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I did fine in college. Maybe the school(s) her children attended weren't the only factor in their college performance.
Yeah, me too, and I went to an "inner city" school in Albuquerque. While our school systems absolutely have serious problems that are not being adequately addressed, they still manage to produce a whole slew of talented, capable graduates who go on to great things. That same inner city school I attended regularly sends a few kids to Stanford, Harvard, Brown, Columbia and the other Ivies, anglo, Hispanic, and Native American alike...
CA has a lot of people with a very large income, so they tax that.
TX has a lot of land, so they tax that.
In NM too much land is owned by the federal government, so we devised the gross receipts tax to get money out of federal contractors. That's the tax that's hurting NM the most at this point and needs reform. We also might as well get rid of the state corporate income tax, it accounts for such a small part of revenues it would be pretty easy to do away with it. WA does have a gross receipts tax as well, but it's much lower than ours here in NM. 7%+ in NM vs <1% in WA.
It's EASY to spend less than $10k on things that have a sales tax. Rent is not taxed, mortgage is not taxed, insurance is not taxed, groceries are not taxed. Most of what you spend does not have a sales tax. I spend way less than $10k a year items with a sales tax (clothes, restaurants, retail items).
What states have a higher tax burden really depends on that persons situation. If you are high income, you are going to have way less taxes in states with NO income tax (then states with say high income tax and no sales tax), regardless if some general article says a state with income tax has a lower tax burden. If you have a very low income and own property, you would pay less taxes in a state with a low sales tax and low property tax, but a high income tax. What are you taking about TX has a lot of land so they tax that. CA does not have a lot of land? WTF?? It has nothing to do with that.
New Mexico does have fair taxes. The income tax and property tax are very reasonable.
Seattle and all of western Washington are shining examples of stupid growth. I don't see how anyone can use the word "smart" to describe what has happened to the area in 30 years, unless they don't know what it was like before "smart growth". When I lived there it was still sane, now its just another rat race with a pretty backdrop which you have plenty of time to gaze upon as you sit in traffic.
My post above was misattributed and misunderstood. At this stage of our national development, growth is never smart. What we need is not sustainable growth, but sustainability, because the two are entirely incompatible.
You are WAY, WAY off in left field on this one. Same old BS City Data crap you read everywhere of "what it used to be like in the old days". What Seattle was like in the "old days" was a ugly gritty blue collar sh*t lumber and fishing town. Seattle is one of the most prosperous vibrant cities in America right now. It was recently voted #1 by Forbes as the best place for college graduates. One of the best in America hands down. Walkable neighborhoods, bike paths, vibrant, light rail is getting built out, great parks, etc.. Any city in the world that is in a boom and prospering is going to see a little traffic. But I guess you prefer dying, decaying, backward, poverty ridden, job hemorrhaging places like New Mexico...one upside to all that is less traffic though.
You are WAY off in your percentages. Go to census.gov for the very latest:
-California: white alone (non-hispanic) -39.4%, Hispanic of Latino - 38.2%, Black - 6.6%, Asian-13.9%
-New Jersey: white alone (non-hispanic) -58.2%, Hispanic of Latino - 18.5%, Black - 14.7%, Asian-9%
-New Mexico:white alone (non-hispanic) -39.8%, Hispanic of Latino - 47%, Native -10.2%, Black - 2.4%,
Asian-1.6%
-New York:white alone (non-hispanic) -57%, Hispanic of Latino - 18.2%, Black - 17,5%,
Asian-8%
-Virginia:white alone (non-hispanic) -64%, Hispanic of Latino - 8.4%, Black - 19.7%,
Asian-6%
-Maryland: white alone (non-hispanic) -53.9%, Hispanic of Latino - 8.7%, Black - 30%,
Asian-6%
I used the wrong numbers from the census. Whatever, still doesn't make the point that NM is not diverse and those places are in comparison.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ctr88
It's EASY to spend less than $10k on things that have a sales tax. Rent is not taxed, mortgage is not taxed, insurance is not taxed, groceries are not taxed. Most of what you spend does not have a sales tax. I spend way less than $10k a year items with a sales tax (clothes, restaurants, retail items).
In that case you must have substantial investments/savings.
Quote:
What states have a higher tax burden really depends on that persons situation. If you are high income, you are going to have way less taxes in states with NO income tax (then states with say high income tax and no sales tax),
That depends on your spending habits. Besides, income is relatively fungible in many cases. See: Mark Zuckerberg.
