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Texas does not suck in quality of life. Why do you say that?
I think QOL is somewhat a matter of opinion, but when you look at how the citizens of Texas compare to the citizens of other states, Texas doesn't come out looking all that great.
Poverty is higher than the national average, there are more uninsured, high school graduation rates are lower than the national average, college grads are lower than the national average, income is lower than the national average, childhood poverty is high, teen pregnancy is high, the life expectancy of citizens is much lower, etc.
If one considers the totality of those measures, Texas citizens on average are poorer, less educated, and die earlier than other American citizens. Some people may look at those measures as meaning Texas citizens on average have a lower QOL than average American citizens.
There's your miracle. And when the boom goes bust as they all do inevitably, you'll see all the proof you need.
Not just oil and gas. Texas is also an innovator in technology and is considered the second Silicon Valley in the US. Dallas and Houston are alo homes to many international headquarters, and to some of the best medical centers in the country . The boom has been on for over 20 years now and we are seeing no regression in the contrary....
Let's compare the quality of life in the two biggest states of California and Texas, and not small states with minimal immigrants. One liberal one conservative.
Claim: Many Texas jobs are low wage. Wages mean nothing without the context of cost of living. California has the fourth-highest cost of living in the nation at 132 percent of the national average. Texas has the second-lowest cost of living at 90 percent. Thus, California's $8 minimum wage can buy $6.06 of goods and services while Texas' $7.25 minimum wage can buy the equivalent of $8.04.
Claim: Texans live in poverty. The census has calculated the poverty level using the same income threshold across the nation, regardless of cost of living. But the census released a new Supplemental Poverty Measure that places California's poverty rate at 23.5 percent, the nation's highest, while dropping Texas' poverty rate to 16.5 percent. Proportionately, there are 42 percent more poor people in California than in Texas.
Claim: The income gap is the nation's fifth-widest in Texas. Not so. A new government workers union (AFSCME) report says California has the third-highest income inequality gap in the nation with Texas ranked seventh. Had the report taken into account Texas' low cost of living, Texas would not have placed in the top 10 while California would have fared worse.
Claim: Texans don't have health insurance, the highest rate in the nation. This claim is driven by Medicaid coverage (called Medi-Cal in California). If the purpose of coverage is to access health care, then the 9.2 million Californians who rely on Medi-Cal have a serious problem because California's low reimbursement rate to doctors have forced half of them to refuse to see Medi-Cal patients.
. Claim: Texas ranks last for adults with high-school diplomas. True, but California ranks third-last, barely ahead of Mississippi. Further, this statistic is tied to the number of foreign-born residents, not the effectiveness of schools where, according to the U.S. Department of Education, Texas graduates a higher percentage of high school students than does California and a far higher percentage of Hispanic high school students, a key plurality in both states.
Claim: Texas SAT scores rank 45th. Less than half of students take the SAT, rendering it an unsound metric even as Texas SAT participation rates have climbed rapidly. The National Assessment of Educational Progress is a better measure because most students take it. NAEP results among the eight biggest states show that Texas students are the best overall and place in the top by racial and ethnic group, too. California is consistently last.
An honest discussion about Texas is best when compared to California because they are the two biggest states and they are more alike than different in terms of natural resources and demographics. Where they diverge is in their governance: Government is about 33 percent larger as a share of the economy in California than in Texas.
If California is supposed to represent all that is good about America's liberal future, then why does it have the nation's highest poverty rate? The Texas model produces more prosperity for more people.
It's like people don't realize that the "Texas" in "Texas Instruments" actually refers to the state...
Dell, HP and Rackspace are all Texas based.
IBM has a presence there, as does vmware, Google, cisco, Microsoft and VCE.
Texas may not have the reputation that silicon valley does, but it's a very, very tech savvy state.
I am wondering what happens when a whole lot of young people from California, Washington, Oregon and other states move to Texas and start working in high tech. Will they become red neck yahoo's and vote Republican or vote Democrat like they have always done. Will young hispanics who dont vote now become a bunch of red neck yahoo's in the future?
I remember a few years ago when Montana had bumper stickers that said "gut shoot them at the border" when referring to outsiders, what will Texas do to keep from turning blue? I guess they could keep Republicans alive in intensive care on the gubbermint dole=medicare.
I live in TN, a state whose politics are fairly similar to Texas. We have low taxes, low wages, low regulation, and are a very business friendly state, yet Texas continues to progess economically, while other states like TN that should be booming, frankly, are hurting. Why?
Is the Texas boom primarily based on oil and other national resources that other states aren't blessed with?
Does the Texas boom exist outside the major cities? Like here, I've always read that TX has issues with poverty outside the major cities.
Are there other factors specific to TX causing it to boom while other states that attempt to mimic the TX miracle like TN falter?
Yes, it's the fracking that is causing Texas to boom (Eagle Ford Shale in so Tex). In many cities and towns throughout South and West Texas, frack workers are creating boom towns left and right. I don't think that Texas has any more problems with poverty than other states. If you eliminate all of the illiterate illegals from the equation, our poverty is comparable to the other states.
I am wondering what happens when a whole lot of young people from California, Washington, Oregon and other states move to Texas and start working in high tech. Will they become red neck yahoo's and vote Republican or vote Democrat like they have always done. Will young hispanics who dont vote now become a bunch of red neck yahoo's in the future?
I remember a few years ago when Montana had bumper stickers that said "gut shoot them at the border" when referring to outsiders, what will Texas do to keep from turning blue? I guess they could keep Republicans alive in intensive care on the gubbermint dole=medicare.
I refuse to believe anyone is actually this stupid.
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