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Red States Should Revolt Against the 'Blue-State Bailout'
Townhall.com ^ | March 9, 2021 | Stephen Moore

Posted on 03/09/2021 5:11:29 AM PST by Kaslin

Congressional Democrats are a runaway train with a drunk-on-power conductor in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. No matter how much evidence pours in that the economy doesn't need $1.9 trillion more in debt spending, the Pelosi locomotive keeps crashing down the track toward the financial cliff. Generations will have to pay for the joyride.

One of the worst features of the bill is the "blue-state bailout." Twenty-one Republican governors and one Democrat are protesting the "biased" formula for allocating some $400 billion to the states. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster complained that the bill "punishes" states that did the right thing by keeping their economies and businesses open during the pandemic.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the bill "loots" the red states to pay for Democratic governors who have locked down their economies.

DeSantis has good reason to complain. Florida has a slightly higher population than New York, but New York gets $2,799 per person, or twice as much money as the $1,355 per person that Florida receives. In other words: Floridians are paying for New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's incompetence. That is precisely what is happening because the main factor in determining how much money each state gets is not its population but how high its unemployment rate has risen.

The three states that get the most significant share of the money are New York, California and New Jersey. These are three of the most liberal states with Democratic governors. That's not a coincidence.

Congressional Democrats are a runaway train with a drunk-on-power conductor in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. No matter how much evidence pours in that the economy doesn't need $1.9 trillion more in debt spending, the Pelosi locomotive keeps crashing down the track toward the financial cliff. Generations will have to pay for the joyride.

One of the worst features of the bill is the "blue-state bailout." Twenty-one Republican governors and one Democrat are protesting the "biased" formula for allocating some $400 billion to the states. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster complained that the bill "punishes" states that did the right thing by keeping their economies and businesses open during the pandemic.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the bill "loots" the red states to pay for Democratic governors who have locked down their economies.

DeSantis has good reason to complain. Florida has a slightly higher population than New York, but New York gets $2,799 per person, or twice as much money as the $1,355 per person that Florida receives. In other words: Floridians are paying for New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's incompetence. That is precisely what is happening because the main factor in determining how much money each state gets is not its population but how high its unemployment rate has risen.

The three states that get the most significant share of the money are New York, California and New Jersey. These are three of the most liberal states with Democratic governors. That's not a coincidence.

Blue Pennsylvania gets more per person than red Ohio. Blue Massachusetts and red Tennessee are about the same size, but somehow, Massachusetts receives $1.5 billion more in handouts. Connecticut gets twice as much bailout money as Utah, despite the fact that they are about the same size in population.

The governors' joint statement declares: "A state's ability to keep businesses open and people employed should not be a penalizing factor when distributing funds. If Congress is going to provide aid to states, it should be on an equitable population basis."

But it isn't. The way Congress passes out money is akin to assigning the highest performing students an F and the lowest performers an A. Maybe this is what the left means by "equity." The last shall be first.

Most red states have already balanced their budgets. So how will Republican governors use their free money?

Here's a better idea: Rather than squander the money with more bureaucratic spending and the risk of inflating a financial bubble in their state budgets in the years ahead, devote every penny of these funds to finance tax reform and relief. Eight states have no state income tax. Those states are Alaska, Nevada, South Dakota, Washington, Florida, Wyoming, Tennessee and Texas.

It would be rough justice for the blue-state bailout. If Democrats take the red states' money, Republican governors should make their states income-tax-free havens and steal the blue states' families and businesses. The states without income taxes create twice as many jobs as the high-tax blue states.

If you think California, Illinois, New Jersey and New York are melting down now, wait until they have to compete against regions of the country in the South and the mountain states with no income taxes.

Will the last person in New York please turn out the lights?


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: americanrescueplan; bailouts; hypocrisy

1 posted on 03/09/2021 5:11:29 AM PST by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

Yeah, great! Have the red states eliminate income tax so the idiot liberals leave the blue states to move there! Has anyone considered that these idiots STILL VOTE Democrat when they invade a red state?


2 posted on 03/09/2021 5:14:10 AM PST by HandBasketHell
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To: Kaslin

All these GOPe sites (Townhall, American Thinker, The Federalist) that begged Trump, and us, to accept defeat now want to fight!


3 posted on 03/09/2021 5:15:06 AM PST by 100%FEDUP (I'm seeing RED!)
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To: Kaslin

It’s called redistribution of wealth, it’s the communist way, welcome to the NWO, we’re all communists now.


4 posted on 03/09/2021 5:44:59 AM PST by stockpirate (Where Justice Ends Tyranny Begins...Repression Breeds Violence. REBELLION AGAINST TYRANNY )
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To: Kaslin

A RED state is Communist China.

Drop the RED!


5 posted on 03/09/2021 5:47:57 AM PST by Does so (The Media is the enemy of the people...Trial lawyers close behind...)
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To: Does so

How about having “AHEAD” states?


6 posted on 03/09/2021 5:48:41 AM PST by Does so (The Media is the enemy of the people...Trial lawyers close behind...)
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To: Kaslin

Red state and blue state is not that simple. The problem in all states are liberals and other idiot voters. Nevertheless, the country is rapidly turning blue just by holding key political areas and segments of society.


7 posted on 03/09/2021 5:49:42 AM PST by shanover (...To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them.-S.Adams)
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To: Kaslin

Not one dime to the only job they must do, defense.


8 posted on 03/09/2021 6:23:04 AM PST by thirst4truth (America, What difference does it make?)
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To: Kaslin
The three states that get the most significant share of the money are New York, California and New Jersey. These are three of the most liberal states with Democratic governors. That's not a coincidence.

Gov. JB Prickster here in Illinois has got to be pissed! He followed Nanzi Piglosi's orders and kept Hellinois locked down hard, killed our economy, caused more than two million people to lose their jobs in this state and all for nothing.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Joke's on you Gov. Fat-Ass! You're history in 2022.

9 posted on 03/09/2021 6:25:34 AM PST by usconservative (When The Ballot Box No Longer Counts, The Ammunition Box Does. (What's In Your Ammo Box?))
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To: Kaslin

They also need to declare the income tax ss systems illegal. Collect the money in the state. Return the Federal income tax to the people in their state and set up alternate SS system. cut the cord.


10 posted on 03/09/2021 6:41:00 AM PST by kvanbrunt2
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To: Does so

(R) used to be blue and (D) was red, until the MSM didn’t like it. Then it was a decade or more that the MSM simply reversed it. (R) is red now, (D) is blue.


11 posted on 03/09/2021 6:51:05 AM PST by George from New England
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To: George from New England

I guess the color red is associated with communism because that’s the predominant color of communist Russian and Chinese flags. I vaguely remember Dan Rather was the first one to flip colors when referring to Democrats and Republicans. The media being what it is, grabbed hold of that and wouldn’t let go. Doesn’t change what they (conservatives and socialists) are, though.


12 posted on 03/09/2021 7:08:44 AM PST by Theophilous Meatyard III
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