Best and Worst in 2013 as chronicled by TheRightJack

Yikes. Four more years. Kids not moving out of your home any time soon. No fix in sight in the Blue states. Spending cuts are not an option, it appears.

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10 Drunkest States in the U.S.

1 New Hampshire
Total pure alcohol consumed: 4.7 gallons per person
Beer: 318.3 cans per person
Wine: 36.5 bottles per person
Spirits: 18.8 bottles per person

2 District of Columbia
3 Delaware
4 Nevada
5 North Dakota

6 Wisconsin
7 Alaska
8 Montana
9 Vermont
10 South Dakota

Cheers. [thestreet.com] 11/22/13

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12 jobs on the brink of … extinction or evolving:

Librarian

Professional typist

Video store clerk

Umps and Refs

Iceman

Travel agent

Newspaper deliverer

Family farm

Switchboard operator

Supermarket cashier

Postal worker

On Air DJ ... and 

Democrats are working also to make the GOP extinct. [salary.com] undated, posted 10/15/13

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The 20 Most Expensive Neighborhoods in America … CA and NY lead the way. [finance.yahoo.com] 10/8/13 

#1 BEVERLY HILLS, CA (90210): The most famous zip code in America, Beverly Hills had 18 homes sales over $10 million. This nine-bedroom mansion in Beverly Hills is on sale for $32 million.

#2 NEW YORK, NY (10023): NYC's Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side had 17 home sales over $10 million. A seven-bedroom condo in this building is currently listed for $12 million.

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The 8 Cheapest States for Retirees from Kiplinger

1 Alaska

… No income taxes and no sales taxes are levied by the state. There are some small local sales tax fees — averaging less than 2 percent — and a property tax that, conveniently, the first $150,000 of value is exempt from for all homeowners above a certain age.

2 Wyoming 

3 Georgia 

4 Arizona 

5 Mississippi 

6 Delaware 

7 Nevada 

8 Louisiana [wallstcheatsheet.com] 9/26/13 

Note: Some of these states can be found on the "worst" lists below as well. It depends on what factors are taken into consideration.

As noted before, there are lies, damn lies, and statistics.

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Friendliest cities

10 Branson MO
9 Telluride CA
9 Sonomo CA
7 Jackson MS
7 Natchez MS

5 Austin TX
4 Asheville NC
3 Savannah GA
2 Galena IL
1 Charleston SC

The Not So Friendly

10 Sacramento CA
9 Anaheim CA
8 Wilmington DE
7 Albany NY
6 Los Angeles CA

5 Atlantic City NJ
4 Detroit MI
3 New Haven CT
2 Oakland CA
1 Newark NJ

Most friendly and most unfriendly cities [travel.yahoo.com] Undated

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The Worst Tax [Un]Friendly States for Retirees … 

CNBC culled data from CCH, the Tax Foundation, state revenue departments, retirementliving.com and the Federation of Tax Administrators. (Property tax rates, compiled by the Tax Foundation using Census Bureau data, are through calendar year 2011 and reflect the mean property tax as a percentage of mean home value.) [allproudamericans.com] Unranked 8/28/13

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What is a common characteristic for many of these states? Could it be party affiliation! Could it the Mason-Dixon Line! Unemployment issues?

California

Connecticut

Iowa

Maine

Nebraska

New Jersey

New York

Minnesota

Rhode Island

Vermont

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12 U.S. Cities Following Detroit Into Bankruptcy & the Political Party That Runs Them. [ijreview.com] 8/8/13 

Compton CA [D]

Chicago IL [D]

Cincinnati OH [D]

Minneapolis MN [R] unfunded pension liabilities

Las Vegas [D]

Omaha NE [R] unfunded pension liabilities

Portland OR [D] unfunded pension liabilities

Fresno CA [R]

Harrisburg PA [D]

Trenton NJ [D]

Oakland CA [D]

Providence RI [D]

You get what you vote for!

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Cars with the most safety complaints. N = 30,000 in 2012. Brand and model. Read the details in this brief report.

10 Hyundai, Sonata

9 Ford, Escape

8 VolksWagen, Jetta

7 BMW, 3 series

6 Nissan, Altima

5 Dodge, Grand Caravan

4 Chrysler, Town & Country

3 Smart, ForTwo

2 Jeep, Wrangler

1 Mini, Cooper [autos.yahoo.com] 5/23/13

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10 Worst States for Retirement

10 Delaware

9 Minnesota

7.5 Maryland

7.5 Vermont

6 Maine

5 Wisconsin

4 California

3 Washington

2 Alaska

1 Oregon [Bankrate.com] 5/7/13 

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10 Best States for Retirement

10 North Dakota

9 Nebraska

8 Alabama

7 West Virginia

6 Virginia

5 Mississippi

4 Kentucky

3 South Dakota

2 Louisiana

1 Tennessee [Bakerate.com] 5/6/13

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Most and Least taxing states 2013 [finance.yahoo.com] 4/24/13

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The 10 Worst Things You Can Do to Your Car

Here are the top 10: 

1. Putting off recommended / scheduled maintenance 

2. Ignoring the “check engine” light

3. Not changing the oil, or not having it changed on time

4. Not checking tire pressure

5. Neglecting coolant, brake, transmission and other fluid services

6. Continuing to drive when the vehicle is overheating

7. Not changing fuel and air filters

8. Having unqualified shops service your vehicle [Find a good mechanic]

9. Using generic aftermarket parts instead of original equipment manufacturer (OEM)-quality parts [Not so inclined to agree with this one]

10. Trying to service your own high-tech vehicle [finance.yahoo.com] 1/25/13

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The 5 Highest Tax States for Top Earners

[finance.yahoo.com] 2/1/13

1 Malifornia

2 Hawaii

3 Vermont

4 New Jersey

5 Oregon 

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Jobs with top growth in 2013 …

• Accountant
• Software developer
• Personal financial advisor
• Public relations specialist
• Nursing 
[education.yahoo.net] 1/24/13

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Hottest college degrees for 2013

Bachelor’s Degree in Health Care Administration **

Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration

Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration

Bachelor’s Degree in Forensics and Criminal Science

Bachelor’s Degree in Homeland Security

[education.yahoo.net]

** Note: Grads must learn how to look the other way when it comes to budget cuts for diagnosis and treatment when associated with Seniors.