How is Your State Doing?
Leigh ·
February 1, 2013 at 8:19pm
According to the conventional wisdom, we're to be taking comfort for our national electoral collapse in our state-level successes.
How's that working out? Outsiders don't usually hear good analysis of what's going on unless it becomes truly dramatic, Wisconsin-style. Ricochetti local perspectives would be interesting.
To give the classic poll question, is your state on the right track or the wrong track? If the Republicans are in charge, how are they doing? If the Democrats, how bad are things?
Any new bad ideas? Any hopeful developments that should inspire us?
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Comments:
Jul '11
Re: How is Your State Doing?
I live in Florida. There are a couple of good things happening here.
Dec '10
Re: How is Your State Doing?
Washington State is still locked up by the Dems, sort of. Although they have the executive and both houses of the legislature, the state senate is currently controlled by the Republican minority + 2 Dems that are caucusing with them. It's the queerest arrangement I've ever heard of in politics, but it does accurately reflect the realities of the state. The whole state is dominated by the loony left in San Fran North (Seattle), but the remainder of the state is more Idaho than Oregon. I can hop a ferry and be in Seattle in half an hour, or I can drive half an hour south and be in an area where Ax Men dominate.
Mar '11
Re: How is Your State Doing?
I'm in Illinois, where the state's credit rating has just been downgraded for the 11th time since Pat Quinn became governor in 2009. Need I say more?
Sep '12
Re: How is Your State Doing?
I live in CA. I have long argued that signs at the border, and that includes the border from Mexico, should read "Abandon hope all ye who enter here."
Funny story--yesterday my husband attended the funeral of a colleague who was well-connected in CA politics. Governor Jerry Brown spoke at the funeral--mostly about himself. That's symbolic of the state, controlled by a bunch of navel-gazing lefties determined to double down on failure. Brown has been doubling down on failure in this state for more than 40 years now, assisted by doubling-down voters.
Feb '12
Re: How is Your State Doing?
I am in NC. Republicans have super majorities in both state houses and now have the governor's mansion. There is talk of scrapping the individual and corporate incomes tax here although some believe only a cut in both rates is coming. There is talk of education reform but NC is way behind the curve compared to Florida, Indiana, and others.
State spending is lower and the public employee workforce is smaller but I believe it is still a little above average. Government services are excellent in some areas, miserable in others. There is some serious inequality issues in terms of opportunity here.
Unemployment rate is above national rate but declining fast. The benefits of the recovery have been disproportionately enjoyed by the big cities of Charlotte, Raleigh, Cary, and Durham. Mid-size cities, towns, and rural areas are still struggling mightily.
I am optimistic with Gov. McCrory but it just depends on how ambitious and conservative he truly is.
Nov '11
Re: How is Your State Doing?
I live in NY. You all know already.
Re: How is Your State Doing?
California is testing the outer limits of what people will endure to live amidst clement weather and spectacular scenery.
May '11
Re: How is Your State Doing?
The state in which I live just legalized Marijuana. The state in which I was born also just legalized Marijuana.
I am very interested in seeing federalism play itself out. Would that we could have similar experiments in other areas-of-controversy.
Edited on February 1, 2013 at 8:45pmAug '11
Re: How is Your State Doing?
Here in Oregon the situation is bad. Debt is skyrocketing, services are deteriorating, and the economy is weak. Although the Republicans came close to taking control of the state legislature, the public employee unions were able to turn the tide in 2013. There have been no state wide Republican elected state officials in 20 years.
Like Washington, the urban rural divide is awesome.
The only sign of hope is that locality by locality some areas just outside Portland proper are turning more conservative. The issues that drive these turns are not national issues. The burning political issues here are light rail, urban renewal districts, and water treatment plants. Conservatives are doing an excellent job of education people on those issues.
Dec '12
Re: How is Your State Doing?
I'm with Fred Cole. NY. Prince Andrew of Cuomo is using us as show prep for his eventual run at Washington DC, a la Mrs. Clinton. It's so nice to be a stepping stone on everyone's career path.
