

 

~Bong

[twa]

That's interesting, TWA. I wonder which metrics they are using. I have been reading for more than 10 years that the poorest states, the most welfare dependent states are very, very deep red.

 

http://mercatus.org/statefiscalrankings

 

I'd rather be poor here than middle class in NJ ...or God forbid Illinois.

(and am poor here  )

 

the metrics for welfare dependent could use adjusting

[JMS]

When are the Dems gonna answer for the bankruptcies ad poor fiscal policy?

 

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/07/08/dirty-dozen-liberal-blue-states-going-broke/

 

In fact, 11 of the 14 least fiscally solvent states are also on the list of the “dirty dozen” most liberal blue states. In descending order of fiscal irresponsibility, from 50th to 37th, here’s the list of fiscal shame:

 

I'm enjoying the list of "MOST LIBERAL BLUE STATES"..half of whom have Republican Governors.

 

#50 ILLINOIS -  Bruce Rauner(Republican) ​                     

#49 NEW JERSEY          - Chris Christi (Republican)

#48 MASSACHUSETTS - Charlie Baker(Republican)

#47 CONNECTICUT -

#46 NEW YORK

#44 CALIFORNIA

#42 MAINE - Paul LePage(Republican)

#40 HAWAII

#39 VERMONT

#38 RHODE ISLAND

#37 MARYLAND  - Larry Hogan (Republican)

​

 

What a horrible and dishonest article TWA.   arbitrarily calling the Dirty dozen as blue states.. and then claiming the rest of the country.. The real America.. the America where Obama either lost the state or won it by less than 56.2% are Blue States..   HA.. nearly lost my scotch on that one too..

 

 

       One hundred and fifty years after the end of the Civil War, it is becoming increasingly clear that there are two Americas—one [consisting of the “Great 38 States” in flyover country which President Obama either lost or obtained less than 56.2 percent of the vote in the 2012 Presidential election] where the principles of constitutionally limited government and individual liberty are still revered, the other [those “dirty dozen” liberal blue states] where statism and the trampling of individual rights are on the rise.                            ​

 

Limited Government?  Individual Liberty?   Don't think women going to see their doctors would agree the GOP endorsed LIMITED GOV or INDIVIDUAL Liberty...   "Do I know you?!!?"

 

56.2 %..  really.. sounds a little arbitrary to me!

 

In reality President Obama won half of all the states in 2012 and by winning the larger states he amassed about 150% of the electoral college votes than did Mitt.

 

And of coarse in 2008 he more than doubled McCain's electoral college votes and won more than 30 states.

[No Excuses]

That's interesting, TWA. I wonder which metrics they are using. I have been reading for more than 10 years that the poorest states, the most welfare dependent states are very, very deep red.

 

As with all things TWA, any point he usually attempts to make is either rooted in a total lack of knowledge or spending too much time in echo chambers.

 

He's been trying to push the tax flight myth for quite some time on this board (gee I wonder why, Fox news is obsessed with this). When in reality:

 

http://www.cbpp.org/research/tax-flight-is-a-myth

 

 

 

• Migration is not common. Most people have strong ties to their current state, such as job, home, family, friends, and community. On average, just 1.7 percent of U.S. residents moved from one state to another per year between 2001 and 2010, and only about 30 percent of those born in the United States change their state of residence over the course of their entire lifetime. And when people do relocate, a large body of scholarly evidence shows that they do so primarily for new jobs, cheaper housing, or a better climate. A person’s age, education, marital status, and a host of other factors also affect decisions about moving

 

I'm assuming this was based on a Stanford study that showed there really is no correlation between taxes and state-to-state migration, which is highly infrequent to begin with. So drawing any kind of meaningful conclusion is utterly pointless when only 1% of your population is performing this annually over a 10 year scale.

 

I fully expected the dodge to mythical talking points when I made this thread. I'd like to hope that this thread stays focused on the utter failure of the GOP's entire economic agenda. Although the deflection says it all. Tough to defend colossal failure.

[TradeTheBeal!]

I'm enjoying the list of "MOST LIBERAL BLUE STATES"..half of whom have Republican Governors.

 

#50 ILLINOIS -  Bruce Rauner(Republican) ​                     

#49 NEW JERSEY          - Chris Christi (Republican)

#48 MASSACHUSETTS - Charlie Baker(Republican)

#47 CONNECTICUT -

#46 NEW YORK

#44 CALIFORNIA

#42 MAINE - Paul LePage(Republican)

#40 HAWAII

#39 VERMONT

#38 RHODE ISLAND

#37 MARYLAND  - Larry Hogan (Republican)​

Yes, but they voted for Obama with a 56.2% margin. Not 55.2% cause that would change everything...understand?

[Burgold]

Some of those states, despite a Republican governor I would argue are still pretty blue. Maryland for instance... though there are sections in Southern MD that run red. Mass also is another pretty blue state historically, I mean sky blue without a hint of sunset blue.

[twa]

They all look pretty blue to me and I've lived in Blue. 

 

btw Burgold

 

most welfare recipients are Dems

 

 

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/07/12/the-politics-and-demographics-of-food-stamp-recipients/

 

2 times the number on food stamps

 

http://wallstreetpit.com/89671-are-welfare-recipients-mostly-republican/

 

 60-80% of welfare recipients are Democrats, while full time Workers are evenly divided between parties.

[JMS]

Twa your second article was even worse...

Americans for Tax Reform—an advocacy group for lower and simpler taxes—concluded that in 2013 more than 200,000 taxpayers fled states with a Democrat governor to states with Republicans in control.

WTF? We have what 320 million population? The IRS receives 137.3 million tax returns every year..

So this article is suggesting that because 00.3% of taxpayers moved from democratic states to republican states that's indicative to WHAT? Quite a ground swell there if it's true, sounds like a very low number of folks moving.. Really would be interested in knowing how many people moved states in 2013.

Here is a link which says... about 7.5 million folks change states on average every year.

http://www.melissadata.com/enews/articles/0705b/1.htm

Here is a map of which states had positive immigration in 2013 and which had negative.

Appears to me folks were leaving the north east and moving west.. Texas was a big winner, but so were California and Oregon.

http://www.businessinsider.com/2013-moving-map-2014-1

Some of those states, despite a Republican governor I would argue are still pretty blue. Maryland for instance... though there are sections in Southern MD that run red. Mass also is another pretty blue state historically, I mean sky blue without a hint of sunset blue.

Burgold.. it's not that they are just blue.. According to the Article,, they are the MOST Blue states in the country. That's why they are doing so poorly because they are so militant blue states, ( with GOP governors)...

 

[twa]

How many of those 320M are taxpayers though? 

[JMS]

As with all things TWA, any point he usually attempts to make is either rooted in a total lack of knowledge or spending too much time in echo chambers

 

 

Gee Whiz..   man why don't you just present your points without all the personal insults.    TWA's been posting on here a lot longer than you have and nobody would call him unknowledgeable.   We would call him opinionated but so are we all.    Just cool it with the character assassination.  it's boring, mean spirited, and really inhibits people from exchanging their ideas.

 

I applaud TWA for both coming strong to the board and posting links to support his case.    Attack his facts not the man.    Hate the game, not the player.

How many of those 320M are taxpayers though? 

 

Fewer than half,  posted the average number of tax returns received by the IRS every year too was roughly 130 million.