Your state.

[ccharles000]

Name one thing you are proud and ashamed of.

NC.

Ashamed-Jesse Helms

Proud-We just elected our first female Gov.

[Aristus]

1. Washington State. All Democratic, all female.

Governor Chris Gregoire and Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray.

Ashamed of: Eastern Washington. May as well just call it West Idaho.

[SeattleGirl]

29. I second that, Aristus

:hi:

[SOteric]

34. Many things to be proud of,

But I think Tim Eyman edges out Eastern Washington on the shame meter for me. I actually know a few decent, hard-working liberals from out there in Spokandyland.

[redqueen]

2. Texas

Ashamed: do I have to say it?

Proud: Jim Hightower, Bill Moyers, Molly Ivins, Janis Joplin, the best BBQ in the world... (Sorry, couldn't pick just one.)

[yellowdogintexas]

36. agreed: the ashamed list is pretty long, add the improved purpleness of

our vote in 2008 to the proud list, you pretty much covered everything else.

Oh yeah, Tex Mex food. and bluebonnets

OH LBJ's social agenda/legacy.

[Danger Mouse]

3. New York - One of the most solid blue states out there.

Ashamed of? The fact that we still have plenty of redneck assholes in the upstate region... :puke:

[FloridaJudy]

4. Florida.

Proud: great writers! Hiaasen, Barry, Leonard, Tim Dorsey, John McDonald.

Ashamed: do you need to ask?

[SoxFan]

5. NH

Proud: Aerosmith

Ashamed: Ass-backwards education funding policy

[zanne]

21. Aerosmith? nt

[SoxFan]

35. Yep

The band was formed in Sunapee, of all places, and got its start playing at dive bars in Manchester, Portsmouth, and Boston.

Steven Tyler still owns a home up in Sullivan County.

[zanne]

41. Imagine that.

I never would have guessed that they came from the mean streets of Sunapee.

[sarge43]

95. Don't forget the View Tax .

A Repug scam to make up{sic} for the idiot education funding.

[Droopy]

6. Ohio

Proud: We are a blue state- for now anyway. ;)

Ashamed: Last time around we were a red state.

[TK421]

9. "Last time around we were a red state"

says Diebold....I'm convinced that Ohio is solidly blue.

And I'm confident you guys will remain blue :hi: Hey, how have you been?

[Droopy]

19. I've been doing alright

Therapy is going good. Got a good job. Trying to meet a good woman- that's a sign of progress for me. Like David Lee Roth says, "All my bills are paid / I got it in the shade / Now all I n-n-need is the wooomaaan."

How about you? :hi:

[TK421]

20. Just got home from work enjoying a glass of cheap wine and Vicodins

and shouldn't be doing this, since I'm taking antibiotics for an abscessed tooth I had drained a few days ago...these silly doctors..."Don't drink or the antibiotics won't have any effect"! Don't they know who I am? Geez :D Good luck with the woman...you deserve a good one.

Other than that...work has been nuts

[LaurenG]

31. Me too Droopy, proud we've turned blue - but disappointed, not ashamed per say that

Ohio no longer seems to be able to pull it out as it once did in leading the way in industry and innovation.

:hi:

[TK421]

7. Pennsylvania

Ashamed- Santorum ( thankfully he's gone ) and some of the more redneck areas in the western part of the state that went for McCain for the most part. Some of these areas also seem to be stuck in time.

Proud- too many things to list, but some great places to visit,shop, relax and few states match our scenic beauty ( the countryside in Bucks and Montgomery counties are breathtakingly gorgeous ) as well as the history here :thumbsup:

[femmocrat]

43. ITA.... Plus, I am also ashamed

that we have such lousy roads here. Western PA is gorgeous also... mountains, lakes, forests, streams, scenic beauty abounds here!

[dubeskin]

8. California

Proudest - If we felt like it, we could secede from the other 49 states and be completely self-sufficient

Most ashamed - Prop 8...you know

[TK421]

24. About prop 8....most of us share your grief

but personally, I don't place this squarely on the shoulders of Californians....this hate spreads across the country.

