MN raised income taxes on the rich to pay for education, raised min. wage, and made equal pay laws. Results are superb. (unemployment rate, minimum wage)
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Basically MN did everything opposite of states like WI, IL, and KS who've followed the trickle down plans to a T for years. MN now is the 5th fastest growing economy, it's $2.6 Bn deficit is now a $1 bn surplus, and its residents' confidence in the local economy is #1 out of the entire country.
So what happened to the GOP narrative in this case? The former GOP governor left a massive budget deficit that took a DEMOCRAT to fix. Here are some of the numbers from WI, IL, and KS who did the opposite:
Average weekly private-sector earnings: Kansas, $784 (+2.3 percent over the past year); Wisconsin, $795 (+0.1 percent); Minnesota, $891 (+1.5 percent); Illinois, $893 (+1.6 percent); national average growth, 2.3 percent.
Annual GDP growth: Kansas, 1.9 percent; Wisconsin, 1.7 percent; Minnesota, 2.8 percent; Illinois, 0.9 percent; national average, 1.8 percent.
That's a boatload of winning by doing exactly opposite of what the GOP always tries to prescribe.
Basically MN did everything opposite of states like WI, IL, and KS who've followed the trickle down plans to a T for years. MN now is the 5th fastest growing economy, it's $2.6 Bn deficit is now a $1 bn surplus, and its residents' confidence in the local economy is #1 out of the entire country.
So what happened to the GOP narrative in this case? The former GOP governor left a massive budget deficit that took a DEMOCRAT to fix. Here are some of the numbers from WI, IL, and KS who did the opposite:
Average weekly private-sector earnings: Kansas, $784 (+2.3 percent over the past year); Wisconsin, $795 (+0.1 percent); Minnesota, $891 (+1.5 percent); Illinois, $893 (+1.6 percent); national average growth, 2.3 percent.
Annual GDP growth: Kansas, 1.9 percent; Wisconsin, 1.7 percent; Minnesota, 2.8 percent; Illinois, 0.9 percent; national average, 1.8 percent.
That's a boatload of winning by doing exactly opposite of what the GOP always tries to prescribe.
Have you ever heard the term "correlation does not imply causality"? Just because you think the statistics you quote indicate an improvement in the economy, there is absolutely no reason to think they are a result of increasing income taxes and spending more money on education, raising the minimum wage or passing equal pay laws.
EDUCATION: Even if spending even more on education might have economic benefits (and since more money doesn't even improve academic achievement, this is a real stretch), such investment wouldn't have any effect until the children that actually received the more expensive education graduated and joined the work force. Crediting increased education spending for these current statistics makes no sense.
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE: the unemployment rate looks better than it used to primarily because many have quit trying to find a job at all, or have taken either temporary or part-time (usually minimum wage) jobs. Don't forget that the Unemployment Rate is not an unemployment rate at all: it actually refers to only Americans who lost jobs while covered by UI, who haven't yet exhausted their 6 months of Unemployment benefits.
MINIMUM WAGE: Yes, raising the minimum wage would increase average wages by a very tiny amount. But it also means employers will try even harder to reduce their number of employees they have, to force the employees they have to work harder/longer hours (to avoid adding new employees), and to automate as much as possible to minimize the number of employees needed. Any economic analysis needs to look at all the effects of the change, to see if it really is good overall.
EQUAL PAY: Considering the cost of lawsuits, I sincerely doubt many employers in MN were violating equal pay laws before these new laws were passed. Equal pay has already been accepted as a standard, and the bureaucratic penalties of violating equal pay laws are far exceeded by the financial cost of losing an equal pay lawsuit.
Minnesota has, for the most part, been primarily a Democratic state - and its per capita/household income higher than WI for a long time, now. My neighbor's kids went to college there, and have remained. Now in their 50's, both are doing extremely well
MN is definitely a better run state than WI - and has been for a very long time. Scott Walker has set our state back. The legislature, because of gerrymandering, is horrible and is eliminating open government laws right and left.
Basically MN did everything opposite of states like WI, IL, and KS who've followed the trickle down plans to a T for years. MN now is the 5th fastest growing economy, it's $2.6 Bn deficit is now a $1 bn surplus, and its residents' confidence in the local economy is #1 out of the entire country.
So what happened to the GOP narrative in this case? The former GOP governor left a massive budget deficit that took a DEMOCRAT to fix. Here are some of the numbers from WI, IL, and KS who did the opposite:
Average weekly private-sector earnings: Kansas, $784 (+2.3 percent over the past year); Wisconsin, $795 (+0.1 percent); Minnesota, $891 (+1.5 percent); Illinois, $893 (+1.6 percent); national average growth, 2.3 percent.
Annual GDP growth: Kansas, 1.9 percent; Wisconsin, 1.7 percent; Minnesota, 2.8 percent; Illinois, 0.9 percent; national average, 1.8 percent.
That's a boatload of winning by doing exactly opposite of what the GOP always tries to prescribe.
My car keeps moving when I apply the brakes. Conclusion: Brakes move the car.
Basically MN did everything opposite of states like WI, IL, and KS who've followed the trickle down plans to a T for years. MN now is the 5th fastest growing economy, it's $2.6 Bn deficit is now a $1 bn surplus, and its residents' confidence in the local economy is #1 out of the entire country.
So what happened to the GOP narrative in this case? The former GOP governor left a massive budget deficit that took a DEMOCRAT to fix. Here are some of the numbers from WI, IL, and KS who did the opposite:
Average weekly private-sector earnings: Kansas, $784 (+2.3 percent over the past year); Wisconsin, $795 (+0.1 percent); Minnesota, $891 (+1.5 percent); Illinois, $893 (+1.6 percent); national average growth, 2.3 percent.
Annual GDP growth: Kansas, 1.9 percent; Wisconsin, 1.7 percent; Minnesota, 2.8 percent; Illinois, 0.9 percent; national average, 1.8 percent.
That's a boatload of winning by doing exactly opposite of what the GOP always tries to prescribe.
Washington state is talking about following your lead.
We are doing good and we understand it is because we continue to invest in ourselves. My local school district just passed a bond to rebuild, 400 million... seattle metro area just agreed to a long term investment of 60 BILLION for transit.
we are controlling 3rd ed costs, and hoping to get the state to spend a lot more. I accept i am too old to gain anything from this, but i will be happy to pay it forward for future gens.
Of GOP conversatives do not like using understand that correlation then please show us a conservative state that's using trickle down economy that's actually is improving! Oh haven't more gun rights doesn't count.
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