How free is your state?

[INDY500]

Freedom in the 50 States | Mercatus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bQBAkhz_-A&feature=player_detailpage

Indiana # 3

How come the Blue States rate so low?

 

[coolian2]

i'd love to see that cross-matched with a quality of life study.

 

[PhilsFan]

How vague is that?

 

[financeguy]

How come the Blue States rate so low?

Large urban centres attract meddling government bureaucrats, like flies to ointment. As the government bureaucracy becomes ever larger, taxes must continue to be raised to finance it. Simultaneous to this process, government must constantly invent new laws to justify its existence. The administration of these laws requires further recruitment of new bureacrats, a process which also perpetuates the cycle. (Of course, these self-same urban centres, by and large, tend to be Democrat voting, for various reasons. One of which, they know what side their bread is buttered on. )

Case in point, in another thread, posters are rejoicing at the evergrowing restrictions on smokers rights' in New York. Very few are prepared to examine where the process ends, whose agenda it truly serves, and how easily the logic used to justify restrictions on smokers' rights can easily be used to justify restrictions in other areas of life.

Let the flaming commence.....

 

[INDY500]

i'd love to see that cross-matched with a quality of life study.

It matches pretty closely which states are losing population.

5 of the bottom 10 states are losing at least one congressional seat after last year's census. And a 6th, California, is not gaining a seat for the first time since statehood.

 

[Liesje]

i'd love to see that cross-matched with a quality of life study.

No kidding b/c my state seems to always be in the top 5 for highest unemployment rate. That's really what matters to most residents right now.

 

[yolland]

^ Indeed, in the real world that's all that really matters. In Indiana, nearly half (46.6%) of our college graduates leave the state because there's no jobs for them here, and we're well behind the national average in terms of the average worker's level of education. I'd imagine Michigan's situation is similar.

 

[maycocksean]

Freedom in the 50 States | Mercatus

YouTube - ‪Freedom in the 50 States 2011‬‏

Sounds more libertarian than Republican.

 

[Liesje]

^ Indeed, in the real world that's all that really matters. In Indiana, nearly half (46.6%) of our college graduates leave the state because there's no jobs for them here, and we're well behind the national average in terms of the average worker's level of education. I'd imagine Michigan's situation is similar.

10.3 and that's doing GOOD. It's been 13-15 (and often is in some locales depending on how various industries are doing).

 

[yolland]

Sounds more libertarian than Republican.

The Mercatus Center is primarily funded by Koch Industries, and the Koch Brothers sit on its board of directors. Just sayin'...

 

[INDY500]

^ Indeed, in the real world that's all that really matters. In Indiana, nearly half (46.6%) of our college graduates leave the state because there's no jobs for them here, and we're well behind the national average in terms of the average worker's level of education. I'd imagine Michigan's situation is similar.

What's the mean on that stat? We have a pretty dynamic population and I'd say all states loss a large percentage of grads. What percentage are out of state students to begin with?

 

[maycocksean]

The Mercatus Center is primarily funded by Koch Industries, and the Koch Brothers sit on its board of directors. Just sayin'...

That would explain the emphasis on economic freedom and low regulation. But the social freedom to do what you like as long as it doesn't hurt others doesn't strike me as particularly Republican.

 

[Canadiens1131]

I'll just leave this here (30 seconds of research following the money trail). Sourced from the New Yorker, August 30, 2010. Research is fun!

Cool video, though, Indy. Nice production values

 

[Dfit00]

The Mercatus Center is primarily funded by Koch Industries, and the Koch Brothers sit on its board of directors. Just sayin'...

And they live in my neighborhood, fortunately.

 

[bono_212]

^ Indeed, in the real world that's all that really matters. In Indiana, nearly half (46.6%) of our college graduates leave the state because there's no jobs for them here, and we're well behind the national average in terms of the average worker's level of education. I'd imagine Michigan's situation is similar.

I'll be one of them soon enough. Love this state, but there's not a lot here for me.

 

[INDY500]

The Mercatus Center is primarily funded by Koch Industries, and the Koch Brothers sit on its board of directors. Just sayin'...

George Koch ran for vice-president on the Libertarian Party ticket so no surprise he might be behind a study that highlites libertarian state policies I guess.

But you'll mention, without fail, that Mother Jones, Democracy Now!, Media Matters or Think Progress is funded by George Soros when someone links to them in the future, right?

 

[Canadiens1131]

Now all we need to do is link this discussion to Reverend Wright and we'll have hit all the network news talking points

 

[maycocksean]

But you'll mention, without fail, that Mother Jones, Democracy Now!, Media Matters or Think Progress is funded by George Soros when someone links to them in the future, right?

I'm sorry. . .who are these people/organizations again?

I've heard Mother Jones. . .never read it. I know who George Soros is (thanks mainly to you).

As for the rest, I'm not familiar with them at all. Which should be a surprise since you're suggesting that all the other liberals on the forum--if not me--are quoting these organizations all the time.

Do you really believe that all the left-leaning posters on this forum get all their talking points from these sources?