For what it's worth

[dubeskin]

25. Of course

It was much more than a State Prop like any other. Thankfully I think everything will work out for the better. I'm still hoping out for it to go straight to the SCOTUS where they say that gay marriage is legal through the country, the ultimate slap in the face to states' righers.

And now I'll try to keep politics out of the Lounge...*eek*

[TK421]

27. nah, I think this is safe enough here....I guess I'm just not that confident enough

with the SCOTUS....shit happens, you know? People bend, for different reasons ...they do it all the time

[Capn Sunshine]

93. May I just add that was one godawful fucked up disorganized campaign?

I didn't think it would be possible to fuck this victory up, but the guys running the No campaign managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory thru an incredibly bad organization. The top only, the folks in the trenches were motivated, but the leadership dropped the ball big time.

</politics>

[dubeskin]

26. Dupe - delete por favor n/t

[Tommy_Carcetti]

64. You could be self-sufficient? Really?

Isn't Ahnuld groveling for money to keep the state afloat?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

10. Minnesota:

Proud -- Paul Wellstone, Gene McCarthy.
Ashamed -- Norm Coleman, Michelle Bachmann.

[KitchenWitch]

16. And

Proud of - BWCA (in addition to yours)

Ashamed of - Tim Pawlenty, John Kline

[trotsky]

40. And don't forget

We're the only state to never vote for Reagan or EITHER Bush. :toast:

[peruban]

11. Florida

Proud of: the everglades, South Florida, and the Keys
Ashamed of: the panhandle and other 'publican northern counties

[Tommy_Carcetti]

65. Actually North Florida can be quite beautiful.

You're right in that that area is generally way too conservative politically, but the northern part is my favorite part of the state on sheer scenery alone. And I live in SoFla.

[harmonicon]

12. MI

proud... umm... Iggy and the Stooges

ashamed: even the Democrats in power can't tell their ass from their elbow. The head of the state party and the governor where both partly responsible for MI not getting to have a say in the Democratic primary.

[Breeze54]

13. Massachusetts, proud that we're the bluest state in the Union and

ashamed that those in government have let certain cites in the state decline.

[midnight armadillo]

88. Another MA

Proud. Do I have to pick just one? From recent history, first state for gay marriage.

Ashamed...let's see, how about electing Mitt Romney governor.

[GCP]

92. Another MA

Proud of Ted Kennedy and John Kerry as senators, and no death penalty. We also just de-criminalized small amounts of weed and banned greyhound racing.

Yeah for us!

[sniffa]

14. First for gay marriage, and finally elected a black governor

Also defeated the Constitutional Amendment to ban gay marriage.

Ashamed: electing Mitt

[KitchenWitch]

15. California

Proud of - no indoor smoking anywhere

Ashamed of - Proposition 8

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

17. North Jersey

Ashamed: Secaucus, NJ and Jackson Whites

Proud: Best fucking state ever

[Tommy_Carcetti]

77. North Jersey is a state?

Or a state of mind?

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

89. It's a state

North Jersey is a completely different state than South Jersey. In fact, many people on both sides, would love to secede from the other.

[elshiva]

18. Maryland

Ashamed- Spiro Agnew anagram for "grow a penis" :puke:

Proud-Always Blue.

[blueraven95]

84. ditto

and:

ashamed: that we somehow thought it was smart to name a football team after an Edgar Allen Poe poem. Never mind that said poem had nothing to do with football or even sports.

proud: The state capitol. I think it's a gorgeous building.

[Rhythm]

22. I'm from NC too... grew up in Charlotte. n/t

[Angleae]

23. Insanity.

Just listening to the voices that only I can hear makes me ...













Oh, you meant "what state do I live in?" :P

[Lucian]

28. MN

Proud: We have the North Shore of Lake Superior
Ashamed: Norm Coleman, RNC 2008, Michele Bachmann

[RandomThoughts]

30. I like this one.

The state of clarity by overcomming confusion.

Which is the state of limitless learning, since the realization of all that I do not known is revealed.

:)

[Kire]

32. Weird NJ

I am ashamed of that magazine and all of the nonsense that it attracts to my community.