Sep '11
Re: How is Your State Doing?
I am moving from a state that's doing it mostly right (TX) to a state that is definitely not (CA). I imagine there will be some serious culture shock, but I plan on treating the move as an expat assignment. After all Texas is a "whole other country."
Edited on February 1, 2013 at 11:37pmApr '12
Re: How is Your State Doing?
It's fun to live in VA and it's fun to look across the river at the smoking crater that is MD. We're both states that should be rich, well organized, clean, and immune to bad economies due to the DC suburbs propping up lagging jobs numbers in the rest of the state.
Looking at the smoking crater that is DC isn't fun to look at, but that's just for sentimental reasons. I hate that DC is such a mess.
Jan '13
Re: How is Your State Doing?
You forgot to add the doubling-down legislature.
The great people of our state just voted (VOTED!) for more taxes in the last election. It's fun stuff.
I truly see no hope for California aside from the possibility that it eventually becomes such a horrible, broke, socialistic state that the only alternative is to let the right wingers have a shot at fixing it. Although by that time I will probably have fled the state.
Aug '10
Re: How is Your State Doing?
I am very sad to report that things are heading south here in Minnesota. Our marxist governor, Mark Dayton, has proposed huge tax and spending increases now that the DFL (our version of Democrats) has regained control of the legislature.
Comrade Dayton is proposing a sales tax on business-to-business services which will devastate Minnesota companies. That means a sales tax on accounting, lawyers, consultants, advertising - you name it. We already have a 2% tax on all medical services so I don't know if that is going up or not.
Dayton also wants to extend the state sales tax to clothing, which had previously been exempted. He is proposing a $500 property tax rebate as well for homeowners, which means - you guessed it - poor folks who rent will be hit with higher sales tax and will not get the rebate. Tax the poor!
Progressive indeed....
Sep '12
Re: How is Your State Doing?
Our PA Governor Tom Corbett (R) just yesterday proposed his plan for privatizing liquor stores - evidently UT and PA are the last 2 states stuck with govt. connoisseurs assisting you in the selection of your cabernet sauvignon. Proceeds from licenses would go to education. For years every time there is a poll, Pennsylvanians approve privatizing state stores by over 70%, so it might just happen, and put Corbett in good stead for reelection.
Unemployment in PA is right around the national rate. Philly's homicide rate continues at over 300 murders a year, and its institutions continue to be headed by liberal Democrats, including the city's Republican party.
Dec '12
Re: How is Your State Doing?
We're from Texas. There is so much going right here (even though the legislature is in session), I find it hard to believe. In many ways it feels like it would have living in Rivendell as the powers of darkness gathered outside. Now if we could find someone to carry the ring of power and drop it in the Cracks of Doom in MorDC.
Mark
Aug '10
Re: How is Your State Doing?
...And of course Dayton has proposed a 20% increase in the income tax rate for the "rich" - $150k for individuals and $250k for couples - as well.
We really miss Tim Pawlenty.
Dec '12
Re: How is Your State Doing?
Here in Massachusetts we elected Elizabeth Warren, the governor's raising income taxes, and the roads are still abysmal.
On the bright side, the state wasn't too badly hurt in the recession and is able to attract bright, innovative people from all over the world to attend its universities and work in finance and high tech.
I don't see much of a future here for middle class people-- and neither do other young people, judging from our negative population growth.
Aug '11
Re: How is Your State Doing?
Yep--I'm living in that crater (MD) across the Potomac--sort of. But as we say over here on the eastern shore...."there's no life on t'other side of the Chesapeake Bay"
Feb '12
Re: How is Your State Doing?
I'm in Texas. We had four of the top ten cities named recently in some survey for best small to medium sized cities to do business. My town of Tyler was number 9 on the list of 100. I can't recall which study it was now. We receive so many accolades here that it's hard to keep up.
Anyway, for all you people in California and New York: suck it. (Said with southern charm, and a bit of Irish blarney.)