Jobless Figures Pose Social, Political Threat for Obama, Dems
- Thread starter blackascoal
- Start date
It's amazing that the examples of successfully riding out economic downturns successfully has been so glibly tossed to to the wayside.
The amount of new regulatory invasive legislation if passed (Cap and Trade) gives congress a hand into our wallets that has the historic first standing in our nations history, as providing government what King George himself could only have dreamed of!
I guess asking for some sort of support for the claim that Minnesota is "faring the best in The Union'" and has "the best economy" is asking a bit too much.
I guess if you are going to challenge it you can go looking for yourself...you do know how to use a search engine right?
heheheh bitch slapped the lorax
It's your assertion. I want to know what information you base that assertion on. It shouldn't be too tough.
blackascoal
The Force is With Me
Fixing Minnesota (miracle not required)
All it takes is an acknowledgment that the anti-tax formula has failed.
A bridge has collapsed, and others are deteriorating. State highways and city streets are falling apart. Many schools' classrooms are badly overcrowded, and one district is unable even to operate a five-day school week. Students cannot afford tuitions at the state's colleges and universities. Minnesota's unemployment rate has exceeded the nation's for the first time in a quarter-century.
Now the state faces a catastrophic budget deficit. It should sound yet another siren that Minnesota is headed in a profoundly wrong direction.
Those previous indicators of Minnesota's worsening condition seemed not to arouse many alarms. Perhaps they were considered symptomatic of the deteriorating national economy. Perhaps people's expectations for our state's preeminence have diminished. The fact that Gov. Tim Pawlenty's approval rating has remained comfortably high suggests that people's expectations of what the governor and state government should accomplish have fallen drastically.
That is extremely unfortunate, because unless the people of Minnesota collectively demand something better, they are unlikely to get it. And that failure would presage even further declines.
A generation ago, Time magazine praised our state's success as "The Minnesota Miracle." While Time's commendation was deserved, its headline was misleading. Our success was well-earned, not miraculously conferred. We funded excellent public schools and universities statewide; we built and maintained an adequate network of highways to serve expanding businesses and growing communities, and, by many measures, we created an admirably high quality of life for most of our citizens.
Crucial to those and other achievements was our successful state economy. Throughout national economic expansions and downturns, Minnesota's unemployment rate was consistently 2 percent or better below the national average. Per capita income grew, both in real dollars and relative to other states. Increasing employment and rising incomes funded the quality public services that, in turn, provided the foundation for future economic growth.
That formula for success, no matter how well it served most Minnesotans, did not appeal to some Republican politicians, business leaders and other conservatives. Despite Minnesota's economic success, they steadily attacked a "bad business climate." They complained that too-high taxes on wealthy citizens and on businesses, combined with too-favorable (to workers) workers' compensation and unemployment benefits and too-stringent pollution control and environmental-protection laws were driving growing businesses and wealthy individuals away.
They promised that, if those policies were reversed, businesses would create more jobs in Minnesota and the economy would further improve. Wealthy citizens would spend more time and money here. Lower taxes, less regulation and weaker protections, they said, would create a better Minnesota for everyone.
For the past two decades, two Republican governors and one independent/libertarian have enacted those policies. What is the result? They have turned the Minnesota Miracle into the Minnesota Nightmare! This latest budget crisis should drive the final nail into the coffin of their fiscal and policy delusions.
Their lowering taxes for the rich has created a regressive state and local tax structure in which the wealthiest 10 percent of Minnesotans pay a lower percentage of their high incomes in state and local taxes than do the next 60 percent of taxpayers. Many of those beneficiaries have been business decisionmakers. Yet their gains have not translated into better schools, better highways, better jobs or better lives for most other Minnesotans.
http://www.startribune.com/opinion/commentary/36072859.html?elr=KArksc8P:Pc:Ug8P:Pc:UiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU
15.7%: Brainerd leads cities over 10,000 in Minnesota with unemployment rate
In April, the city posted a 20.2 percent unemployment rate
http://www.brainerddispatch.com/stories/070709/new_20090707001.shtml
Midwest economy: a state-by-state glance
Minnesota: For the 11th consecutive month, the overall fell below growth neutral to 43.9 from May's 42. Components were new orders at 47, production at 48.2, delivery lead time at 37.3, inventories at 40.2, and employment at 37.3. "Over the past year, Minnesota has lost more than 35,000 manufacturing jobs," Goss said. "Economic activity was particularly weak for durable or heavy manufacturing. ... I expect Minnesota's rising unemployment rate to moderate in the months ahead topping out at 8.5 percent in the third quarter of 2009."
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i_8w9XFK57jM5nQeh7KDlFpNcbjQD995PQI80
All this talk of Minnesota as the shining star on the hill is kinda' silly.
