Red states' income growing faster than blue states'

[xchrom]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-09-26/red-blue-states-income-economy/57846600/1

Income is growing much faster in Republican-leaning "red states" than in Democratic-tilting "blue states" or the pivotal swing states that will decide the 2012 presidential election, a USA TODAY analysis finds.

Personal income in 23 red states has risen 4.6% since the recession began in December 2007, after adjusting for inflation. Income is up just 0.5% in 15 blue states and Washington, D.C., during that time. In the dozen swing states identified by USA TODAY that could vote either way Nov. 6, income has inched ahead 1.4% in 4 ½ years.

The big drivers of red state income growth: energy and government benefit payments such as food stamps.

By contrast, Democratic blue states are more affluent but were hit harder by the downturn. Connecticut, dependent on the financial industry, suffered the largest income drop except swing-state Nevada. Yet Connecticut residents still make $10,000 a year more on average than people in fast-growing North Dakota.

[jwirr]

1. You have to read to the 3rd paragraph to get the punchline. The growth is driven by energy and

government benefits like food stamps.

[XemaSab]

2. This is not surprising

If someone making $10,000 a year brings in an extra $500, it's a big deal.

If someone making $100,000 brings in an extra $500, it's not such a big deal.

It's easy for the first person to have a much higher percent growth than the second person.

[lame54]

3. gas prices dropping - house prices increasing...

add to that holiday hiring

good night repugs

[Bandit]

4. It must be hard for them to stick to their story of how Obama has tanked the economy..

I can only hope it changes a few minds there about as to how Obama has handled the economy.

[Tom Rinaldo]

5. I think the minimum wage went up during that time

In red states that has a major impact.

[BumRushDaShow]

6. Wow. Way for USA Today to be misleading

Your bottom of the rung red states (in terms of median income) are seeing some growth... which takes them from the very bottom, up a few notches. The sadder thing is that they are where they are out of pure bull-headedness of rethug ideology. And I expect that every rethug governor will tout this too as a success of their policies.