Of course, some of us understand how much of the so-called reduction is still ideological crappola. The best example being suggestions on modifying social security. You could remove social Security, SSA, entirely from the budget and nothing would change in the deficit.

SSA pays for itself, has years of equity remaining. All that needs to be done is to remove the cap on contributions – don’t stop collecting the tax when people pass $105K/year income – and we’re good till the next century.

Despite all of the back and forth over the fiscal cliff and the deficits, when you get specific about deficit reduction, the majority of Americans are not supportive.

Despite the economy and jobs being the number one issue heading into the 2012 presidential election, social issues have their place. To some, social issues are on the top of the list of important topics. Abortion has been an important social issues for years and as the religious right continues to take over the Republican party, the argument over choice has gained momentum.

It was reported this week that a bill in the Michigan State House was getting pushed through that, among other things, would force women to give birth to a fetus even if it has a fetal defect, like a missing brain or spine. Republicans claim to be the party of Jesus, but where is the compassion? Putting a woman through such trauma is more than just immoral, it’s disgusting.

Earlier this year, former Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum, summed up the conservative Chrisitan viewpoint on abortion, including what to do in cases of rape and incest.  You can watch the video HERE.

Well, you can make the argument that if she doesn’t have this baby, if she kills her child, that that, too, could ruin her life. And this is not an easy choice. I understand that. As horrible as the way that that son or daughter and son was created, it still is her child.

We have horrible things happen. I can’t think of anything more horrible. But, nevertheless, we have to make the best out of a bad situation.

Whether it’s politicians or anti-choice activists protesting outside an abortion clinic, they all show their hypocrisy once the mother gives birth. While conservatives fight for the life of the fetus, once the baby is out of the womb and breathing on its own, Republicans vote to cut funding to the struggling parents.

Republicans push for legislation that would make deep cuts to Medicaid and programs like WIC that are instrumental in helping low-income families, both financially and personally. In addition to financial support, these programs offer moral support and teach classes on parenting. Women who are being forced to give birth, are left at the altar by a party that puts them through the pain and agony of an unwanted pregnancy.

Are conservatives really “Pro-life” like they claim? If their actions are any inclination of how they really feel, they are more pro-fetus and anti-life than anything else. Once the child reaches the age of 18, they are all set to go off and risk their life in another war, but that’s a different story.

Source for chart above HERE

The coincident indexes combine four state-level indicators to summarize current economic conditions in a single statistic. The four state-level variables in each coincident index are nonfarm payroll employment, average hours worked in manufacturing, the unemployment rate, and wage and salary disbursements deflated by the consumer price index (U.S. city average). The trend for each state’s index is set to the trend of its gross domestic product (GDP), so long-term growth in the state’s index matches long-term growth in its GDP.

Source: Philadelphia Federal Reserve.

It’s interesting to compare state growth rates relative to this economic index, but we selected Wisconsin simply because we wanted to evaluate how well Governor Scott Walker’s anti-union policies were translating into jobs.  As you can see – 46th out of 50th when ranked with his other fellow governors.  North Dakota is experiencing a boom right now…built off of energy resources, but also – they’re the only state in the U.S. to have a state owned bank…the Bank of North Dakota.  And every state really should follow the BND model.   That’s for another post.