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A paler of shade of blue for
Submitted by g. powell on Mon Nov. 16, 2009 11:09 AM PST.
A paler of shade of blue for NY.
Which surprises me because I though our state legislators and Gov. were hands down the worst in the country. I mean Arnie is bad, but he is no Paterson, or even Spitzer. And we have Hiram Monserrate. But I'm confident they will work hard next year to unseat California for this dubious honor. So I hope the Golden State enjoys its brief tenure in the glow of infamy because I'm sure the Empire State will soon unseat it.
Big part of the issue is
Submitted by Saam Barrager (not verified) on Mon Nov. 16, 2009 11:30 AM PST.
Big part of the issue is Prop 13, which creates massive distortions in the tax base and prevents legislatures from doing anything about it. It's one of the worst imaginable pieces of legislation on a number of levels.
Oregon has nothing like it, and still fares poorly - so that's what I found surprising.
So, when we repeal Prop 13
Submitted by Art Eclectic on Mon Nov. 16, 2009 5:22 PM PST.
So, when we repeal Prop 13 and you property tax doubles next year so that we can issue more gold plated pension programs to government workers -- hey, let's give them the full 100% of their pay in retirement next time -- I assume you'll be thrilled?
How about we trying spending less for a change.
Actually, Oregon has a bunch
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon Nov. 16, 2009 7:40 PM PST.
Actually, Oregon has a bunch of insane property tax measures, a 5/8 super majority requirement for tax increases, pitifully low corporate income taxes, no sales tax, and an easy referendum system where the tax measures that the leg managed to pass this year (after we finally elected a Dem super-majority last year) will be up for a NO vote in January. Based on previous experience of the last Oregon budget crisis where a tax measure was referred directly to the populace, the tax measure will get voted down, and Oregon will be in an even worse crisis than it is now.
They're using the domIno
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon Nov. 16, 2009 11:49 AM PST.
They're using the domIno font.
The comparison between CA
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon Nov. 16, 2009 11:48 AM PST.
The comparison between CA and AZ is that at least in CA there are actually government services for the people. In AZ, we refer to them as government services to the developers.
The real problem in AZ was that government has been financed for 20 years based on giving desert to developers, and making them create all the infrastructure and then assuming increased property taxes from constantly increasing real estate sales.
AZ is arguably in worse shape than CA. In CA there's a good chance that due to weather and natural resources, CA could survive on its own. AZ can't survive on its own.
My dad lives in Phoenix --
Submitted by g. powell on Mon Nov. 16, 2009 11:57 AM PST.
My dad lives in Phoenix -- so I visit often -- and I've never understood what the economy of AZ is based on besides real estate development, which seems backwards to me.
Yeah, the AZ economy is
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon Nov. 16, 2009 12:39 PM PST.
Yeah, the AZ economy is based on three things:
1) Converting desert to resorts/golf courses/malls
2) Converting desert to homes
3) Cheap labor that comes from finding people that want homes and fancy shopping and are willing to live in a land of no resources, 120 degree heat, no culture, no urban amenities, and a hatred of unions.
So we get a lot of California dropouts that have no need for city centers, the arts, the ocean or the mountains, and whose idea of a fun day is to go to the Home Depot to buy another stainless steel barbecue or buy a bigger TV.
Great, I can't retire
Submitted by dcsusie on Mon Nov. 16, 2009 12:12 PM PST.
Great, I can't retire anywhere near my grandbabies in CA because ALL the states anywhere near them are screwed up too! Guess I'll just stay in light blue VA and look for cheap flights out 3-4 times a year!
Gubernatorial candidates in Virginia always brag about it being rated one of the 'best run states in the nation.' I used to comment that if it were true, I hated to think about how the rest of the country must be run. Guess I know now.
Arizona is worse off than California
Submitted by tpx on Mon Nov. 16, 2009 12:54 PM PST.
Arizona's legislature is controlled by a majority of anti-government Republicans. Like California, Arizona's Republican legislature put a constitutional amendment on a ballot requiring a 2/3 majority to increase taxes, which passed. They did this after cutting marginal tax rates. Arizona, like California, cannot raise taxes, and can only cut services, which is destroying quality of life. Arizona needs a 2/3 majority of Democrats in both houses of its legislature, but Neptune will be colonized before that ever happens.
