Typo on previous post.  Alabama income $19 thousand and change.

The economy did not “grow” under George W. Bush.   For starters, 204,000 U.S. manufacturing jobs were shipped overseas in 2001.   In 2004, more than 406,000 white collar and high tech jobs were sent to South Asia and Eastern Europe.  (Source: bipartisan U.S. Congressional commission report, released 10/15/2004.)  

Between 1998 and 2001, the Federal government had surpluses of $69.2, $125.5, $236.2, and $128.2 billion respectively.  The U.S. reached a record deficit of $412 billion in 2004.  

At the moment, the deficit stands at roughly $10,622,704,077,147 and change.

How anyone could blame this on president-elect Obama shall forever remain a mystery to all intelligent people.  

Oh, wait… Fox News says it’s so, and so it must be true…

Hello!  Wake up, all you lemmings being herded into the Sea of Hannity.  Learn to read!  

Fannie Mae (founded in 1938, chartered by Congress in 1968) and Freddie Mac (created in 1970 to boost the secondary mortgage market) did not create the subprime mortgage mess!  Richard Nixon was elected president in 1968 and re-elected in 1971.  Nixon, Nixon, Nixon.  Got it?

Hello!  Outsourcing!  Overspending!  Greed on the part of mortgage lenders!  Greed on the part of the American people!  Shortsightedness!  Lack of planning!  The erosion of our manufacturing base!  The national deficit!  This is Barack Obama’s fault?  Stock markets don’t crash because a black guy gets elected president!   Jeeze!  What are you going to blame on Obama next?  The price of melamine in China?  

No president could “force” Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into lending “more money” as ‘custerjs’ says because FANNIE MAE AND FREDDIE MACK ARE NOT AND WERE NOT LENDING INSTITUTIONS.

Regarding the alleged 40% of people (taxable units) paying no federal income tax, that number is not accurate.  The actual percentage of taxable units who don’t pay the standard income tax is somewhere around 38%, but that number is skewed because it excludes what people pay via their employers through the payroll tax.  I’m so sick of anti-Obama Hannity fans talking about economics when they couldn’t pass a college-level statistics course if their lives depended on it.  So let’s toss out some numbers, shall we?

States with the HIGHEST percentage of people paying NO FEDERAL INCOME tax in 2006 in descending order: Mississippi (43%), Louisiana (40%), Alabama (38%), Arkansas (38%), New Mexico (38%), Texas (37%), Georgia (36%), Montana (36%), Oklahoma (36%), South Carolina (36%), Idaho (35%), Utah (35%).   100%  are “red” states carried by McCain-Palin in the last election.  

States with the LOWEST percentage of taxable units paying NO FEDERAL INCOME tax in 2006 in ascending order:  are Alaska (20%), Connecticut (24%), Massachusetts(24%), New Hampshire (24%), Delaware(24%), Maryland (26%), Minnesota(26%), New Jersey (27%), Rhode Island(27%), Virginia(27%), Washington(27%), and Wisconsin(27%).   92% are “blue” states carried by Obama-Biden.

States with the lowest annual per capital incomes in descending order:  Alabama, $18,; Utah; $18,185; Kentucky; $18,093: Idaho; $17,841; North Dakota; $17,769; Oklahoma; $17,646; South Dakota; $17,562; New Mexico; $17,261; Montana; $17,151; Louisiana; $16,912; Arkansas; $16,904; West Virginia; $16,477; Mississippi; $15,853.   100% are “red” states which fell to McCain-Palin.

State high school drop out rates in descending order:  Mississippi (> 25%), Kentucky (>23%), Louisiana (>22%),  Texas (>22%), West Virginia (>21%), Alabama (>21%), California (>21%),  Tennessee (>21%), New Mexico (>20%), North Carolina (>20%), Oklahoma (>20%), Arkansas  (>20%).  Ten are strongly red; one (North Carolina) is weakly blue; one (California) is strongly blue despite its Republican governor.

States with highest rates of obesity in descending order:  Mississippi (32.6% obese), West Virginia, Alabama, Louisiana, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Michigan, Indiana, Georgia.  Ten strongly red states, one weak blue (Indiana) and one strong blue (Michigan).

Of the 15 “fattest” states in the union, 86% are strongly red.  Of the 15 “leanest” states in the union,  80% are strongly blue.

One could, if one wished, conclude that the states with the worst nutrition, highest rates of obesity, poorest people, most high school drop outs, and fewest people paying federal income tax are all right-wing states.  

FOR ANY BODY SAYING THAT FOX NEWS IS FAIR AND BALANCED IS THE SAME PERSON THAT'S WAITING FOR THAT SHIP, THEY WON OVER THE PHONE BY SIMPLY GIVING THE CALLER THEIR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMER BANK ACCOUNT NUMBER.GEESH WAKE UP AND REFUSE TO BOARD THAT SHORT BUS TOMORROW.