California vs. Texas: which model is best?

[glenn1]

While the article does some degree of pimping Texas at California's expense, there's not really any question that they're doing some things right down in the Lone Star state. Likewise, California's problems have been in the news often enough and discussed here ad nauseum. It's also obvious to me that a conservative or liberal political viewpoint isn't really the reason why one place is nice and another falls to pieces. Texas is shown as a model conservative state, but then you have other states that are conservative also but are shitholes (e.g. Mississippi and quite a few other southern states). California is used as an example of a dysfunctional "liberal" state (you could use Detroit as another example), but then you have spots which are both progressive and fantastic (Portland OR, Vancouver BC, Austin TX, etc).

That being said, are there any common traits of places (liberal or conservative) that enjoy good governance, that could be adopted by other spots? I have to believe there is something beyond the "low taxes and low services" vs. "high taxes and high services" ways of thinking.

article link

 

[Phokus]

I live in the 'high tax' north east (even spent most of my years in 'taxachusetts') and we're doing relatively great compared to the rest of the country and we don't even have oil wealth that Texas has.

 

[Red Dawn]

Well if you got rid of the Texans Texas would be ideal. I mean Hank Hill's fun to watch on TV but living next to him would actually suck.

If you have money California is great, well at least NorCal is.

 

[jpeyton]

California

 

[Jaskalas]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
Well if you got rid of the Texans Texas would be ideal. I mean Hank Hill's fun to watch on TV but living next to him would actually suck.

If you have money California is great, well at least NorCal is.

I thought the point of California's socialist experiment was to make it great for poor people. Now you have to have money for it to be great?

Surely that isn't an admission that Texas is good for poor people.....

 

[ElFenix]

funny thing is that there are plenty of things this state would fall on the 'liberal' side of. paying people to get clunkers off the road? been doing that for years. pushing green energy? been doing that for the better part of a decade and now we produce more wind power than any other state and more than all but 3 or 4 countries. we're also rolling out smart meters all over the place. however, a large chunk of why texas is generally doing better because we never got caught up in the ridiculous housing industry that everyone else has. sprawl may lead to boring cookie cutter suburbs but it also tends to keep real estate values in check. downtown houston is starting to flood due to the sprawl in the prairie out west, so there may be have to be a fix soon.

however, our board of education is quickly trying to beat out kansas's for biggest laughing stock.


we've also got lots of fatties. we counterbalance that with lots of hotties.

Texas still lacks California?s great universities and lags in terms of culture.

i take issue with the second part of that statement. making vapid movies is not the sort of culture i particularly want.

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
Well if you got rid of the Texans Texas would be ideal. I mean Hank Hill's fun to watch on TV but living next to him would actually suck.

if you got rid of the californians massachusetts would be ideal. well, them and the 3 hours of daylight during the winter.

 

[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: Jaskalas

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
Well if you got rid of the Texans Texas would be ideal. I mean Hank Hill's fun to watch on TV but living next to him would actually suck.

If you have money California is great, well at least NorCal is.

I thought the point of California's socialist experiment was to make it great for poor people. Now you have to have money for it to be great?

Surely that isn't an admission that Texas is good for poor people.....

I don't know, I'm neither poor nor have I been to Texas.

 

[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: ElFenix

if you got rid of the californians massachusetts would be ideal. well, them and the 3 hours of daylight during the winter.

You mean both of us? Californians don't move to this shit hole unless it's for love or to avoid the law.

 

[alphatarget1]

There are many things TX do that makes way more sense than CA.

Roads + infrastructre: Hands down TX win. TX has bad weather but the roads are kept up nicely.

Public schools: I don't know.

Social stuff: Probably TX. For the amount of $$$ CA spends on social services, they still have the worst ghettos in the nation.

Weather: CA wins, but that has nothing to do with governing.

Taxes: TX in general has the same sales tax and no personal income tax. TX wins.

Higher ed: Apparently A&M students (and probably all state public universities) only get the subsidized rate for a certain amount of hours/certain years of enrollment. After that they pay a higher rate. This is different in the CSU system AFAIK when I was there, where some jerkoffs stay in school for 7-8 years with the in-state tuition rate. Higher education is also fairly affordable in TX. It used to be in CA, 10+ years ago.

Government: TX. I got done with registering my CA car in 15 minutes. I walked in and there was somebody to serve me right away. DL took a little longer, but nothing like the dreadful wait at CA DMVs.

CA's mess is a prime example of the end result by letting hard core liberals govern.

 

[Drako]

Interesting article.

To me, it's pretty obvious that the Texas model is doing better becuase they don't rely on Income tax like we do here in California. Over 55% of the California's budget comes from the income tax. When the unemployment rate goes up in California, the revenue stream dries up and we are screwed. Combine that with the California Legislature that can't figure out how to cut spending - instead spending just keeps increasing.

 

[theeedude]

California has a bastardized political system where no one has to take responsibility for anything. Majority always has excuse they are not a super majority, and minority always has excuse that they are minority. Very easy to block things, very hard to get anything done.

 

[txrandom]

Originally posted by: alphatarget1
Higher ed: Apparently A&M students (and probably all state public universities) only get the subsidized rate for a certain amount of hours/certain years of enrollment. After that they pay a higher rate. This is different in the CSU system AFAIK when I was there, where some jerkoffs stay in school for 7-8 years with the in-state tuition rate. Higher education is also fairly affordable in TX. It used to be in CA, 10+ years ago.

I believe this law is brand new and going into effect for this years' freshmen. I also think the amount of classes you can take over your degree plan without paying out of stay is ridiculously low. I'd rather have it too low than too high.

