Kansas versus Maryland

[Pr0d1gy]

I hate to tell you guy but the Republicans don't follow their mantra of small government and cutting spending.

 

[bfdd]

btw I find it funny that a Catholic site is using American politics to divide themselves. Or maybe it's someone trying to use the church to push their political agenda. either way it's lulzy

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

No its called raise revenue. Instead of being morons who continually shout no new taxes and force EVERYTHING upon local entities. There is a time and place for tax hikes.

Texas is a prime example. Education in Texas is shit. Roads in Texas are shit. Almost everything in Texas is shit.

Texas has regressed TREMENDOUSLY under Perry. Cutting below baseline levels is stupid when you have some of the least taxed populace in the nation. Texas is ranked close to last in revenue per capita. Instead Texas Republicans won't face reality that we have a massive structural deficit and want to continue to destroy Texas. Texas NEEDS massive tax and revenue reform ASAP. Texas brags about the net influx of people moving to Texas but refuses to keep spending at baseline levels. IE: They want the population, they don't want to provide for them. This is why everything from roads to education and everything else has gone done hill. If you fail to fund at baseline levels to keep up with population growth, the systems become overburdened and start deteriorating.

Only people like you and republicans think the mantra of no taxes increases, cut everything to the bone is sustainable. That is NOT FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY. That is FISCAL ABSURDITY. Texas is in a much more precarious state than most believe. The way Texas is going its going to be dead last(it is pretty much there) in everything that matters to citizens by the end of the decade, and will never come close to recovering. Even more so when local debt continues to skyrocket. That is another thing that needs reformed.

What makes sense is to look at the situation of each state. Ny (a Dem haven) has so overspent that the state is screwed. I live in the area of the highest rate of property taxation in the US, literally. We just had a massive increase and my monthly taxes now are approximately 40% of my payment and I live in a town partially subsidized by a land fill. Others are worse off. Thats the Dems. The Reps can screw things up but this seems to be a one way street for blame. Idiots are idiots and thats not party exclusive.

 

[Rainsford]

What makes sense is to look at the situation of each state. Ny (a Dem haven) has so overspent that the state is screwed. I live in the area of the highest rate of property taxation in the US, literally. We just had a massive increase and my monthly taxes now are approximately 40% of my payment and I live in a town partially subsidized by a land fill. Others are worse off. Thats the Dems. The Reps can screw things up but this seems to be a one way street for blame. Idiots are idiots and thats not party exclusive.

To be honest, I feel like the biggest idiots are those searching for political meaning based on state-by-state "success" or "failure". Not only does this ignore the fact that we have more than left or right to choose from, but the political motivated conclusions are often DIRECTLY contradicted by looking at all 50 states. Anyone making the argument that left vs right is a primary factor in state success needs to ignore the many different red and blue states not doing so hot.

 

[bfdd]

To be honest, I feel like the biggest idiots are those searching for political meaning based on state-by-state "success" or "failure". Not only does this ignore the fact that we have more than left or right to choose from, but the political motivated conclusions are often DIRECTLY contradicted by looking at all 50 states. Anyone making the argument that left vs right is a primary factor in state success needs to ignore the many different red and blue states not doing so hot.

great post

 

[Rainsford]

You can't really compare the two states unless you include what drives their economy, and many other variables as well. For all intents and purposes, only a few very rich counties are propping up the average income of MD which is sucking on the teet of federal DC metro money. It's not a geographical coincidence that 4 of the richest counties (Montgomery MD, Fairfax VA, Arlington VA, Loudoun VA) in the country are within spitting distance of each other.

However, federal money aside, MD is becoming more and more like a giant welfare state. Their taxing is getting worse every year and they're ruthless in generating revenue (automated speed/red light cams, outrageous DMV fees) to support welfare (check out how long you can get unemployment for). Most of the sane upper middle class moves to VA if they can.

Kansas has a much different economy complete with different issues that drive their declining population. They don't have the advantages of the federal microcosm of sucking the DC teet (and lowest unemployment in the country) like MD's DC metro region. So to pose "which system is better" is really comparing apples to oranges.

I think if MD state gov tried to implement its BS tactics in a region more in line with normal national unemployment (8.2~%) and didn't have the best federal economic region in the country to fund it, it'd be screwed. Also keep in mind that even though KS's economy is tied to crop exports (i.e. the weather), they still have a lower statewide unemployment average than MD (6.1% vs 6.8%). That gives a little clue, but not definitive unless you are willing to analyze all of the variables (e.g. how much does Baltimore play into MD's 6.8%?, or how much do federal farm subsidies play into KS's 6.1%)? What you are asking is something that only an advanced economist could begin to answer.

Isn't the point that Maryland shouldn't have to operate on the same model that might work for a different state? You might not like the fact that they have some rich areas or benefit from proximity to the federal government, but the fact is that both of those things are how things work in MD...they'd be silly to NOT construct their approach around reality.

I do agree though with the general point that KS and MD are pretty hard to compare. I can't really image two states with less in common in economic (or pretty much any other) terms.

 

[bfdd]

Isn't the point that Maryland shouldn't have to operate on the same model that might work for a different state? You might not like the fact that they have some rich areas or benefit from proximity to the federal government, but the fact is that both of those things are how things work in MD...they'd be silly to NOT construct their approach around reality.

I do agree though with the general point that KS and MD are pretty hard to compare. I can't really image two states with less in common in economic (or pretty much any other) terms.

Exactly why we need a smaller federal government. So States have more autonomy to do what is in their best interest. Also, no State should have to rely on the Federal Government in such an extent that they build their local policies around the fact there's so much "Federal" money coming in. Just goes to show how big we've let the beast become.

 

[Lemon law]

There is another factor at work here, other than Kansas cutting corporate taxes to the bone in the hope they can entice business to relocate to Kansas. As Mario Como pointed out a long time ago such games just result in ruinous interstate internecine warfare that transfers the tax burden from the rich to the poor.

But in one way, Kansas is at a huge disadvantage with "heavy industry." They will never be competitive in transport costs for steel when they are too far from shipping routes and our rail roads are pathetic and slow. But Maryland has a sea port, and can ship goods far cheaper.

Then different State laws can rule the Market, Connecticut has very favorable laws for insurance companies, Chemical companies like Delaware, and many States get raped in Mineral laws and coal companies. But that could vanish in an instant if Federal laws and regulations leveled the playing field.

Of course our businesses have a much better options now, ship out jobs overseas and get a tax deduction for it.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

There is another factor at work here, other than Kansas cutting corporate taxes to the bone in the hope they can entice business to relocate to Kansas. As Mario Como pointed out a long time ago such games just result in ruinous interstate internecine warfare that transfers the tax burden from the rich to the poor.

But in one way, Kansas is at a huge disadvantage with "heavy industry." They will never be competitive in transport costs for steel when they are too far from shipping routes and our rail roads are pathetic and slow. But Maryland has a sea port, and can ship goods far cheaper.

Then different State laws can rule the Market, Connecticut has very favorable laws for insurance companies, Chemical companies like Delaware, and many States get raped in Mineral laws and coal companies. But that could vanish in an instant if Federal laws and regulations leveled the playing field.

Of course our businesses have a much better options now, ship out jobs overseas and get a tax deduction for it.

Theres a balance. NY decided to chase business away and increase spending. The poor have the nations best benefits but business was the golden goose which they killed. Then
it was small business now not rich people. Paying 12k a year in property taxes on a sub 200k home isn't soaking the rich. Cuomo had his dream realized.