I am proud that my mother's ancestor was the sheriff of New Jersey during the revolutionary war, and that my father's memorial flag flies high in Palmer Park in Long Valley, NJ.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

58. Weird NJ is awesome

I love how half the magazine is for stuff in West Milford.

[SarahB]

33. Connecticut

Proud- ALL can marry legally.
Ashamed- Lieberman

[RetroLounge]

37. Wisconsin

Proud: We went blue again, voted for Obama, have 2 Democratic Senators, and a Democratic Governor, and the mayors of Milwaukee and Madison too.

Ashamed: Repug-loaded Waukesha County. Wish we could trade it to Texas for Austin.

RL

[Critters2]

46. Yeah. Sensenbrenner. My dad lives in Washington County, and is also

represented by Sensenbrenner. One should never mention this to my dad unless there's a defibrillator handy.

[ccharles000]

52. I have family who live in Wisconsin who voted for Obama

[stuntcat]

38. I'm proud of NC for going Blue this time!

NC's the most beautiful state IN THE WORLD too, the Jesse Helms part has always been a shame.

I'm in VA right now and I'm not committing to it, someday I'll be back in NC. Here I guess I'm proud of how beautiful it is out West and ashamed of some of the people who live out there.. I don't feel too strongly about any of it though, since it's not my state.

[davsand]

39. Illinois

We are one of the most politically corrupt places in this country. We average an indicted Governor every ten years, and right now our Dem Governor Rod Blagojevich is in Fitz's targets and Tony Rezco (who was Blago's biatch)is rumored to be singing like a bird. The clock is ticking.


On the flip side, if you can survive in Illinois politics with your soul intact (and many of us have managed, in spite of the state reputation) you can flourish anywhere. We just shared our best and brightest with the nation. He's gonna kick ass.



Laura

[murielm99]

94. Yes.

Proud: Barack Obama.

Ashamed: Blagojevich, Madigan, Jones. (All three of them are damned fools who can't get along with each other. If they could try, maybe we would not in danger of losing Springfield to a republican governor and statehouse majority.

I just don't get it. We produce Obama, Lincoln, Paul Simon, Adlai Stephenson, Durbin. They are some of the best in our nation's history. And yet we have the corruption. This just isn't Illinois unless we have a governor or two sitting in the jailhouse.

[ET Racer]

99. I sure miss the bowties

and the man who wore em.
Say what you want but Paul Simon had more ethics of right and wrong than anybody in
Illinois politics since.
Well except for one other :thumbsup:

[LiberalEsto]

42. Maryland

Proud - A strong blue state

Ashamed -- our Democratic state elections commissioner who foisted Diebold voting machines on us, squandering millions of taxpayer dollars, and the Democrats in the state legislature who covered for her. She went around the country to peddle Diebold machines to other states' election officials too. She even promoted Diebold in a Diebold marketing brochure. Now we're finally going to get rid of the cheating machines, which will cost taxpayers additional millions at a time when the state's finances are in bad shape.

[Critters2]

44. Illinois

Proud of...Abe Lincoln and Barack Obama.

Ashamed of...just about every other politician.

[AwakeAtLast]

45. IN - went Blue! Mitch still Gov. :(

I guess you can't have it all!

[mcctatas]

47. WI...

Proud: Fighting Bob LaFollette

Ashamed: Ripon WI, the birthplace of the Republican party (although since I used to live there and went to college there for two years I guess I can forgive Ripon ;) )

[bigwillq]

48. Both gay and straight people

can marry in my state.

:bounce;

Connecticut.


But then we still have Joe Lieberman. :mad:

[Blue_In_AK]

49. Bet you'll never guess what I'm ashamed of...

:rofl: Can you spell S-a-r-a-h?

But I'm proud of Alaska's beauty, and I'm proud of my progressive friends here who keep soldiering on against the odds. And I'm very proud that we elected Mark Begich.

