Fact is, we ARE going to have to cut off all the moochers to avoid the fiscal cliff.

[SmileyRose]

I live in a red state. One that sends FAR less to the federal government than it takes in. Georgia is mooching off California.

Georgia is about to have a supermajority in state government, meaning they can do anything they want. My advice to the Georgia legislature is to help with the federal deficit by voluntarily giving up your mooching. Refuse to accept any education or road money. Fund your own Medicare, medicaid and Social security obligations. Refuse any help or money from the SBA.

This is the Republican chance to show America it's ideas are far superior and simply work better for everyone. So Georgia, once you get your supermajority go for it.

I double dog dare you.

[SubgeniusHasSlack]

1. WEALTHfare is the greatest stumbling block to a balanced budget.

Fair tax policy solves all this.

[reflection]

12. Wow. I am going to use this term. Thank you. n/t

[butterfly77]

25. That is the perfect word for it..

"WEALTHfare" I will be using this term a lot!

[socialindependocrat]

2. Great idea - show us how it's supposed to work

Make Georgia a model for the Republican budget.

If Georgia supports a Paul Ryan model - then go for it

Show us how to make it work and the rest of the country will, naturally, follow.

You have the opportunity to be the hero of the free world!

[mother earth]

17. I like your way of thinking, and join you in the challenge.

After making a claim such as this, let's see if they have the fortitude to prove it. These red states that want small gov't, it's time to take it to the state level & fend for yourself, this is what you want afterall.

[Fawke Em]

24. I live in a red state and it's not what I want.

Basically, you're going to make the 40 percent of us Tennesseans who voted for Obama suffer to prove a point?

Wow! And I thought the Tea Party people were cruel.

[mother earth]

27. The OT is talking about Georgia, and they'd never be able to make this work as an example, I think

Tennessee is safe. The entitlements go to the wealthy & subsidies for monopoly oil co's & corporate welfare.

Guess you are missing the point being made here.
If I'm cruel, I guess it's to those who think people choose to live in poverty over wanting something better.

Georgia is red state dominant, but they sure don't walk the talk, in fact yet another example of a great disconnect to reality and voting GOP/against your pocketbook.

[Fawke Em]

32. I got what you meant, but the same is true in Tennessee.

Hell, we have the highest sales tax rate in the nation and it's even levied on FOOD!

Any clear-thinking adult (and most children) know that a high sales tax put more onus on the poor than the wealthy, particularly when food is also taxed at that high rate.

I get your point, but it won't work without causing even more hardship on the poor, working and middle class in the process of getting your point across. We Democrats have to be careful about that.

I think our problem is messaging. We actually have the correct message, but in the South and most of the mid-West, our message isn't getting out because we don't own enough media. In order to get the progressive viewpoint, people must purchase subscriptions and equipment for satellite radio. Many of the poor and working class simply can't afford that luxury, so, in order to hear the news on their commutes, the only thing they have to listen to is right-wing radio and, thus, they don't know the other side of any issue.

[mother earth]

33. FE, I'm not sure you do get me. Time to call them on their own stupidity. It's the only way.

churches haven't even fixed that for them.

[beachbumbob]

3. no doubt spending cuts have to happen

but the answer to the issues of bluestates and redstates disproportionate cost of federal spending is to have the redstates pick up a greater amt of their tab....

that means they need to raise more revenue for their state......

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

4. The same can be said about South Dakota...

... a Republican/TeaBilly majority in the state legislature, a Republican in the governor's office, Kristi Noem(South Dakota's own Ms. Palin) re-elected to the U.S. House. Even though she is part of the reason why there is no Farm Bill passed. The state Republican party controlled legislature rammed through education cuts, loss of tenure by teachers, cutting Medicaid coverages, and the list goes on.

This needs to be sent to the LTTE section of every red state newspaper. But having lived in South Dakota all my life, save for time on the east coast for college, I know that third sentence will have the TeaBillies/farmers hooting and slapping their knees; followed by a sad mention that aunt Sadie is going to have to sell the family home to pay for her nursing home care, as she is now broke.

[Sancho]

5. The easiest thing to do would be reducing the military by half (at least)...

followed by elimination of all subsidies to any company or corporation with more than 20 employees.

But I agree, some states are givers and others are takers (in the words of our repub friends).