Quote:
Regardless if some general article says a state with income tax has a lower tax burden. If you have a very low income and own property, you would pay less taxes in a state with a low sales tax and low property tax, but a high income tax. What are you taking about TX has a lot of land so they tax that. CA does not have a lot of land? WTF?? It has nothing to do with that.
They also have proposition 13. Without prop 13 I guarantee you they'd have a) higher property taxes and b) lower income taxes.
I will take a high sales tax ANY DAY over a high income tax. It's 4th grade math. Say a family makes $150k a year taxable income. They will pay close to $15k in income tax in CA.
And in exchange New Mexico provides the country with national defense research and capabilities. Would they rather we shut down LANL, Sandia and our military installations?
I did fine in college. Maybe the school(s) her children attended weren't the only factor in their college performance.
Incredible scientific research takes place in New Mexico all the time. Just because it's basic research and not something someone can immediately turn into a smartphone app worth $12 billion doesn't mean it's not innovative. Get a grip. You sound extremely bitter.
Right.
China GDP per capita (2011) $5,445
US GDP per capita (2011) $48,442
How many Californians come to NM for the affordability after a job loss versus real sustaining economic opportunity? Retirees are not the same as productive age people looking for economic opportunity.
The NM "magnet" can be shortlived for younger people wanting opportunity to work or so. An that's why many leave after a few years. I loved the state but I left for same reason. I never know nothing about NM but explored a job opportunity, flew in and loved it and relocated and then began to realize.
All diverse areas are not equal. Although NY is very expensive but there are hidden rubbing-off benefits a young person gets living in NY, Boston, DC, etc, that you don't get living in ABQ or Santa Fe.
Of course there will be UNM and NM Tech graduates that will stay in the area but how many in comparison to other places? And why not? There's a reason for that.
No we are not saying shut down these national labs and facilities in NM but many other states have even more national facilities as well - CA, MD, NC, NY and still less dependent on the rest of us. NM needs the population of young productive and innovative people including immigrants that not just from South America but other places as well, The problem with that is that many of the rural Midwest transplants in NM are so uncomfortable with such people, they show hostility to them.
Just because a school system is low performing does not mean that there would individual smart students there suc as people like you doing well despite the APS record. At least you had he basic amenities in APS. Do you know how many students in Harvard, Princeton, the Ivies from Africa and India who went to a high school that you'll ask yourself "how did they possibly learn in such an environment?" I am trying to say that there will always be smart students despite a school system's record.
China's GDP per capita (2011) at $5,445 is great for a 1.3 billion people versus the US at 320 million. China will overtake the US in few years in terms of Gross GDP but it'll be many decades before (if at all) it overtakes the US in GDP per Capita. Overtaking another economy is not a one day thing. The US overtook the UK around 1865 but it was never obvious till 70 years ago after world war 11.
I am "Bitter"? Why should I be bitter? I have two degrees and I was able to find a job as soon as I realized to concentrate outside NM when I lost my job in ABQ. If I am bitter why would I have wanted to continue to live in ABQ by exhaustively looking for a position there? No man! I am a first generation immigrant who went through the trenches putting myself through school pumping gas, driving taxi cab in the Eastcoast. I am used to rejections and discrimination in all the measures you can think of.
The truth can be tough to take. The river never flows backward. Those who are closed-minded and believing in "othering" others are in for a rude awakening. The World and the US are evolving and according to Farrad Zakaria "The rise of the rest" and the planet is becoming more and more global and those who don't like it, I am so sorry for them.
It was that open mindset that led me to come to NM to begin against friends in the East. They thought I was nuts for such move. One of the HAPPIEST experiences of my life is that, living in NM for over 5 years. Living in a place that I was a minority minority. If I hit it big I will have a place in NM.
You do realize ABQ is a fraction of the size of NY, Boston or DC right? I don't see how it's fair to compare them.
Oh no!!!! I will be stupid to even contemplate comparing ABQ with those metros. I was of the frame of mind that ABQ has a chance of beginning now to lay the foundation to eventually have the something close to economy of those places.
Just look at Atlanta now and Atlanta 35 years ago. It was rural and not a world class city but now it's.Those areas are saturated and places like ABQ can serve as the new places for the next phase.
They also have proposition 13. Without prop 13 I guarantee you they'd have a) higher property taxes and b) lower income taxes.
Given the choice I will take lower property taxes every time...
My income may rise and fall and I can deal with that.
Don't mess with my home!
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