Why Texas is doing so much better economically than the rest of the nation. (Dallas: mortgages, loan)
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Texas has huge social problems and is making them worse by hammering people with high property tax/rents and skyrocketing deregulated energy costs. Combine this with the highest % of minimum wage workers in the country and that is not a recipe for economic growth down the road.
You can squeeze people at the bottom so much but if they simply cannot fund a car, meet rent, pay electricity, they're going to get desperate enough to pull up roots and go somewhere, anywhere else where they have a shot.
Is Texas really doing sooo much better than other states? I mean the crisis hit the state less hard, but Texas was at a lower level to begin with. I visited my sister in Houston last month and although I loved the place (much more than I ever would have thought) the amount of poverty there, the bad state many neighborhoods are in and also the state of the roads (that coming from a person who lives in a city where bridges collapse should make you think ) didn't make it seem like a particularly wealthy place.
In business-hating Minneapolis which has fallen victim to the extremely virulent cancer of progressivism and which god apparently hasn't blessed enough so much homeless people and neighborhoods in such a state of disrepair would be unthinkable. Now of course I'm not basing any this on facts, this was just my subjective feeling of Houston, I haven't been to the rest of Texas, nor asked my sister how the economic situation there is, but in Texas I didn't feel like in a recession-proof Super-Switzerland.
Is Texas really doing sooo much better than other states? I mean the crisis hit the state less hard, but Texas was at a lower level to begin with. I visited my sister in Houston last month and although I loved the place (much more than I ever would have thought) the amount of poverty there, the bad state many neighborhoods are in and also the state of the roads (that coming from a person who lives in a city where bridges collapse should make you think ) didn't make it seem like a particularly wealthy place.
In business-hating Minneapolis which has fallen victim to the extremely virulent cancer of progressivism and which god apparently hasn't blessed enough so much homeless people and neighborhoods in such a state of disrepair would be unthinkable. Now of course I'm not basing any this on facts, this was just my subjective feeling of Houston, I haven't been to the rest of Texas, nor asked my sister how the economic situation there is, but in Texas I didn't feel like in a recession-proof Super-Switzerland.
The "virulent cancer of progressivism". Wow.
Unlike the profound panacea of conservatism, right?
Where are the jobs in Texas? You know, GOOD jobs. Jobs which incorporate the complexities of a knowledge and information technology culture? Jobs which pay and have long-term prospects for creating new markets? Texas is leading the way in minimum wage employment! Fabulous. Creating low-wage employment isn't exactly the best prescription for long-term success.
Even if California continues on its current trajectory it remains ahead of Texas in terms of higher education/research centers. Texas has two "top-tier" public universities, California has seven. This is to say nothing of the caliber of private higher educational institutions to be found in California (Cal Tech, Stanford, USC, Occidental), but who cares about all of that "fancy book-learnin'." California's second tier state system also whips Texas's. Both systems are facing similar conundrums: Cutting budgets, restricting class sizes, cutting course offerings, and layoffs. Texas continues to have high numbers of high school drop out rates, high rates of uninsured, high rates of teen pregnancy, one of the worst records for attending to mental health, all concomitant with one of the largest egos imaginable for being mediocre. Molly Ivins said it best. "Texas. Mississippi, but with better roads."
Apple, Facebook, Adobe, Google, where are they based again? Shooting off little sales offices of 200-300 people into Texas doesn't mean that these companies are prepared to jettison their current offices and head for Texas. Whether Governor Perry's "Enterprise Fund" has had any impact on creating growth for Texas is widely up for debate in light of the fact that many of those seem entities being paid to create jobs are not creating jobs, and many of them probably would have come to Texas without receiving money from state coffers. But hey, come election time those guys will be handy to have around when you need a check for your PAC! Who cares about an 18 billion dollar budget deficit when you can distract from that with talk about secession and keep saying, "Well, at least we're not California." Or you can just point to your State Education Board's bizarro world behavior to detract from your true fiscal frailties.
I was born in Texas. I was raised in Texas. I can't wait to finally move and leave Texas behind. But I'd need a job for that, wouldn't I? I thought there were plenty of those around here . . . guess not. There are a lot of people who get left behind in Texas, but what makes Texas different from other places is that it's content to not give a d*mn. So if you don't look at your problems you don't have to acknowledge them and you can keep using watchwords like "fiscal conservative principles" and you can keep on pretending that you're fine, just fine.
Who really says jobs are everywhere in Texas? It is hard to find work now in Texas. It is just worse in almost any other state.
California does indeed do some things well. Some really well - like Silicon Valley. It seems to easy to like Google and hate Exxon. But Exxon and other oil/gas companies serve a necessary function for the USA. Texas is the nation's #1 energy producing state. That is a consequence of geography. We have oil and gas.
Google - nearly everyone likes them. But they know more about you than Homeland Security does. Do you like that?
Apple - great company. But where are all of their phones, iPods, and iPads made? China. Dell makes huge amounts of their products here in Texas (and Tennessee).
But Texas is already the national leader in wind power and it is positioned for signficant growth.
California likes to make excuses for the air pollution of its cities. Oh - it's the mountains that trap the smog! But California has more cities with poor air quality by far than Texas.
Texas doesn't have the public schools that Mass or Minnesota has. But California's are notably worse. The cost of public education in CA is incredilble - fueled by demanding unions that seem to think they don't need to suffer when tax revenues are way down. Texas' public schools have different challenges than compact states without significant non-English speaking populations.
California's excellent universities are facing massive financial cutbacks. They have protests over the cuts + tuition increases. Not happening here.
Why are you talking about secession? The governor opened his mouth and stupid words came out. That happens everytime a politician opens their mouth. Obviously that was a stunt and nothing came of it.