I'd dare the GOP to quit building so many expensive planes and ships.

[RoccoR5955]

8. BINGO!

We spend more on our military than the rest of the world combined. Cutting the defense budget would go a long way to getting our financial house in order!

[essaynnc]

13. keep in mind....

As we shut down the defense contractors, unemployment goes up. How do we deal with all the extra workers???

[Sentath]

14. Infrastructure

And maybe some healthcare.

[theKed]

28. Yup

Every billion - or trillion! - cut from military can build a lot of infrastructure, and that makes lots of middle class jobs. See: Hoover Dam, US Interstate system, The Public Works Administration (PWA - 1933-1935).

[RoccoR5955]

29. Make them build windmills instead of guns

Solar panels instead of tanks,
Electric cars instead of drones.
etc.
That's how!

[TBF]

11. That is part of the answer - the other part is taxation.

There is no earthly reason why the top earners and corporations should be getting a free ride.

[socialindependocrat]

22. Why not use the military to fix roads and bridges - They're already paid for! n/t

[Dustlawyer]

6. Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and my home state of Texas, I TRIPPLE dog dare ya!

[ceeRoy]

16. Never

They'll never do it unless there's a blown up media focus on it....or if the feds can somehow force their hand. The reds are cheats and liars that have no respects for fairness....their bigotry is in their souls and most of their priorities are about oppressing minorities....phony christians who would try to lynch Jesus if he ever came back...

[Dustlawyer]

31. True dat!

[Swede Atlanta]

7. Some good starts would be...

As you say for the red states to quit mooching off the blue states. Secondly we need to cut off the subsidies to the oil and big-agra businesses. I am for some form of farm support for truly "small" family famers although those are few and far between. We have to start taking some very tactical decisions on which businesses truly need some federal support to get going or not. If they don't then cut them off.

And stop giving tax refunds to Exxon-Mobil and the like or to the big banks when they rake in billions in profits.

[mother earth]

18. A return to the small family farmers would be great, minus the GMOs, we'd all have a healthier food

supply. Subsidies to oil companies are ridiculous, they've monopolized, we are crazy to enable that.

[The Wizard]

9. Civil War reconstruction

should have ended years ago. The Confederate States have a habit of sending the same people to Congress year after year, no matter what they've done. Witness David Vitter of Louisiana who was know to the DC Madam for paying a prostitute to change his adult diaper that he deliberately soiled.
He's still in the Senate. The Confederate States will continue to get unwarranted funding because their legislators gain seniority with time served in Congress.
Because of this seniority, they get chairmanships of committees that determine what legislation will be considered and passed. In this way the taxes paid by the productive states get funneled to the nonproductive states, predominantly in conservative strongholds like the Confederacy.
Most of the military spending goes to the dependent states, hence the reluctance to cut military spending that is the biggest drain on the economy.
If the dependent states really want to live by the creed they espouse, it's time for them to make ends meet without the help from the productive states. It's time for them to pick themselves up by their bootstraps like President Obama did when he, as the child of a single mother, worked hard to achieve academic success and eventually translate that into the political success that make him the President of the United States.

[cordelia]

26. Since when did Alaska and the Dakotas, to name 3

become a part of the "Confederacy".

The Civil War ended a long time ago, except for those who continue to drag it up continually to bash the South.

[BlueJazz]

10. Oh Lord....I can hear them now...

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[SmileyRose]

30. I used to think the R's should be pig not elephant

Then I thought about pigs are generally intelligent so that won't work.

[Thor_MN]

15. Adjust the number of electors by the ratio of federal tax dollars to/from Washington.

There would never be another Republican President.

[mother earth]

19. Some great suggestions, let's hope we return to a gov't of the people, by the people and for the

people.

[Scuba]

20. The R's have the Assembly, State Senate, Governor's office and State Supreme Court here in Wis ...

... and we're anticipating major pain.

The Repukes are meeting next week to plan the stealing of our education and healthcare monies.

I expect every single State-owned asset to be sold to Scott Walker's wealthy donors at fire-sale prices.

[peacebird]

21. Cut off subsidies to big oil and nuclear. Cut off all tax breaks to companies who are not based here

Get rid of the ceiling for payments into social security

[struggle4progress]

23. Minnie The Moocher