Texas Economy as Bad as California (health insurance, closing, taxes)

[californio sur]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/07/op...ml?ref=opinion

For those who promote Texas, a deep Red state with no state tax, as an example for California, it is clear that conservative policies fail.

"How bad is the Texas deficit? Comparing budget crises among states is tricky, for technical reasons. Still, data from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities suggest that the Texas budget gap is worse than New York’s, about as bad as California’s, but not quite up to New Jersey levels".

[TimC2462]

Originally Posted by californio sur

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/07/op...ml?ref=opinion

For those who promote Texas, a deep Red state with no state tax, as an example for California, it is clear that conservative policies fail.

"How bad is the Texas deficit? Comparing budget crises among states is tricky, for technical reasons. Still, data from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities suggest that the Texas budget gap is worse than New York’s, about as bad as California’s, but not quite up to New Jersey levels".

Question.

How is this even remotely a political issue? I understand that some have asserted that lower taxation and less regulation creates a business friendly climate, but take a look at *our* state of California. By your argument, we can say that liberal policies have also failed if California is struggling among the other 49 states.

[californio sur]

Originally Posted by TimC2462

Question.

How is this even remotely a political issue? I understand that some have asserted that lower taxation and less regulation creates a business friendly climate, but take a look at *our* state of California. By your argument, we can say that liberal policies have also failed if California is struggling among the other 49 states.

The article points out several political policies:

"Its governor boasted that its budget was in good shape thanks to his “tough conservative decisions.”

"Among the states, Texas ranks near the bottom in education spending per pupil, while leading the nation in the percentage of residents without health insurance. It’s hard to imagine what will happen if the state tries to eliminate its huge deficit purely through further cuts".

"Right now, triumphant conservatives in Washington are declaring that they can cut taxes and still balance the budget by slashing spending. Yet they haven’t been able to do that even in Texas, which is willing both to impose great pain (by its stinginess on health care) and to shortchange the future (by neglecting education). How are they supposed to pull it off nationally, especially when the incoming Republicans have declared Medicare, Social Security and defense off limits?


People used to say that the future happens first in California, but these days what happens in Texas is probably a better omen. And what we’re seeing right now is a future that doesn’t work".

[Reason42]

...Krugman is a partisian toad, just like someone else...



Let's see how quickly Texas closes it's budget gap, and compare that to how long it takes California...

The underlying point is that Texas is business friendly, and has a growing tax base...

Two things that will make closing the gap easy.

...two things that California does not share...

[TimC2462]

Originally Posted by californio sur

The article points out several political policies:

"Its governor boasted that its budget was in good shape thanks to his “tough conservative decisions.”

"Among the states, Texas ranks near the bottom in education spending per pupil, while leading the nation in the percentage of residents without health insurance. It’s hard to imagine what will happen if the state tries to eliminate its huge deficit purely through further cuts".

"Right now, triumphant conservatives in Washington are declaring that they can cut taxes and still balance the budget by slashing spending. Yet they haven’t been able to do that even in Texas, which is willing both to impose great pain (by its stinginess on health care) and to shortchange the future (by neglecting education). How are they supposed to pull it off nationally, especially when the incoming Republicans have declared Medicare, Social Security and defense off limits?


People used to say that the future happens first in California, but these days what happens in Texas is probably a better omen. And what we’re seeing right now is a future that doesn’t work".

The author makes some good points. But... you can also say that California has also failed with its liberal policies, since the legislature is primarily made up of Democrats.

Both Texas and our states are prime examples of two extremes that have willfully ignored the realities that have led to the current state we are in today.

[californio sur]

Texas represents the quintessential Republican state: Bible-belt ignorance coupled with anti-social pathology. As the article states: Texas could cares less for its citizens, the environment or infra-structure if it means raising taxes. So how is it going to get out of the mess it has created for itself? And Republicans like Nutmeg Whitman praised Texas as an example for California!

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by TimC2462

The author makes some good points. But... you can also say that California has also failed with its liberal policies, since the legislature is primarily made up of Democrats.

But the sheeple of California deserve a full measure of the blame as well.

As Roberts and Trounstine so aptly put it in CalBuzz, "– For some forty years, Californians have wanted a blue state culture financed on a red state budget."

[Fontucky]

Originally Posted by californio sur

Texas represents the quintessential Republican state: Bible-belt ignorance coupled with anti-social pathology. :

But on the bright side, they execute their murderers. I wish we had the balls to do that.

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by Fontucky

But on the bright side, they execute their murderers. I wish we had the balls to do that.

Yeah! Think of the cost savings!

[Fontucky]

They say it's more expensive to execute them with the decades-long appeals process, but that too could be changed if the will was there.