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Why is this a bad thing? Do you want us to be like Commiefornia or New York? Why in the hell would we want to be anything like them? A bunch of degenerates.
But Oklahoma quite absolutely refuses to strive to be as great as other red states. In Nebraska, the unemployment rate is 2.7% and the minimum wage is $9 an hour. Nebraska does not tax food. In Oklahoma, after adding on county and sales taxes, the tax on food is around 9%. As a red state, I bet Nebraska rises to better than less than mediocre in quality of life rankings.
Interesting post about Minnesota that raised taxes on rich people, increased public spending, and created shared prosperity for the people of Minnesota.
Minnesotans have a big heart and have a social service safety net that attracts the less fortunate as well as those seeking their fortune.
"The results of the experiment continue to surprise and delight: unemployment is down to 3.7%, private sector earnings are up 1.5% to $891/week, 47,000 new jobs were added to the economy in the past year, and the state just declared a $1.8B budget surplus, even as Forbes ranked it 9th in its table of best states for business.
"But this is all the more remarkable when compared the fate of the Republican-run, austerity-fuelled neighboring states, where a succession of GOP governors and state houses have slashed taxes on business and the wealthy, eliminated social spending, and attacked trade unionism. They are running deficits, the people there are earning less than their Minnesotan cousins, they're adding fewer (and worse) jobs, and posting less growth."
Similarly, Oklahoma slashed taxes in order to attract business and what did that get them?
Food for thought, eh?
Since the tax cuts only one large manufacturer has come to my town with that being Asco Aerospace. But I don't think the company came because of the tax cuts. Instead, they were delighted to find for sale a huge, vacant manufacturing plant suitable for their needs.
This last time, we were living in Edmond and felt earthquakes OFTEN! Watched stone fall off the house and my husband’s boss showed us wall damage over the past five years. I would never buy a home there.
Groceries are ridiculous because they are taxed. We prefer better shopping and eating establishments- instead of Braums and Dollar General every couple of miles.
Like I said before, when you got a state Republican legislator whose house was almost on the epicenter of the strongest earthquake, which was 5.8 in magnitude, and was there when it happened, yet did nothing to do something about the oil companies causing them, it was very good of you to get the hell out of there.
Unfortunately I am imprisoned in the hellhole that is Oklahoma City. This place is also a defacto theocracy, completely run by the Baptist church. I would say quality of life here is even worse than Mississippi. Oklahoma is where it is because Republicans here don't have to talk about any other issues aside from restricting abortions and their hatred of the LGBT community because that's pretty much all most people here care about. This is the ultimate religious right dream state but is a nightmare for anyone who isn't a white heterosexual fundamentalist Baptist. It really sucks being forced to live in a place like this. In fact, I'm downright embarrassed to have anything to do with this state.
How are you "forced" to live Oklahoma City? I'll answer, you are not forced to live in Oklahoma City. So move.
Oklahoma City has everything a big city has, but much better traffic. Everything is much cheaper. People tend to be nicer.
If you think that, you've never spent time in a real city. Oklahoma City doesn't come close. There is a reason it loses every poll in City vs City.
Of course OKC is a fine place if you want to live a classic Southern evangelical Christian lifestyle. Plenty of Baptist churches to choose from.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Redshadowz
Why is this a bad thing? Do you want us to be like Commiefornia or New York? Why in the hell would we want to be anything like them? A bunch of degenerates.
And some people want to live somewhere where they can be free from being beat over the head with a Bible day in and day out.
Wait, OK taxes grocery food? And then doesn't want to tax incomes or energy? Oh, dear...
So basically people struggling to feed their babies are subsidizing billionaire energy companies. Nice.
So true. I bet many oil companies don't even pay any state income tax after taking off for special deductions and incentives. And until recently oil companies in Oklahoma could not be held responsible for their workers hurt on the job. The Oklahoma Supreme Court had to be called upon to nix it. Unsurprisingly, the Republican legislator who originated that law could not be reached for comment. He probably took lots of campaign money from oil companies.
Actually Republicans, especially in Oklahoma, LOVE big government when it comes to enforcing a fundamentalist Baptist version of morality. This state can’t pay its teachers or fix its roads but it can defend Ten Commandments monuments, the worst anti-LGBT legislation in the country, and can lock people up ten years for possessing a natural plant because Jesus.
Anybody who thinks Oklahoma is a good place to live is probably a right wing fundamentalist Baptist who thinks the state government is actually doing a good job.
Once again, for the last several years the Chamber of Commerce lobby has been strong enough to turn back nearly all the many anti-gay bills. Considering how undesirable of a state Oklahoma is to come to they sure as hell don't want to make matters any worse by subjecting Oklahoma to boycotts.
As for the Ten Commandments monument, Republicans tried to get Oklahomans to vote on a law that would change the state constitution to permit the return of the Ten Commandments monument where it once was outside the state capitol. Voters did not pass it.
Voters also passed a law that changed possession of marijuana and other drugs from a felony to a misdemeanor. However, legislators changed part of it by returning it to being a felony to be in possession of illegal drugs with 1000 ft. of a school or park.
True, how Oklahoma is really still a pretty damned bad, God awful state, especially to outsiders. But you're liable to get out of date to how bad it is, if you don't pay enough attention to what has been going on to make it less bad.
If you think that, you've never spent time in a real city. Oklahoma City doesn't come close. There is a reason it loses every poll in City vs City.
Of course OKC is a fine place if you want to live a classic Southern evangelical Christian lifestyle. Plenty of Baptist churches to choose from.
And some people want to live somewhere where they can be free from being beat over the head with a Bible day in and day out.
There are plenty of people here in Oklahoma who hold belief systems similar to your own. And quite frankly they aren't THAT hard to find. But rather than participate with those folks you'd rather whine about the conservatives around here.
We have the national atheist convention in town next month. Lots of free thinkers and liberal types will be there. Maybe you should attend that to brighten your outlook.
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