Wisconsin listed among the worse states to retire

Sometimes ratings are over rated.  But in the case of the 2010 Top Ten Worst States to retire in, the other 40 states not making the list are most likely developing a marketing strategy for 2011.  The worst states mentioned are going to need more than a good marketing plan to move off the list.  The very popular website TopRetirement.com first reported the data and their interpretation which was then covered extensively by The Wall Street Journal Market Watch along with reports from The Wisconsin News.  As the year ends we no doubt will be bombarded by the best of and worst of list after list.  Although these lists are indicators of what a state has in store for you when you arrive, your own personal views and situation may warrant a different rating, at least in theory.

Here is TopRetirement’s list of the bottom of the barrel:

1. Illinois: IL’s fiscal health could be the worst of any state. It even borrowed money to fund its pension obligations!
2. California: The Golden State is expensive and its finances are in disarray. Has paid bills with vouchers. Does have a warm climate.
3. New York: Very high taxes, including property taxes. Second highest tax burden and 5th highest per-capita property taxes. Dysfunctional state legislature. Very expensive to live here. Most pensions are exempt, however.
4. Rhode Island: Probably the worst off state in the Northeast from a financial viewpoint. High taxes. Does have some great places to live.
5. New Jersey: The highest property taxes in the U.S. as well as the highest tax burden (as reported by the Tax Foundation) Has serious pension funding issues.
6. Ohio: High taxes (7th highest tax burden) and unemployment. Cold winters.
7. Wisconsin: A high tax state (9th highest tax burden) with cold weather. High property taxes. But it does not tax military pensions.
8. Massachusetts: High taxes including high property taxes. Very high cost of living.
9. Connecticut: CT has the 3rd highest tax burden of any state, taxes social security, and has very high property taxes. It has some terrific places to live, but the cost of living is very high.
10. Nevada: The foreclosure capital of the world. State is having financial problems. But it does not have an income tax (yet).

The articles and data are in depth.  Upon further examination it may not be that bad of in Wisconsin after all.  The Top Weighting Criteria for the rating scale included: Fiscal health, taxation, and climate.  The authors remind us if those are not key factors for you, your list might look very different.  The Wall Street Journal Market Watch report reminds us in Wisconsin that Milwaukee starts off in the minus category for large city weather conditions.

Of the 40 largest cities in the United States, Milwaukee has the coldest winter weather, based on normal daily temperatures, according to Current Results, a website that tracks weather trends. The lakeside Wisconsin city’s daily winter mean temperature is 24.1 degrees Fahrenheit. But fellow Great Lakes metropolis Cleveland is the fourth-coldest U.S. city, with a daily winter mean temperature that’s not much higher at 28.4 degrees Fahrenheit.

But the cold shoulder to boost our states rating continues from the report when it comes to taxes.

Wisconsin, as noted, is doubly cursed in these rankings as a high-tax state with cold weather. Plus, it has high property taxes. The only good news, at least for those to whom it applies, is that the Badger State doesn’t tax military pensions.

Although we cannot do much in Wisconsin about the cold weather but to embrace it, unless you actively participate in global warming, which we do not recommend either.  All joking aside, the high taxed and highly regulated mentality of Wisconsin has to be good for something, we just need to figure out what.  In my work as a citizen activist I have found many have come to agree with me that legalizing industrial hemp, medical marijuana and recreational cannabis will have the positive impacts we need in many sectors of our economy.  Finally these “virtues” of high taxes can be utilized, we just need to make sure any tax revenue is spent wisely.

I can image a Wisconsin, beautiful and distinct in all four seasons becoming a destination for many with relaxed cannabis laws.  If structured correctly, the new revenue generated could also lower the burden of property taxes, not to mention supply the jobs and alternative fuels our economy so badly needs.  Who knows, maybe someday Wisconsin will be in a top ten list of states to be proud of.  Some find it odd that it may just be marijuana that puts us back into positive light as a state.  I find it fitting.