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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM

RadicalTaoist scratching at .8, just hopin' from the #GUniverse Since: Jan, 2001
scratching at .8, just hopin'
#51076: Mar 12th 2013 at 1:57:57 PM

I can think of a few states that could say they have an invisible horror stalking the state legislatures through the halls. But there has been a lot said about Koch Industries lobbyists already and that's not the topic of the thread.

edited 12th Mar '13 1:58:26 PM by RadicalTaoist

Share it so that people can get into this conversation, 'cause we're not the only ones who think like this.
BestOf FABRICATI DIEM, PVNC! from Finland Since: Oct, 2010 Relationship Status: Falling within your bell curve
FABRICATI DIEM, PVNC!
#51077: Mar 12th 2013 at 3:06:36 PM

Schwarzenegger wasn't all bad, though. He did lots of green stuff in California, against the wishes of his own party. His interview in Jon Stewart was pretty interesting - it was a couple of months ago. He said that there are plenty of questions where he went across the aisle for policies that work when his party was being too stupid. I think you have to give him credit for that.

Well, assuming that his description of his time as Governor was accurate. I'd think it was because he had just finished writing his autobiography, for which he should've done some introspection about his political career. (Don't ask me if he did, though.)

When you look at his policies I think he's not quite as ridiculous as he seemed at first.

edited 12th Mar '13 3:07:05 PM by BestOf

Quod gratis asseritur, gratis negatur.
Ramidel Since: Jan, 2001
#51078: Mar 12th 2013 at 3:13:40 PM

One thing about Schwarzenegger that was rather admirable was his willingness to learn from his mistakes and do an about-face when he put his foot in his mouth. Of course, he's probably one of the blessed few who could manage that (because his personal popularity had nothing to do with his politics). It also helped that he's a moderate Republican (of that blessed, dying breed).

terlwyth Since: Oct, 2010
#51079: Mar 12th 2013 at 4:36:47 PM

It pales in comparison to the prison problem the state faced and the absurd tax cutting. No,we would've been better off if Phil Angelides took over back in '06 or better Gray Davis never got recalled.

But at least Bill Simon (the pre-cursor to Meg Whitman) never made it.

carbon-mantis Collector Of Fine Oddities from Trumpland Since: Mar, 2010 Relationship Status: Married to my murderer
Collector Of Fine Oddities
#51080: Mar 12th 2013 at 4:52:20 PM

Can't find a reliable article online about it, but several prominent republicans in the state of North Carolina are trying to call for the state to abolish corporate and personal income taxes.

Not really surprising, considering that the governor is another firm tea party supporter. From what I've heard a good 60 or 70 percent of the state's income comes from the taxes they're proposing to eliminate, and they would compensate for the lost income by drastically raising sales taxes (and essential commodities/foodstuffs certainly wouldn't be exempt). I think it was either on CNBC or Bloomberg, but even the governor's own finance director called the idea absurd. While normally some inane proposal like this would be cast off as simply a political maneuver to appeal more to the rabid tea partiers, they won BIG in the last election and most if not all are dead set on making the poor "contribute their fair share," so part of me wonders if they actually might manage to get something like this passed.

terlwyth Since: Oct, 2010
#51081: Mar 12th 2013 at 4:56:09 PM

They also are trying to pass a Voter ID law like Pennsylvania,heard it on the radio a week ago.

Zendervai Since: Oct, 2009
#51082: Mar 12th 2013 at 5:54:08 PM

[up][up] That sounds like it could backfire horribly. What's to stop people from going to the state next door?

DrunkGirlfriend from Castle Geekhaven Since: Jan, 2011
#51083: Mar 12th 2013 at 5:56:06 PM

[up] Moving around like that is expensive?

"I don't know how I do it. I'm like the Mr. Bean of sex." -Drunkscriblerian
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#51084: Mar 12th 2013 at 5:57:01 PM

The poor people most deeply impacted by the new plan wouldn't have the resources to leave in order to evade it. It's a win-win in that regard, if you share the mindset of "make the poor pay at all cost".

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Zendervai Since: Oct, 2009
#51085: Mar 12th 2013 at 5:57:37 PM

No, I mean for shopping. North Carolina isn't all that big. Canadians go across the border to shop in the states all the time, so crossing state borders should be much less of a hassle.

edited 12th Mar '13 6:00:44 PM by Zendervai

DrunkGirlfriend from Castle Geekhaven Since: Jan, 2011
#51086: Mar 12th 2013 at 6:06:28 PM

[up] But it's not really viable for most Americans, unless they live close to the border. Most Candadians who cross the border to shop come from cities that are pretty close to the border to.

