What is wrong with California?

[Indy Coug]

That's a 1/4 inch more than I needed to see, thanks.

[JohnnyLingo]

Come on, I already said I am open to having my current opinion dashed in the face of new and compelling evidence.

Man, I routinely get shouted down for being wrong here, often accompanied by pages of information and charts about how and why I'm wrong, and the one time I'm okay with it, no one will help me out.

[PaloAltoCougar]

I have a modest proposal, based on the following facts: going back at least five years, each year the federal government has spent/sent $1.10 to each of Utah, Wyoming and Idaho for every buck the citizens of those fine states have sent to D.C. California, on the other hand, has received approx. $0.78 (I'm doing this from memory, so factcheckers may debunk this) for every dollar that Californians ship to the IRS. If we can simply reverse those numbers for one year (come on, we're running deficits anyway), California's deficit will be eliminated and we'll have a surplus that will cover us for a few years.

What's wrong with California? We're chumps, subsidizing federal services for a bunch of other states who wonder what's wrong with California.

[landpoke]

What's wrong with California? We're chumps, subsidizing federal services for a bunch of other states who wonder what's wrong with California.

You're not chumps, you're just a bit slow. Send your boys out this way and we'll teach you city slickers a thing or two about fleecing them fellars out in Warsh-ington.

[PaloAltoCougar]

You're not chumps, you're just a bit slow. Send your boys out this way and we'll teach you city slickers a thing or two about fleecing them fellars out in Warsh-ington.

Oddly, my image of you with your feet up on the desk, puffing away on a Cohiba whilst downing a little single malt, all financed, directly or indirectly, through my boneheaded contributions to the Department of Energy, among other things, somehow makes me feel a little better about my chumpitude. Enjoy.

[JohnnyLingo]

I have a modest proposal, based on the following facts: going back at least five years, each year the federal government has spent/sent $1.10 to each of Utah, Wyoming and Idaho for every buck the citizens of those fine states have sent to D.C. California, on the other hand, has received approx. $0.78 (I'm doing this from memory, so factcheckers may debunk this) for every dollar that Californians ship to the IRS. If we can simply reverse those numbers for one year (come on, we're running deficits anyway), California's deficit will be eliminated and we'll have a surplus that will cover us for a few years.

What's wrong with California? We're chumps, subsidizing federal services for a bunch of other states who wonder what's wrong with California.

Thank you! I had no idea California was doing that. And you even added a solution, Bronco bless you.

New data helps. Anyone else have anything?

[Hallelujah]

I have a modest proposal, based on the following facts: going back at least five years, each year the federal government has spent/sent $1.10 to each of Utah, Wyoming and Idaho for every buck the citizens of those fine states have sent to D.C. California, on the other hand, has received approx. $0.78 (I'm doing this from memory, so factcheckers may debunk this) for every dollar that Californians ship to the IRS. If we can simply reverse those numbers for one year (come on, we're running deficits anyway), California's deficit will be eliminated and we'll have a surplus that will cover us for a few years.

What's wrong with California? We're chumps, subsidizing federal services for a bunch of other states who wonder what's wrong with California.

How much of Cali's debt is associated with illegal (er.... undocumented) aliens (schools, medical care, crime). I thought it was around $10-$15B dollars. Pretty sizeable. Quit trying to get more money from the rest of us taxpayers and fund your own mess. Plus all you need to do is get the hollywood elite to pitch in and donate millions for the causes they are so adamant about.

Oh I forgot, the hollywood elite want OUR money to fund their causes. Shame on me.

[JohnnyLingo]

Thank you! I had no idea California was doing that. And you even added a solution, Bronco bless you.

New data helps. Anyone else have anything?

I guess not.

So is the argument here that if California had merely sent as much to Washington as it received from Washington, the state would not be in this financial mess?

[PaloAltoCougar]

I guess not.

So is the argument here that if California had merely sent as much to Washington as it received from Washington, the state would not be in this financial mess?

Well, that wasn't really my argument, although I'm still open to such a solution. In truth, the problem was due to a legislature that found itself the recipient of huge amounts of tax revenue due first to the dot com bubble, followed by the real estate bubble. Rather than tighten belts and set money aside for a rainy day, they took the windfall and spent it. Now that the rainy day has come, no funds are available to support all the cool ideas they had while the sun shone.

[il Padrino Ute]

Well, that wasn't really my argument, although I'm still open to such a solution. In truth, the problem was due to a legislature that found itself the recipient of huge amounts of tax revenue due first to the dot com bubble, followed by the real estate bubble. Rather than tighten belts and set money aside for a rainy day, they took the windfall and spent it. Now that the rainy day has come, no funds are available to support all the cool ideas they had while the sun shone.

You could have just said that Linda Rondstadt tricked Jerry Brown into giving her the state's PIN and she emptied the state's bank account.

[wuapinmon]

I do not care for California because there are too many people crammed into too small an area for my liking. I think their social programs are excellent and remind me of Denmark. I also think that PAC is accurate is his observations. If I were to live in California I would not be happy because the wide open spaces are not the kind that I appreciate.

My sister lives in Big Sur and is apeshit for the place.

[BigPiney]

I do not care for California because there are too many people crammed into too small an area for my liking. I think their social programs are excellent and remind me of Denmark. I also think that PAC is accurate is his observations. If I were to live in California I would not be happy because the wide open spaces are not the kind that I appreciate.

My sister lives in Big Sur and is apeshit for the place.

That is why I live where I do.



That is my little town down there in the valley

[Uncle Ted]

CEOs rank Texas tops for business, California worst

Texas remains the top state for business and California still holds the title for the worst, according to an annual ranking of states by Chief Executive magazine released on Wednesday.

Chief Executive each year surveys CEOs and asks them to grade states in which they do business. This year 650 responded, giving Texas high marks "foremost for its business-friendly tax and regulatory environment," a report on the survey and ranking said on the magazine's website.

"Texas easily clinched the No. 1 rank, the eighth successive time it has done so," the report said. "California earns the dubious honor of being ranked dead last for the eighth consecutive year."

California "appears to slip deeper into the ninth circle of business hell," the report said. "Each year, the evidence that businesses are leaving California or avoid locating there because of the high cost of doing business due to excessive state taxes and stringent regulations, grows."

New York was ranked just ahead of California.

[...]

[Jeff Lebowski]

CEOs rank Texas tops for business, California worst

Here is an article with the full list:

http://chiefexecutive.net/best-worst...-business-2012

Utah comes in at #9.

[byu71]

CEOs rank Texas tops for business, California worst

I wonder what party the governors of the top 10 are and what party the governors of the bottom ten belong to. I have a guess and looked but I don't know which party has control in some of the states.