"Maybe if the feds returned, say 95 cents for every dollar it takes from a state, the flow of migration would slow. Although I'm pretty liberal, I don't think the Northeast (and the rest of the blue states) should have to subsidize other parts of the country, especially for decades?"

Yup. And the disparity is enormous.

Here's some info:

http://www.taxfoundation.org/research/show/62.html

reveals how much Federal tax each state provides compared to the Federal expenditures in that state.

From that site:

"show that the nation is not only redistributing income from the prosperous to the poor, but from the middle-income residents of high-cost states to the middle-income residents of low-cost states."

Ranking by state:

http://www.taxfoundation.org/files/sr139.pdf

In FY 2004:

New Mexico ranked #1 on the return list, with $2 of Federal taxes received for every $1 sent.

Arizona is doing very well at $1.30

Connecticut: Only 66 cents for every dollar sent.

And the very worst return is New Jersey at just 55 cents.

There's a map, and it correlates pretty well with red-state/blue-state. Guess who complains worst about "handouts" and "being fiscally responsible"....

Some may say "It's the state taxes!" but the overall state tax burden varies a lot less than you might think. The difference is that different

states tax different things - it's all in the details:

http://www.retirementliving.com/RLtaxes.html

Quoting from that web site:

"Many people planning to retire use the presence or absence of a state income tax as a litmus test for a retirement destination. This is a serious miscalculation since higher sales and property taxes can more than offset the lack of a state income tax. The lack of a state income tax doesn’t necessarily ensure a low total tax burden."

State and local tax burdens by state:

http://www.retirementliving.com/tax_burden_2008.pdf

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Of course there are a lot of factors to upset making an apples-to-apples comparison. Some states have enormous areas as Federal land, often either parks or military bases. Others specialize in industries that are heavily taxed. And of course the Federal tax laws effectively penalize those who live in high-income areas with higher taxes.

But take a look at the tax burdens of Obama's state vs. McCain's.

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I think the best question raised by this article is whether certain parts of the country can continue to grow or even continue at their present level - whether they are sustainable in the long term. While the A/C thing is at least partly tongue-in-cheek, it does point to the mindset of ignoring the natural environment.

I suspect that in places like Phoenix and Las Vegas the limiting factor will ultimately be water, not electricity. Look what happened in Atlanta! In other places the need to drive long distances to do anything will be the factor.

One of the tricks that has gotten them elected time after time in the past 28 years is to distract us from the issues with personal stuff. This is just the latest version. People are talking and thinking about Bristolgate rather than the actual issues and how the candidates would deal with them.

Ask yourself this: If Joe Biden had a 17-year-old daughter in the same situation, what would the reaction be? You know, from the folks who used the term "baby mama" on Michelle Obama...

btw, that polling website can't even spell the candidate's first name correctly (it's "Sarah" not "Sara".

What does it mean, exactly? Other than having at least one child that plays hockey, what makes a "hockey mom" different from all the other American moms out there?

For example, does a "hockey mom" have a full-time job outside the home?

All he has to do is the following.

Get a notebook, a pencil and a watch. Each working day, write down:

1) When he went to bed

2) When he got up

3) When he left home

4) When he arrived at work

Then move the times of 1) 2) and 3) back until the time of 4) meets with the boss' approval.

Absurdly simple? Yes, but until LW actually tries it, he's just blowing smoke. He needs to take a big bite of a reality hoagie and do what needs to be done.

EVERY real job involves doing things you don't really like, and which seem pointless. THAT'S WHY IT'S CALLED WORK!

LW can moan, wail and whine about being a night person, an artist, about how nothing important happens before 10 AM, about how "uptight" the bosses are (what does that word really mean to LW, anyway?) yada, yada, yada, but in the end what matters is what The Boss Thinks Is Important. And The Boss thinks showing up On Time is Important.

It is NOT unreasonable to expect an employee to show up at work on time the vast majority of workdays. That's all the boss is asking, yet LW hasn't done what is necessary to make that happen.

Ask any real working artist about having to meet deadlines, about having to show up on time for a variety of seemingly-pointless things, about having to not make clients, agents, and others wait, and you'll see they have to meet schedules too.

Like it or not, in our culture, being on time is a matter of respect for other people. When a person is consistently late, it disrespects everyone else involved. That disrespect generates real hate and anger in those who are disrespected.

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Just remember Col. Saito's motto: "Be happy in your work"