[dkofos]

50. Confusion

Texas that is

[WritingIsMyReligion]

51. Maine.

Proud--We're in the northeast, our coast is stunning, the ocean is delightfully freezing, we look gorgeous in snow, and we're for the most part blue

Ashamed--We keep sending Republicans (moderate Republicans, it's true, but STILL) to the Senate. x( x(

[tabbycat31]

53. New Jersey

proud
solid blue state, 2 Democratic senators and a Democratic governor (although next year's race will be nasty)
great coastline
Bruce Springsteen's hometown is right next to mine
full-service gas


ashamed
some of the nastiest campaigns ever
high COL state
very corrupt politicians on most levels (the mayor of a north Jersey city was arrested in my town 2 years ago, right after election day, another mayor? was arrested in DC for pissing on a crowd)

[mvd]

54. PA

Proud - our champion Philadelphia Phillies

Ashamed - that Rick Santorum was Senator here, and now has a column in the Inquirer.

[Parche]

55. oregon is much better then NC

:hug:

[KamaAina]

56. Hawai'i: Patsy Mink, the 442nd/100th, one of the smallest numbers of uninsured

ashamed: repuke governor, with much dumber LG waiting in the wings :scared: , highest Spam consumption of any state (though Guam has us beat by a mile), the overthrow of the monarchy (backed by U.S. Marines), overwhelmingly passed Prop H8-style referendum several years ago (funded by guess which two large churches??), and a particular repuke state senator who seems to believe that any and all recipients of any type of public assistance whatsoever is necessarily a drug abuser and/or alcoholic.

[Enthusiast]

57. Proud of Dennis Kucinich,

ashamed of the Cincinnati Creation Museum.

[CreekDog]

59. California: proud of Harvey Milk/George Moscone

:thumbsdown: Jim Jones/Dan White

30 years ago last month. :cry:

[mwooldri]

60. NC and UK...

... about the UK

Too much to be proud about when it comes to UK. Decent media, reasonably decent political system, better public transport than here, Her Maj (yes, I'm a Royalist and can NEVER be a Republican in more ways than one), Universal Healthcare, long list.

Then again too much to be ashamed of. Some aspects of Colonialism, I detest CCTV, I apologise for Margaret Thatcher, state of the roads (they're god-awful where I grew up)... again a long list.

... about my adopted home state of NC.

Proud of its natural beauty... yes UK is beautiful too but NC is different and something else. Ocracoke Island - my fave getaway spot in the world.

Ashamed - add me to the Jesse Helms and the segregation issues too. We never had formal segregation in the UK but racism is still alive and well I'm afraid there too, and too much self-segregation. I grew up in a lily-white environment, and to this day, it's pretty much 99% Caucasian. I'm ashamed to see here the same self-segregation going on here too.

[jbane]

61. Virginia

Good: We finally turned from Red to Blue and we were a battleground state.

Not so Good: We actually had a holiday at one point called Lee-Jackson-King Day.
It was to honor Confederate Generals Robert E.Lee and Stonewall Jackson and oh by the way
lets add Dr. Martin Luther King so we won't have to add another holiday.
I think that happened during the George Allen era.

[beac]

82. I second your 'Good' though, alas, it was 'not real' NOVA that

put us in the blue (with the exception of my one-tiny-blue-dot-in-a-sea-of-red county in SWVA!).

Alas, here in 'real' Virginia still have a lot of 'macaca' going on. I come from a long line of Virginians and love my state in many ways, but it makes me sick to see how many of my fellow citizens still display the stars and bars proudly and express their racism without restraint.

[racaulk]

62. Georgia

Proud - Atlanta is a great and vibrant city, and there are many beautiful places to visit here.

Ashamed - We just reelected Saxby Chambliss yesterday. :cry:

[SeaLyons]

66. ...

:cry: :cry:

[Tommy_Carcetti]

63. Florida.

Proud--Beautiful weather, beautiful scenery, the springs, the Everglades, Ocala National Forest, St. Augustine, the Keys, alligators, manatees, cool cities, championship sports teams in baseball, pro football, pro basketball, hockey, college football and college basketball just in the past decade. There's just so much to love about this state. (Oh, not to mention we're a blue state again!)