Edit: For example, in my neck of the woods, Vancouver BC to Bellingham WA is only about 50 miles or so. For someone on the eastern edge of North Carolina, they'd have to travel well over 100 miles to get to the next state.

edited 12th Mar '13 6:10:14 PM by DrunkGirlfriend

"I don't know how I do it. I'm like the Mr. Bean of sex." -Drunkscriblerian
Zendervai Since: Oct, 2009
#51087: Mar 12th 2013 at 6:13:57 PM

I didn't realize the state was that big. Granted, I know people from Toronto who shop in Buffalo. It's a full day trip.

DrunkGirlfriend from Castle Geekhaven Since: Jan, 2011
#51088: Mar 12th 2013 at 6:25:12 PM

[up] Yeah, but they don't do their weekly food shopping in Buffalo, do they?

Also, from what I've noticed from living in the area, only middle-class Canadians really make the trip from BC to WA. So even for you guys, it's not really a good option for the poor, and since this would disproportionally affect poor people in NC, it's not really a good option for them either.

"I don't know how I do it. I'm like the Mr. Bean of sex." -Drunkscriblerian
RadicalTaoist scratching at .8, just hopin' from the #GUniverse Since: Jan, 2001
scratching at .8, just hopin'
#51089: Mar 12th 2013 at 6:33:00 PM

Businesses in neighbouring states with lower sales taxes could make a killing offering to bus low-income shoppers in and out of the state. At what point does the cost of the buses get covered by the cost of a state full of desperate new customers? And it would tank NC so hard.

Share it so that people can get into this conversation, 'cause we're not the only ones who think like this.
tclittle Professional Forum Ninja from Somewhere Down in Texas Since: Apr, 2010
Professional Forum Ninja
#51091: Mar 12th 2013 at 6:53:41 PM

[up] That first one took me a second to process.

"We're all paper, we're all scissors, we're all fightin' with our mirrors, scared we'll never find somebody to love."
RTaco Since: Jul, 2009
#51092: Mar 12th 2013 at 6:54:20 PM

"...We are not going to give up on destroying the healthcare system for the American people."

The way in which he mis-worded this is delicious.

HilarityEnsues Since: Sep, 2009
#51093: Mar 12th 2013 at 6:55:44 PM

For a politician, Ryan is pretty bad at lying when he needs to the most.

Midgetsnowman Since: Jan, 2010
#51094: Mar 12th 2013 at 6:58:47 PM

I find it infinitely amusing that Tea Party dogma somehow assumes the /POOR/ are living it up with unfair quantities of money.

DrunkGirlfriend from Castle Geekhaven Since: Jan, 2011
#51095: Mar 12th 2013 at 7:01:41 PM

[up] That's because the poor are getting huge amounts of money from welfare! Don't you know, there's only like ten poor people in the US, and they're getting trillions of dollars every year! tongue

"I don't know how I do it. I'm like the Mr. Bean of sex." -Drunkscriblerian
DeviantBraeburn Wandering Jew from Dysfunctional California Since: Aug, 2012
Wandering Jew
#51096: Mar 12th 2013 at 7:13:32 PM

Senator McCaskill (D-MO): Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) Wants To Drive Us 'Off The Right Edge Of The World'

I'll tell ya' California doesn't have much in the way for "anti-Texas" stuff, because textbook updates aren't so good. The state literally spends the least per pupil out of all the states

That's not completely accurate.

edited 12th Mar '13 7:15:22 PM by DeviantBraeburn

Everything is Possible. But some things are more Probable than others. JEBAGEDDON 2016
terlwyth Since: Oct, 2010
#51097: Mar 12th 2013 at 7:20:12 PM

Well I know it's toward 50 somewhere at least,or was. If it isn't per pupil I'm not sure where.

Kostya (Unlucky Thirteen)
#51098: Mar 12th 2013 at 7:44:40 PM

So Ryan finally admitted to it.

Enkufka Wandering Student ಠ_ಠ from Bay of White fish Since: Dec, 2009
Wandering Student ಠ_ಠ
#51099: Mar 12th 2013 at 7:48:35 PM

I'd think that the people most impacted by the jacked up sales taxes would take a look at how much more they have to spend and then weigh that against how much it would cost to move to a state with a lower sales tax.

Very big Daydream Believer. "That's not knowledge, that's a crapshoot!" -Al Murray "Welcome to QI" -Stephen Fry
deathpigeon Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: One True Dodecahedron
#51100: Mar 12th 2013 at 7:48:52 PM

To be fair, what he was TRYING to say was "This is something we will not give up on because we are not going to give up on destroying the healthcare system made by Obama for the good of the American people"


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