 

[INDY500]

Do you really believe that all the left-leaning posters on this forum get all their talking points from these sources?

Not in the least. Just hinting at a wish that mods work both sides of the aisle is all.

 

[Jive Turkey]

I can't believe any of you are having a serious discussion about a study that claims to have quantified freedom and is ranking your states based on their calculations. Straight out of the Onion

 

[yolland]

What's the mean on that stat? We have a pretty dynamic population and I'd say all states loss a large percentage of grads. What percentage are out of state students to begin with?

There's no one national body which systematically tracks state-level graduate retention; Indiana relies on a Lilly-grant decennial study jointly carried out by IU and the Indiana Fiscal Policy Institute, with some input from the National Center for Education Statistics. As of the 2000s edition, the national average graduate retention rate was 71.5%; Illinois' rate, 81.6%; Michigan's, 79.6%; Ohio's, 74.8%; Wisconsin's, 61.6%; Kentucky's, 80.2%; ours, 53.4%. (The worst rates are in the Plains States plus New Jersey, which has long been an 'outlier' in this regard, mostly since they have by far the country's highest population density.) Purdue and IUB do have quite a few out-of-state students, enough so that both have hit the top 10 nationwide for % of out-of-state students in some years, so that certainly is a factor; however, Indiana's retention rate for in-state students is still only 61%. As for the other stat, 28% of our labor force has a college degree, compared to the national average of 39%.

But you'll mention, without fail, that Mother Jones, Democracy Now!, Media Matters or Think Progress is funded by George Soros when someone links to them in the future, right?

Haha, no, it's not my usual practice to cite controversial funders any time some organization's study or news piece gets linked to, but since Sean seemed to be expressing puzzlement as to the libertarian slant of the study in question, and the staidly-named Mercatus Center's affiliations are pretty obscure outside of poli sci circles, it seemed relevant in this case.

Just hinting at a wish that mods work both sides of the aisle is all.

This isn't a paid job, you know...

I can't believe any of you are having a serious discussion about a study that claims to have quantified freedom and is ranking your states based on their calculations.

Well, I don't necessarily disagree, but to be fair there are more than a few political scientists (of all stripes) who spend most of their research time devising metrics for "freedom," "strength of civil society," etc. in the service of some think tank or another.

 

[cobl04]

New York is a lot bigger than I thought.

 

[PhilsFan]

I can't believe any of you are having a serious discussion about a study that claims to have quantified freedom and is ranking your states based on their calculations. Straight out of the Onion

I don't know, I'm pretty pissed to find out that PA is 31st in Freedom Points.

 

[maycocksean]

I don't know, I'm pretty pissed to find out that PA is 31st in Freedom Points.

Wow, you guys must be one step away from Big Brother over there.

 

[PhilsFan]

Welcome to New Hampshire
We Lead the League in Freedom​

 

[U2DMfan]

I just want to know who leads the nation in people named 'George Washington'.

Because that's the only way to really be able to tell.

 

[INDY500]

There's no one national body which systematically tracks state-level graduate retention; Indiana relies on a Lilly-grant decennial study jointly carried out by IU and the Indiana Fiscal Policy Institute, with some input from the National Center for Education Statistics. As of the 2000s edition, the national average graduate retention rate was 71.5%; Illinois' rate, 81.6%; Michigan's, 79.6%; Ohio's, 74.8%; Wisconsin's, 61.6%; Kentucky's, 80.2%; ours, 53.4%. (The worst rates are in the Plains States plus New Jersey, which has long been an 'outlier' in this regard, mostly since they have by far the country's highest population density.) Purdue and IUB do have quite a few out-of-state students, enough so that both have hit the top 10 nationwide for % of out-of-state students in some years, so that certainly is a factor; however, Indiana's retention rate for in-state students is still only 61%. As for the other stat, 28% of our labor force has a college degree, compared to the national average of 39%.

Thank you for the numbers. Be fun to go "deep" within the numbers on something like this.

Haha, no, it's not my usual practice to cite controversial funders any time some organization's study or news piece gets linked to, but since Sean seemed to be expressing puzzlement as to the libertarian slant of the study in question, and the staidly-named Mercatus Center's affiliations are pretty obscure outside of poli sci circles, it seemed relevant in this case.

Facts are facts. I'd never heard of these people before. Still an interesting study to me. The point was never that crossing the border from Nevada into California in 2011 is like crossing into East Germany from West Germany 30 years ago.

This isn't a paid job, you know...

Opinions here are overwhelmingly from the progressive side of the political spectrum. Maybe FYM could seek out a sugar daddy, a sympathetic moneyman. Who could that be? Oh I don't know, maybe...

 

[Diemen]

Opinions here are overwhelmingly from the progressive side of the political spectrum.

Not really surprising considering the band that got us to join this site in the first place.

 

[yolland]

They're probably Soros-backed too.

(ironically, I've met Ted Nugent but never a member of U2)

 

[maycocksean]

They're probably Soros-backed too.

(ironically, I've met Ted Nugent but never a member of U2)

Probably paid for the Claw, eh.

How did you happen to meet Ted Nugent?