Texas will erase its TWO YEAR projected deficit far faster than California will erase its $46B ONE YEAR deficit. Our taxation thankfully doesn't rise and fall as fast as so many other states.
Texas isn't close to perfect - but I like its current condition far better than I like California's.
Who really says jobs are everywhere in Texas? It is hard to find work now in Texas. It is just worse in almost any other state.
California does indeed do some things well. Some really well - like Silicon Valley. It seems to easy to like Google and hate Exxon. But Exxon and other oil/gas companies serve a necessary function for the USA. Texas is the nation's #1 energy producing state. That is a consequence of geography. We have oil and gas.
Google - nearly everyone likes them. But they know more about you than Homeland Security does. Do you like that?
Apple - great company. But where are all of their phones, iPods, and iPads made? China. Dell makes huge amounts of their products here in Texas (and Tennessee).
But Texas is already the national leader in wind power and it is positioned for signficant growth.
California likes to make excuses for the air pollution of its cities. Oh - it's the mountains that trap the smog! But California has more cities with poor air quality by far than Texas.
Texas doesn't have the public schools that Mass or Minnesota has. But California's are notably worse. The cost of public education in CA is incredilble - fueled by demanding unions that seem to think they don't need to suffer when tax revenues are way down. Texas' public schools have different challenges than compact states without significant non-English speaking populations.
California's excellent universities are facing massive financial cutbacks. They have protests over the cuts + tuition increases. Not happening here.
Why are you talking about secession? The governor opened his mouth and stupid words came out. That happens everytime a politician opens their mouth. Obviously that was a stunt and nothing came of it.
Texas will erase its TWO YEAR projected deficit far faster than California will erase its $46B ONE YEAR deficit. Our taxation thankfully doesn't rise and fall as fast as so many other states.
Texas isn't close to perfect - but I like its current condition far better than I like California's.
California is a victim of the big banks and I highly doubt the people at the top of those institutions are liberals.
Yes people are individually stupid for buying what they couldnt afford, and overextending themselves to gamble on flipping houses.
However if you set a plate of cookies out in the open leave and tell everyone 'not to eat those cookies!'. Most people eventually are going to steal a cookie its human nature.
The person laying out the cookies for people to steal were the big banks they're ultimately responsible for the giant bubble that grew in California.
It has nothing to do with liberalism or conservatism it has everything to do with financial bubbles, lack of regulation, and the lunatics(banks) being allowed to run the asylum(set the rules).
Germany is one of the most liberal countries on earth yet also is quite strict with its finances and is one of the countries faring best in this financial meltdown so obviously that proves everyone saying its a problem inherent in 'liberalism' wrong.
You're kidding me right. Dell has lost more market share in the PC market than any other maker around. HP just announced plans to lay off several thousand employees to automate their jobs. And though I suck at life, I'd rather end up in a ditch with the rats than work for an oil company that cares more about gouging consumers and polluting. Besides, those companies are still in TEXAS, and I want to get OUT of this hellhole. Open your eyes? Really...jeezus.
And billionaires? WOW!!!! That really helps get regular people insured, educated, and housed, doesn't it? Will a billionaire be sending me a check soon for food next month, seeing as how I'm on my last fifty bucks and guess what have NEVER been on unemployment. Wait, let me clean my glasses and see if I can't "see" one of these jobs you say is everywhere.
Please don't try and compare California's economy to Texas'. California's economy is in the dumps while Texas is thriving. It's what the facts say...
California is a victim of the big banks and I highly doubt the people at the top of those institutions are liberals.
Yes people are individually stupid for buying what they couldnt afford, and overextending themselves to gamble on flipping houses.
However if you set a plate of cookies out in the open leave and tell everyone 'not to eat those cookies!'. Most people eventually are going to steal a cookie its human nature.
The person laying out the cookies for people to steal were the big banks they're ultimately responsible for the giant bubble that grew in California.
It has nothing to do with liberalism or conservatism it has everything to do with financial bubbles, lack of regulation, and the lunatics(banks) being allowed to run the asylum(set the rules).
Germany is one of the most liberal countries on earth yet also is quite strict with its finances and is one of the countries faring best in this financial meltdown so obviously that proves everyone saying its a problem inherent in 'liberalism' wrong.
It is ridiculous to blame California's problems on the banks. Sure bad lending is a contributor to the real estate bubble. But CA's problems go back decades. Their tax structure produces highly volatile tax revenue because it is so dependent on individual and corporate income tax. There is a documented pattern of massive spending when revenue is good, then no plan to reduce spending when revenues are down. The role of public worker unions is very real - particularly with their very rich pensions. Those are huge obligations for CA to pay.
Note too that there has been a big demand for years for the "innovative" mortgages that are so popular in CA. Interest-only, negative equity, etc. all became popular because home buyers need to borrow so much to afford a home. It sucks when a home in less attractive parts of San Jose costs $400/sq. ft.
The ease with which the voting public can pass laws via referendum compounds the problems - it is too easy for the public to pass popular and expensive programs without a funding plan.
And finally Prop 13 is a contributor to their problems because it reduces the supply of homes for sale, under-collects property taxes from long term owners, and fosters a climate that leads to real estate speculation.
The list is really much longer than that. Massive corruption of the prison system is the first item to add to the list.
I'd rather live in California. And you'll notice I wasn't comparing Texas's problems to California's. I was noting how people will say, "Well, at least we're not California!" as if an 18 billion dollar budget deficit is something to clap about.
Actually, I'd rather live in Iowa.
I thought we lived in the same COUNTRY. Guess not, huh?
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) didn't make it seem like a particularly wealthy place. 
