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I would imagine the best run states have the least number of cities and towns in financial trouble.
How can one compare state debt per capita when there are huge variations in state populations? How do you compare the population of Maine with that of NY or CA?
Oh, and health insurance? MASS. has the lowest rate of uninsured residents in the country because...it is forced upon us! One gets a sizeable fine attached to their IRS dues if uninsured.
Well, some of the states where people most enjoy living are amongst "the worst" and some of the states that are not on many people's "must visit" or "gotta live there" lists are recognized as "the best."
Not sure what that means but I bet it means something, lol.
- best run state in the southeast- VA- which is the most NORTHERN state in the southeast.
- CA one of the worst run- despite some parts being very prosperous- I lived in CA once and it's a state that shoots itself in the foot on a regular basis
- rural midwest does very well, only somewhat industrial/ urban state listed as well-run is MN
What does "per capita" mean? Response to a non-sequitur.
Quote:
Originally Posted by newenglandgirl
Mass. is well run...by the mafia...
I would imagine the best run states have the least number of cities and towns in financial trouble.
How can one compare state debt per capita when there are huge variations in state populations? How do you compare the population of Maine with that of NY or CA?
Oh, and health insurance? MASS. has the lowest rate of uninsured residents in the country because...it is forced upon us! One gets a sizeable fine attached to their IRS dues if uninsured.
Seems like yet another skewed study.
Is is really possible you don't know what "per capita" means? It means per person. That is the only rational way to compare state debt because of the very differences in state populations which you refer to. Hello? If state A has a debt of $10 million and they have a population of 10 million people, then the debt is one dollar per person, or per capita. If state B has only $ one million in debt but only one million people, then their per capita (per person) debt is the same: one dollar. Both states can be presumed to be able to support their debt more or less equally well (or poorly) because the ratio of the debt to the population is the same.
I would say it's not so much the study which is skewed but your critique of it.
A state like Wyoming that has a relatively small per capita debt of $2400 with a population of 560,000 cannot be compared with a state like Illinois with a per capita debt of $4400 and a population of almost 13 million, in using per capita debt as a factor in determining best-run and worst-run states. A more accurate factor would be what $ amount each state actually spends on each resident in terms of return. Even then, what does that tell you? A state can spend more on each resident in terms of education, safety, etc, and get a greater return dollar-wise in taxes than a state that spends less on each resident and gets less from each resident in terms of taxes, or a state can spend more and get less (depending on employment rates and quality of employment and subsequently the numbers getting state aid), and so on.
The main issue with any ranking system is not what/how they are trying to rank , but what does one want. As an example. Many southern states have low property taxes but also low per capita spending on education. So which is important to you?
I have to stand up for my home state of New Jersey. We deserve the title of Worst Run State. We have a local paper covering northern NJ called The Record. Almost daily, no lie, there is at least one story about corruption in pubic agencies and the political indictment of the day. Federal law enforcement jokes that they should put yellow crime scene tape around the State Capital. Things are so bad that upon reporting for work one morning, city employees discovered that thieves had stolen the copper handrails from Newark City Hall. The perverse thing is that NJ residents are almost prideful about the corruption in local government.
I have to stand up for my home state of New Jersey. We deserve the title of Worst Run State. We have a local paper covering northern NJ called The Record. Almost daily, no lie, there is at least one story about corruption in pubic agencies and the political indictment of the day. Federal law enforcement jokes that they should put yellow crime scene tape around the State Capital. Things are so bad that upon reporting for work one morning, city employees discovered that thieves had stolen the copper handrails from Newark City Hall. The perverse thing is that NJ residents are almost prideful about the corruption in local government.
I can't wait to leave.
That's what you get for having a bunch of Snookies!
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What does "per capita" mean? Response to a non-sequitur.