All it takes is an acknowledgment that the anti-tax formula has failed.
A bridge has collapsed, and others are deteriorating. State highways and city streets are falling apart. Many schools' classrooms are badly overcrowded, and one district is unable even to operate a five-day school week. Students cannot afford tuitions at the state's colleges and universities. Minnesota's unemployment rate has exceeded the nation's for the first time in a quarter-century.
Now the state faces a catastrophic budget deficit. It should sound yet another siren that Minnesota is headed in a profoundly wrong direction.
Those previous indicators of Minnesota's worsening condition seemed not to arouse many alarms. Perhaps they were considered symptomatic of the deteriorating national economy. Perhaps people's expectations for our state's preeminence have diminished. The fact that Gov. Tim Pawlenty's approval rating has remained comfortably high suggests that people's expectations of what the governor and state government should accomplish have fallen drastically.
That is extremely unfortunate, because unless the people of Minnesota collectively demand something better, they are unlikely to get it. And that failure would presage even further declines.
A generation ago, Time magazine praised our state's success as "The Minnesota Miracle." While Time's commendation was deserved, its headline was misleading. Our success was well-earned, not miraculously conferred. We funded excellent public schools and universities statewide; we built and maintained an adequate network of highways to serve expanding businesses and growing communities, and, by many measures, we created an admirably high quality of life for most of our citizens.
Crucial to those and other achievements was our successful state economy. Throughout national economic expansions and downturns, Minnesota's unemployment rate was consistently 2 percent or better below the national average. Per capita income grew, both in real dollars and relative to other states. Increasing employment and rising incomes funded the quality public services that, in turn, provided the foundation for future economic growth.
That formula for success, no matter how well it served most Minnesotans, did not appeal to some Republican politicians, business leaders and other conservatives. Despite Minnesota's economic success, they steadily attacked a "bad business climate." They complained that too-high taxes on wealthy citizens and on businesses, combined with too-favorable (to workers) workers' compensation and unemployment benefits and too-stringent pollution control and environmental-protection laws were driving growing businesses and wealthy individuals away.
They promised that, if those policies were reversed, businesses would create more jobs in Minnesota and the economy would further improve. Wealthy citizens would spend more time and money here. Lower taxes, less regulation and weaker protections, they said, would create a better Minnesota for everyone.
For the past two decades, two Republican governors and one independent/libertarian have enacted those policies. What is the result? They have turned the Minnesota Miracle into the Minnesota Nightmare! This latest budget crisis should drive the final nail into the coffin of their fiscal and policy delusions.
Their lowering taxes for the rich has created a regressive state and local tax structure in which the wealthiest 10 percent of Minnesotans pay a lower percentage of their high incomes in state and local taxes than do the next 60 percent of taxpayers. Many of those beneficiaries have been business decisionmakers. Yet their gains have not translated into better schools, better highways, better jobs or better lives for most other Minnesotans.
http://www.startribune.com/opinion/commentary/36072859.html?elr=KArksc8P:Pc:Ug8P:Pc:UiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU
15.7%: Brainerd leads cities over 10,000 in Minnesota with unemployment rate
In April, the city posted a 20.2 percent unemployment rate
http://www.brainerddispatch.com/stories/070709/new_20090707001.shtml
Midwest economy: a state-by-state glance
Minnesota: For the 11th consecutive month, the overall fell below growth neutral to 43.9 from May's 42. Components were new orders at 47, production at 48.2, delivery lead time at 37.3, inventories at 40.2, and employment at 37.3. "Over the past year, Minnesota has lost more than 35,000 manufacturing jobs," Goss said. "Economic activity was particularly weak for durable or heavy manufacturing. ... I expect Minnesota's rising unemployment rate to moderate in the months ahead topping out at 8.5 percent in the third quarter of 2009."
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i_8w9XFK57jM5nQeh7KDlFpNcbjQD995PQI80
All this talk of Minnesota as the shining star on the hill is kinda' silly.
blackascoal
The Force is With Me
Not at all.
I have much respect for Onceler's thoughts. We don't catorgize our disagreements as "bitch slappin'"
HAHAHA, oh Bac, you take a single city and project that as the states indicator??? What a desperate move! I could go to any states index and pick a small sized city 10k and show MUCH higher unemployment rates. Overall Minnesota is Fairing MUCH better than other states in the union... 
What has Pawlenty done? He has slashed spending and cut taxes!
What has Pawlenty done? He has slashed spending and cut taxes!Indeed. Your arguments on this topic are sound. I'm just not ready to render a definitive verdict yet; I am disappointed in how slowly the stimulus cash is getting out there. I understand the need to avoid waste by just throwing it out there quickly, but by now, I would have expected more to be spent & allocated.