Ashamed--Lax growth management laws have lead to a lot of ugly urban sprawl that has threatened the environment. Oh, and Jeb Bush--I know he's not governor anymore, but his legacy is horrible. (Plus he's now threatening to run for Senator).

[Burma Jones]

67. Maryland -

Proud - Highest median family income in the USA and one of the lowest 2007 poverty rates - NH, CT and HI have slightly lower 2007 poverty rates. In 2006, Maryland had the lowest poverty rate.

Ashamed - Danny Snyder, Peter Angelos, Michael Steele........

[Tommy_Carcetti]

68. Don't worry, Danny Snyder's team doesn't really represent Maryland.

And brighter days are ahead for Peter Angelos' team despite Peter Angelos.

[Burma Jones]

71. You're right, but, the little weasel lives here.......

And I yearn for the Angelo-less Orioles.......

I even miss Memorial Stadium......

[Tommy_Carcetti]

76. My parents first apartment was two blocks from Memorial Stadium.

Game days were crazy trying to get a parking space, but I would have loved walking to the ballpark.

[AngryAmish]

69. IL Ashamed: our political class are crooks

Proud: At least we are not Florida.

[Bertha Venation]

70. Proud: Cesar Chavez.

Ashamed: Arnold Schwarzenegger

[SacredCow]

72. Louisiana....

Ashamed- Hard to pick. I'll go with Jindal (a biology major) opting to teach creationism as science.

Proud- Always the culinary delights! (which is why it's so hard to stay in shape around here)

[LibDemAlways]

73. California - Ashamed is spelled A R N O L D; proud is our

vast natural beauty.

[Deja Q]

81. A-R-N-O-L-D...

M-O-U-S-E...

:hide:

[raccoon]

74. SC.

Ashamed-Strom Thurmond.

Proud-Maurice's Barbecue.

[PVnRT]

75. Kentucky

Proud: Beer cheese. Holy fuck is this shit awesome.

Ashamed: Mitch McConnell

[LeftishBrit]

78. The UK. Ashamed: Maggie Thatcher and the Daily Mail. Proud: that the Welfare State still exists.

[terrya]

79. IL: Proud: Barack Obama and the new First Family

Ashamed: our asshole, ethically challenged Governor.

[baby_mouse]

80. UK: Lothian

More like a county than a State in terms of size, but

Proud:

It's just beautiful. Utter, entrancingly, wondrously beautiful.

Unproud

It's so UP ITSELF.

[BreweryYardRat]

83. I'm in FLORIDA.

You're asking me to name only one thing I'm ashamed of?

As for proud...I'm proud we went blue in this election.

[midnight armadillo]

87. That's because Florida's importation of the nation's douchebags

Seriously now, that was never a good policy.

[Z_I_Peevey]

85. Oklahoma's easy, and what a contrast!

Proud--Woody Guthrie.

Ashamed--Inhofe.

[Whoa_Nelly]

86. Ashamed also--Sally Kern

Native Oklahoman here

:hi: ZIP!

[Shell Beau]

90. Mississippi---- I am proud that we really are the hospitality state.

That is no lie.


Do I really need to say what I am not proud of? I mean really? HAve you seen the movie Mississippi Burning?

[buckettgirl]

91. Kansas

Proud - female democrat governor

Ashamed - intelligent design

[BlueIris]

96. Oregon. Proud: Booting Gordo. Ashamed: No sales tax.

Which is fucking over our state but good.

[oustemnow]

97. California. Proud: Waxman is my damn rep! Woot!

Ashamed: That Prop 8 crap. Boo!

Mixed feelings: Gov. Arnie.

[RoseMead]

98. West Virginia

Proud: I live in one of the most beautiful states in the nation. And we have a strong history of supporting labor and unions.

Ashamed: Of all the backward racist idiots who voted for McCain. :cry:

[Broken_Hero]

100. Alaska,

Ashamed-Palin

Proud-Ted Stevens is gone.

[MrSlayer]

101. PA

Ashamed - The James Buchanan administration, "Single Bullet" Specter. Proud - The birthing site of this great nation.