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A Blue-State Bailout in Disguise
WSJ ^ | SEPTEMBER 15, 2011, 6:24 A.M. ET | By PAUL E. PETERSON AND DANIEL NADLER

Posted on 09/15/2011 5:58:24 AM PDT by Rudder

Last Thursday, the president urged Congress to pony up roughly $200 billion in taxpayer money to "provide more jobs for teachers [and] more jobs for construction workers" and more money to carry out other state and local activities. He urges Congress to spend this money even after handing out hundreds of billions of dollars for similar purposes as part of the 2009 stimulus package, as well as a score and more billion dollars again in 2010.

These vast contributions to the coffers of state and local governments, though pitched as a jobs bill, are in reality the latest in a series of bailouts for debt-ridden state and local governments. They are of special benefit to states in the blue regions of the country where the president's most fervent supporters reside.

In many blue states, legislators have copied the politicians in Washington by running up state debts to extraordinary levels. Nationwide, state debt is running around $3 trillion. If unfunded pension liabilities are factored in, estimated liabilities leap forward by another $1 trillion to $3 trillion, depending on the optimism of the assumptions made.

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: corruption; democrats; jobs; obama
Obama is underestimating the public's intelligence with this fraudulent use of legislature.

The costs go beyond dollars and cents. The more often the federal government bails out the states, the more Washington bureaucrats will insist on regulating state and local affairs. At some point the United States will see the end of state fiscal sovereignty and the demise our federal system of government.

1 posted on 09/15/2011 5:58:28 AM PDT by Rudder
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To: Rudder

Only liberals think that taking local taxpayer money, sending it to Washington DC, then laundering it through multiple agencies and sending the remainder back for firefighters is a good idea.


2 posted on 09/15/2011 6:02:53 AM PDT by Erik Latranyi
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To: Rudder

Exactly what is a blue state now? Some of the most reliably democrat states went hard republican in the last election.

In Michigan were virtually certain to pass a right to teach law soon.


3 posted on 09/15/2011 6:04:53 AM PDT by cripplecreek (A vote for Amnesty is a vote for a Permenant Democrat majority. ..Choose well.)
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To: Rudder
Obama is underestimating the public's intelligence with this fraudulent use of legislature.

He thinks everyone is as stupid and simple-minded as he and his followers are.

FUBO GTFO! 493 Days until Noon Jan 20, 2013 - Hell Yes, change is coming!

4 posted on 09/15/2011 6:05:12 AM PDT by The Sons of Liberty (Psalm 109:8 Let his days be few and let another take his office. - Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin)
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To: Rudder

“in Disguise” my a$$...

EVERY policy of 0bama has not only been for political payoffs and wealth transfer from conservatives to liberals,

but it is RACE BASED as well. De facto reparations.


5 posted on 09/15/2011 6:13:05 AM PDT by MrB (The difference between a Humanist and a Satanist - the latter knows whom he's working for)
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To: Rudder
Obama’s $450 billion “jobs” bill is merely a mechanism to take money from people who create jobs and give it to others who do not. It is a thinly disguised ploy to buy votes for a failing lame duck president.
6 posted on 09/15/2011 6:43:51 AM PDT by LOC1 (Let's pick the best, not settle for a compromise.)
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To: Rudder

A request for a bailout from either Illinois or California is almost inevitable. They are scrambling madly to make sure it does not come before next November.


7 posted on 09/15/2011 7:39:49 AM PDT by Buckeye McFrog
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