Once 50-70% is actually spent, and hopefully sooner rather than later, I'll be able to make a more informed verdict on how much it is helping Main St. That's just me; I wasn't expecting any kind of recovery in the short-term to begin with.
HAHAHA, oh Bac, you take a single city and project that as the states indicator??? What a desperate move! I could go to any states index and pick a small sized city 10k and show MUCH higher unemployment rates. Overall Minnesota is Fairing MUCH better than other states in the union...
Do you jut make this stuff up as you go along? I bet it's fun and all but let's get real.
blackascoal
The Force is With Me
Personally throughout the entire Obama saga I have been wishing that I've been wrong about him. I'd rather be wrong than have the right-wing back in power.
But Obama's game plan is seriously flawed and it assumes way too much.
He needs to boot Summers and Geither in the ass on their way out the door and rely on more sound advice from those who have pegged this economy correctly.
blackascoal
The Force is With Me
HAHAHA, oh Bac, you take a single city and project that as the states indicator??? What a desperate move! I could go to any states index and pick a small sized city 10k and show MUCH higher unemployment rates. Overall Minnesota is Fairing MUCH better than other states in the union...
WOW, you are much dumber than even I thought.
The unemployment rate of Brainerd is just a small portion of my post .. but you ignored 90% of the post and focused only on Brainerd .. because you're dumb and didn't have any real argument.
... no surprise there
No I didn't igore it ...it wasn't relevent!!! I think you getting a MORE INFORMED verdict would be a really good idea.
Did you even read the "local quotes" to that article??? Brainerd is apparently a magnet for the unemployed. Every state has them and of course that's the one you picked for your show of genius...lol
I just have one question. when does this become Obama's economy? We all know it was not Bush's fault that Greenspan had killed the clinton economy. Bush provided some help early on but he spent too much killing brown people for oil, so the economy he handed to Obama sucked and was on the way to sucking more. But since then we've seen bailouts for big corps and unemployment climbing to Carter levels. It's already here in PDX. I had to start a business with money I was going to use for a house. I've had to work for 30% less than a year ago and Oregon libtards are about to raise taxes all over the place. Thank god for the cap and trade to save the day.
When is this Obama's mess?
When is this Obama's mess?
blackascoal
The Force is With Me
The 90% of the post you ignored SHOULD have given you a MORE INFORMED perspective, but as I said, it's no surprise that it didn't.
My post demonstrated that holding up Minnesota as some glowing example is kinda' stupid .. and here's where you get to post counter-argument that demonstrates your lame argument.
Since you ignored the information in my other post, perhaps you can get MORE INFORMED from these ...
The 7 Best States to Start a Business
http://www.usnews.com/articles/busi...06/the-7-best-states-to-start-a-business.html
You'll notice that Minnesota is not one of them.
Minnesota tax system is at its regressive worst
http://growthandjustice.typepad.com...newed-commitment-to-progressivity-needed.html
Next Generation Economy - The Minnesota Perspective
November’s Forecast Highlights Minnesota’s Major Budget Challenge
FY 2008-09 -- $426 million deficit
FY 2010-11 -- $4.8 billion shortfall
Revenues decline 1.8 percent
Expenditures increase 6.1 percent
Planning Estimates for 2012-13 show gap of $4.6 billion between revenues and expenditures
Including inflation would increase the 2012-13 shortfall by $1.5 billion
http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache...ota+declining+growth&cd=7&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
But that's enough about Minnesota .. and you.
"I just have one question. when does this become Obama's economy?"
It's Obama's economy now. As much as conservatives bring it up, I really don't see a lot of people arguing vehemently that Obama is just a victim of Bush's actions at this point.
Clearly, if things don't turn around this year or early next, it will hurt Obama and Democrats badly in the mid-terms.
It's Obama's economy now. As much as conservatives bring it up, I really don't see a lot of people arguing vehemently that Obama is just a victim of Bush's actions at this point.
Clearly, if things don't turn around this year or early next, it will hurt Obama and Democrats badly in the mid-terms.
SmarterthanYou
rebel
Obama's just a victim now? :lmao:
An article about where to start a business (7mos old) and a "progressive" think tank artcle on a tax system that is conservative is hardly proof of anything! In fact Washington State is facing much larger short falls and deficits than Minnesota and it was named the number one!
As to projected shortfalls in expenditures??? WTF? Have you looked at the other 49 states??? Note that there actual deficit as a state is relativeley low! It is you who neds to do a little REAL research.
As to projected shortfalls in expenditures??? WTF? Have you looked at the other 49 states??? Note that there actual deficit as a state is relativeley low! It is you who neds to do a little REAL research.
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