patrick.net

so then...why are you jealous of yourself?

gbenson says

Actually I am pretty close to the 2% mark (tons of deductions to get the AGI down on the rentals so not sure exactly where I'd fall but probably around top 3-4% after deductions), and work harder than you, so shut your yap and answer the question you avoided.

IDDQD says

... or like California.

Keep in mind that California is mostly a Red State. Its only the population centers that are blue, and thus tip the balance.

Overlay the two maps below (political leaning vs unemployment) Cause and effect maybe?

gbenson says

Keep in mind that California is mostly a Red State. Its only the population centers that are blue, and thus tip the balance

......so, basically it's the vast number of people that just vote blue or the opposite, that make CA blue. Genious. Brilliant. It was a red state right up until it wasn't.

What else would you expect from a jealous 2%'er...??

upisdown says

gbenson says

Keep in mind that California is mostly a Red State. Its only the population centers that are blue, and thus tip the balance

......so, basically it's the vast number of people that just vote blue or the opposite, that make CA blue. Genious. Brilliant. It was a red state right up until it wasn't.

SoftShell says

What else would you expect from a jealous 2%'er...??

Jealous? No, that wasn't my first thought, wishful thinking yes, but not jealousy. That reminds me of: they are exactly the same except............

Righties bash California as a bunch of liberals that are bankrupting the state. The reality is that the vast majority of CA's real estate is painted red, not blue. It's the red portions of the state that are draining all the resources and have brutally high unemployment.

If the deep-blue San Francisco Bay area was a state, it would have a GDP of $500 billion.

Hey Gbenson, check out:

http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/results/president/map.html

and drag the little slidebar to contrast the whole country's voting patterns over the last few cycles. Not exactly on-topic, but I thought interested parties might like it.

I like to use that for the exit polls as well, and to show how every single religious and ethnic minority is moving toward the Dems.

gbenson says

The reality is that the vast majority of CA's real estate is painted red, not blue. It's the red portions of the state that are draining all the resources and have brutally high unemployment.

I wasn't trying to bust your chops, it's like that in every blue state. The farther that you get away from the population density, the lower the IQ and the higher the unemployment/welfare participation. The 98% of a samll community struggling to just put $5 worth of gas in a car while utilizing EVERY known type of assistance to pay their power bill and buy food. To add insult to injury, the millionaire farmers are either getting money directly(mostly phased out) to free insurance and generous tax breaks. Then both groups pretend that it's inner-city blacks that use 100% of all the previously mentioned assistance.

Upisdown. Thanks for the explanation, and if I insinuated you were a Republican, my most sincere apologies. No excuse on my part for leveling such an insult at someone like that! :)

CL says

Hey Gbenson, check out:

http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/results/president/map.html

Sweetness, thanks! How come wherever there are educated people its blue, and wherever there's hillbillies its red?

upisdown says

I wasn't trying to bust your chops, it's like that in every blue state. The farther that you get away from the population density, the lower the IQ and the higher the unemployment/welfare participation

What do you mean? I thought that wineries in Lodi region were frequented by "real americans" while the wineries in napa/sonoma are attended by liberals who want to turn us into france?

dublin hillz says

What do you mean? I thought that wineries in Lodi region were frequented by "real americans" while the wineries in napa/sonoma are attended by liberals who want to turn us into france?

There's 2 categories of Americans?

upisdown says

dublin hillz says

What do you mean? I thought that wineries in Lodi region were frequented by "real americans" while the wineries in napa/sonoma are attended by liberals who want to turn us into france?

There's 2 categories of Americans?

Yes, according to elites, only 2 just like there are dems and reps and everyone else is irrelevant

gbenson says

Sweetness, thanks! How come wherever there are educated people its blue, and wherever there's hillbillies its red?

Well, Liberals have long cornered the "smart vote", which caused the Right to deride higher education, and those that pursue it to be called "eggheads" and "elite".

HTH!