Wait a minute
Submitted by slg (not verified) on Mon Nov. 16, 2009 1:14 PM PST.
Call foul! Click over to that Pew chart. The data is ok but this map, and post, tell us nothing useful. The data is a mixture of raw economic data like unemployment %, institutions such as supermajority tax requirements, and preprocessed composite scores of other things. Technically, that is a mess- what are the relative weights of those things, etc.? Conceptually, what do we learn? Nothing, really. There is one bunch of highly connected things- of course foreclosure, unemployment, and budget gaps go together. Then there are a couple of institutional variables such as whether taxes need any kind of a supermajority. Apples and oranges. Pew wants us to have economic success and no supermajorities, and discourages economic decline and supermajorities. Well, very separate concepts and combining them tells us nothing. You can have a badly run successful economy, even if the latter is harder.
Perhaps the color should be red since that's accounting debt.
Submitted by MarkH on Mon Nov. 16, 2009 1:28 PM PST.
If we had a series of maps showing the changing condition of these states over the last several decades you might see it tied closely to the mortgage problem which is tied to the 'development' of southern states hoping to rake in money from northerners moving out of the previously unionized states.
Do we really owe a lot of this to the Reagan Revolution? Newt?
Anyway, it's scary to see there are so many other states in a mess. I had thought several were having temporary budgeting problems, but that CA was truly in a class of it's own. Now we see the entire West is slumping under the weight of debt.
This is not good.
I love that extra shading on the borders of dark blue states...
Submitted by Greg in FL on Mon Nov. 16, 2009 1:52 PM PST.
...it makes 'em pop right up ;)
We in the Sunshine State have no state income taxes and are extremely dependent on tourism revenue and the exponential growth of housing and ensuing property taxes. We were also heavily gerrymandered in 2001 under Jeb Bush so the state legislature is lopsided Republican. So luxury taxes on our many wealthy residents (Rush, this means you) is a nonstarter.
Jackpot! When we go belly up, it's a doozy!
But our very tanned Governor Charlie "kick-the-can" Crist is bailing out for the U.S. Senate before the situation gets worse (under Charlie's tenure, the State became underwriters for property insurance, and we've had a few good years of no major hurricane impacts -- he knows that can't last). I must say, he is one of the savviest politicians I've ever seen. If he can survive a primary with a tough movement conservative (Marco Rubio), he is well positioned for the general election, and then on to 2016 and his presidential run. And he will be a contender, despite being on the Palin "dis" list, as he has absolutely no principles besides the career advancement of Charlie Crist.
It isn't actually correct
Submitted by Gene O'Grady (not verified) on Mon Nov. 16, 2009 2:40 PM PST.
It isn't actually correct that Oregon has nothing to compare with Prop 13 -- up here it's called Measure 5.
Plus every time the legislature tries to be responsible Dick Armey shows up and tries to get it repealed by referendum.
My state of Mexinois is
Submitted by Luther on Mon Nov. 16, 2009 4:21 PM PST.
My state of Mexinois is right down there with Mexifornia!
But New Mexico is doing
Submitted by g. powell on Mon Nov. 16, 2009 5:39 PM PST.
But New Mexico is doing nicely. Funny how racists always miss the big picture.
Go back to Whitetrashalvania.
Submitted by tpx on Tue Nov. 17, 2009 7:35 AM PST.
Go back to Whitetrashalvania.
Why is Utah
Submitted by Paul Camp (not verified) on Mon Nov. 16, 2009 6:19 PM PST.
colored with a shade that isn't in the code? Do they know something we don't?
Finally! A race where Georgia doesn't come in 47 or later.
Utah
Submitted by Doc (not verified) on Fri Nov. 20, 2009 9:14 AM PST.
Utah doesn't actually exist, as a state. It's more like its' own private Lichtenstein.
California is Still the Odd Man Out
Submitted by dennisS (not verified) on Mon Nov. 16, 2009 7:19 PM PST.
I have a theory. It came to me while watching a PBS segment on this Pew study highlighting the 10 (I thought it was 11 during the program, but the map says different) states in budget trouble.) I wanted the interviewer to ask, "What about the other states? Why are they okay?"
Anyway, I think it's closely divide legislatures that cause the problem. California is the big exception thanks to their super-majority rules, and I could be wrong, but it fits for Michigan at least and I suspect most of the other states. The states in less budget trouble are either all red, all blue, or lucky.
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