Why isn't the "Texas miracle" working elsewhere? (legal, illegals, cost)
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Texas isn't "creating jobs." That bozo-butt Rick Perry and his pals are doing their best to convince companies to lay off well paid workers in other states and move their operations to Texas and hire low wage people to replace them. Oh, and did I mention no employer provided health insurance?
Texas has a very welcoming posture with regards to illegals. A good share of the growth is illegals and their large families. Immigration is good for an economy. Do you welcome cheap illegal laborers in Tennessee?
I always have to snicker when I hear people talk about the lower standard of living in Texas. I travel all across this country and see 48 0f 50 states. All in all, I would say the standard of living is about the same throughout the country. I guess it depends on your definition, but, I don't know of another state where a kid can graduate from High School and within 3 years be making 80k a year, without a degree. Those of you that love to kick my state, please feel free to do so. All things considered, I wouldn't live anywhere else. I was born here and I will die here and I am blessed to be a Texan.
The land is really easy to develop in Texas and their government redistributes money from workers to the corporations. They have a large port, lots of oil, and most importantly a TON of cheap labor. Not just Mexicans, either. Texas did a good job with their medical center, imo and then Austin has done a great job of marketing itself as a hip, cool place. On top of that the state and most of their cities don't have many african americans.
Mainly, its the lack of rules for pollution, safety, and standards. Its the cheap labor and also the subsidies.
I'm not sure I would call it a miracle. That's a bit of a stretch. The quality of life still isn't what it is in many other parts of the country.
The only thing I can agree with you right off the bat is easily to develop land. Most of Texas is flat. The terrain where I'm at is hilly and hard to build on. The oil, port, and access to international markets is hard to beat.
But TN, NC, GA, SC, and pretty much all Southern states are lax on pollution, safety, and worker standards. I'd also say that labor in each state is as cheap or cheaper than Texas.
I was looking at positions similar to mine in Dallas and Houston today and I'd make between 75%-100% more in TX compared to small town TN. Compared to Nashville, I'd likely be looking at a minimum of 25% raise. With the cost of living advantages in TX compared to Boston, DC, west coast, etc, I may be able to live better per dollar in TX than anywhere else in the country. There are some states in the Midwest that are high tax but otherwise cheap (IA, NE, etc) and pay nearly coastal wages. TX has a lot more going on than any state in the Midwest except for perhaps MN.
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?
Texas' issue with poverty has a lot to do with border issues. As for other issues, I'd say Texas has benefited from a very good campaign by our governor saying we're open for business (I'll give him that at least). We do well because of oil and gas, but our economy is much more diversified than it was during the oil bust of the 1980s. We're also situated pretty well geographically, having a major port and airport hub. We have a lot of natural resources, but sadly not enough water for all those people moving here. I wish people would remember that.
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?
It's almost entirely based upon oil and the rest of this supposed miracle is nothing but low wage service sector jobs. Why are those low wage service jobs popping up in Texas? Poor people move there for dirt cheap housing and corporations open yet another fast food joint and Wally World to sell them cheap junk. There just isn't any miracle in their supposed miracle when 3/4ths of their "new jobs" pay with in $0.50 of minimum wage.
The land is really easy to develop in Texas and their government redistributes money from workers to the corporations. They have a large port, lots of oil, and most importantly a TON of cheap labor. Not just Mexicans, either. Texas did a good job with their medical center, imo and then Austin has done a great job of marketing itself as a hip, cool place. On top of that the state and most of their cities don't have many african americans.
Mainly, its the lack of rules for pollution, safety, and standards. Its the cheap labor and also the subsidies.
I'm not sure I would call it a miracle. That's a bit of a stretch. The quality of life still isn't what it is in many other parts of the country.
Say what? We have a lot of African Americans, especially in the cities. And what does that have to do with the economy anyway?
The only thing I can agree with you right off the bat is easily to develop land. Most of Texas is flat. The terrain where I'm at is hilly and hard to build on. The oil, port, and access to international markets is hard to beat.
But TN, NC, GA, SC, and pretty much all Southern states are lax on pollution, safety, and worker standards. I'd also say that labor in each state is as cheap or cheaper than Texas.
I was looking at positions similar to mine in Dallas and Houston today and I'd make between 75%-100% more in TX compared to small town TN. Compared to Nashville, I'd likely be looking at a minimum of 25% raise. With the cost of living advantages in TX compared to Boston, DC, west coast, etc, I may be able to live better per dollar in TX than anywhere else in the country. There are some states in the Midwest that are high tax but otherwise cheap (IA, NE, etc) and pay nearly coastal wages. TX has a lot more going on than any state in the Midwest except for perhaps MN.
The COL is pretty good here, but I remember being shocked at how cheap it was in Pennsylvania when I went with my husband to visit his family in Pittsburgh. I don't know what their job situation is, but groceries and just about everything else was very cheap compared to Texas.
The COL is pretty good here, but I remember being shocked at how cheap it was in Pennsylvania when I went with my husband to visit his family in Pittsburgh. I don't know what their job situation is, but groceries and just about everything else was very cheap compared to Texas.
Depends if you were shopping at Whole Foods or HEB
Depends if you were shopping at Whole Foods or HEB
I shop at HEB, never Whole Foods. But I will say that virtually everything was cheaper on the grocery side in Pittsburgh. I even had several rolls of film developed while we were there (before digital cameras), and had several rolls developed at home in Texas later. The film in Texas was double what we paid in PA. Food was much cheaper as well. Housing was cheaper. The only problem is that they don't have as many jobs available, but if you can get a job there life is probably good. Well, aside from the winters anyway.
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