 

[Harvey]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn

Well if you got rid of the Texans Texas would be ideal. I mean Hank Hill's fun to watch on TV but living next to him would actually suck.

No shit! With a shit for brains like Rick Perry as governor, the rest of the union would be better off if he could pull off his threats to secede from union.

If you have money California is great, well at least NorCal is.

I'm an L.A. native, and I still like the place. That's not to say we don't have problems. Everyone who can read knows we do. Based on how they write and spell, that may exclude some on P&N and more on OT.

Any place is bad without money.

 

[Moonbeam]

I don't know, because I've never lived in Texas but all the people I know from there I like. Then again I like most everybody. I live in California and I realize we are the bow of the world ship but that doesn't make me better than other people. It is only an accident that I am an advanced human being already evolved to where others will get in a century of so. There have got to be folk in Texas that are atypical too and way ahead of me. I may even be a backward Californian.

 

[GuitarDaddy]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
Well if you got rid of the Texans Texas would be ideal. I mean Hank Hill's fun to watch on TV but living next to him would actually suck.

If you have money California is great, well at least NorCal is.

:thumbsup::laugh:

Being a lifer Texan I love the sterotypes, it used to be Dallas and JR now it's King of the Hill I refuse to even think about what GWB did to or rep:disgust: but remember he's not a native texan he was born in China

Besides the obvious lack of income tax and social programs that california have we have a unique polital atmosphere that results in a type of gridlock that keeps state government pretty small and insignificant. County and local city governments are more powerful and draw their revenue through sales and property taxes. Dallas like Cali is always going broke and has had mass layoffs of city workers, school teachers, massive social programs, etc...

Texas is like two states in one. All the larger metro areas DFW, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Corpus, etc... ALL go dem in recent elections, while almost all of the vast rural and small town districts go repub.

 

[Fear No Evil]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn

Originally posted by: Jaskalas

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
Well if you got rid of the Texans Texas would be ideal. I mean Hank Hill's fun to watch on TV but living next to him would actually suck.

If you have money California is great, well at least NorCal is.

I thought the point of California's socialist experiment was to make it great for poor people. Now you have to have money for it to be great?

Surely that isn't an admission that Texas is good for poor people.....

I don't know, I'm neither poor nor have I been to Texas.

And yet you generalize them all as Hank Hill. Thanks for pointing out your ignorance. Texas has some very large and diverse cities. Maybe you should try educating yourself on the people you hate so much? Or does it just feel better to spew your hatred regardless of facts?

 

[GuitarDaddy]

Originally posted by: Fear No Evil

Originally posted by: Red Dawn

Originally posted by: Jaskalas

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
Well if you got rid of the Texans Texas would be ideal. I mean Hank Hill's fun to watch on TV but living next to him would actually suck.

If you have money California is great, well at least NorCal is.

I thought the point of California's socialist experiment was to make it great for poor people. Now you have to have money for it to be great?

Surely that isn't an admission that Texas is good for poor people.....

I don't know, I'm neither poor nor have I been to Texas.

And yet you generalize them all as Hank Hill. Thanks for pointing out your ignorance. Texas has some very large and diverse cities. Maybe you should try educating yourself on the people you hate so much? Or does it just feel better to spew your hatred regardless of facts?

Calm down there, be proud of our redneck brothren.
After all whats more important than "propane and propane accesories"

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: Phokus
I live in the 'high tax' north east (even spent most of my years in 'taxachusetts') and we're doing relatively great compared to the rest of the country and we don't even have oil wealth that Texas has.

I am guessing taxes in NY are higher than Connecticut, at least in many areas, and this state's finances are a fvcking mess right now. The government should all get kicked in the ass and never allowed to work in public office again. Our current governor is a disaster. The government in this state are crack whores who cannot be fed enough money to feed their addiction.

To answer OP: Texas.

 

[MotF Bane]

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Originally posted by: Phokus
I live in the 'high tax' north east (even spent most of my years in 'taxachusetts') and we're doing relatively great compared to the rest of the country and we don't even have oil wealth that Texas has.

I am guessing taxes in NY are higher than Connecticut, at least in many areas, and this state's finances are a fvcking mess right now. The government should all get kicked in the ass and never allowed to work in public office again. Our current governor is a disaster. The government in this state are crack whores who cannot be fed enough money to feed their addiction.

To answer OP: Texas.

Substitute in MA for NY, and your entire post will still be accurate.

 

[Genx87]

Originally posted by: jpeyton
California

Bob is that you?

 

[themusgrat]

Obviously Texas, all that does is prove that Cali has screwed themselves over BIGTIME.

 

[Craig234]

Califonia's decline from 'the golden state' to the current problems are closely linked to the conservatives getting massive tax cuts and a 2/3 requirement for taxes/budgets passed.

 

[Genx87]

Originally posted by: Craig234
Califonia's decline from 'the golden state' to the current problems are closely linked to the conservatives getting massive tax cuts and a 2/3 requirement for taxes/budgets passed.

Does bob have a brother?

 

[Craig234]

Originally posted by: Genx87

Does bob have a brother?

Your post is meaningless to me. I have no idea who 'bob' is.

 

[Pneumothorax]

Let's see CA has about 12% of the US population and 30% of welfare families. Texas has about 8% of the US population and 3% of welfare families in the US. I wonder which one is run better? I'd leave this state in a heartbeat, but the last time I mentioned here I was thinking about walking away from a house that's 50% upside down, I was crucified.