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RhodyDerek, funny you mention Texas. So.... Take a map of the US. "Shake" it. All the "loose marbles" fall to the bottom -> Florida and Texas.
I hear a lot about the pension crisis. My take on this is that, in the end, some compromise will be made since no compromise = no pension. Something is better than nothing. Airlines do it all the time. File bankruptcy, restructure, and bring the obligations to former employees back into the realm of the sensible.
I have no problem with government. Looking back, the gov has always been there for me when I needed it. But feeling entitled to $30/hr and a lot of perks for 20 years of acting like a *&ck on the phone is ridiculous. No different than paying an auto worker $35/hr to hit a few parts w/ an air tool all day long. Just doesn't make sense. Cooler heads will prevail since MOST people do their part to earn an honest living and just won't put up with it in the long run. Particularly in these tough times.
BTW, what is meant by all this about the "freest state"? I can go where I want and do what I want here in RI. In fact, the law enforcement presence seems way more reasonable than the Gestapo I have encountered in FL or Georgia. Both states I'm sure rank higher in "freedom". Guns? Gimme a break. If you're hunting, OK. But the insanity of the south is ridiculous. Truth is, having a gun for "protection" means you're very likely to get shot with your own gun. The type of criminals that use firearms in the commission of their work understand that it's no easy thing to shoot someone and it's VERY easy do disarm someone who has a gun at point-blank range. It can be knocked out of your hands before your brain can get the message to your to hand to pull the trigger. I've been watching the news up here and don't see the 1, 2, or 3, nightly murders that I remember down there.
The tax and wage thing seems comparable. I'll soon be getting a real job around here, and no one yet has flinched at my request for $18-20/hr. This is a rare wage in the south; so I think my standard of living won't drop at all - maybe increase since there is more of a demand for the skilled trades here.
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