Comments on: If states were countries…

By: Geo Michalopulos

Geo Michalopulos — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 01:33:58 +0000

Cynthia, you’re right about the demographics but one of the things that is often forgotten is how can a massive state like California, with a lot of arable land, natural resouces, beautiful climate, etc. and hence great potential for affordable family formation turn into a third world state? California was the embodiment of the American Dream for so long. The answer IMHO is due in large part to a moral collapse. This doesn’t mean simply no-fault divorce or gay marriage, but the fundamental immorality in having people vote themselves largesse from the common treasury. California’s legislature has been at the forefront of doling out goodies in order to buy votes, not only to the natives but to the illegal aliens who were used by the elites to undercut the native working class. It’s all come due now.

That’s why all of the states neighboring California are doing marginally better even in this economy. (In fact, the majority of the nation’s unemployment is found in California.) Texas, which has roughly the same demographic as California, is doing much better. The question is will it continue to do so? In other words, how long will Texas and other states like it remain “red”?

I don’t mean to be polical, but it appears that there are two types of states that are consistently “blue”: those that are in the northern tier of states which are heavily Lutheran and white (i.e. very little black/hispanic populations) or those that are very heavily minority. Examples of the former include Wisconsin and Minnesota or those in the nascent 3rd-world catogory: Michigan, California, New York State, Illinois, and Washington DC.

The former states can afford to be liberal with state largesse because there’s little downside to it, plus they’re still informed by a Christian-progressive viewpoint. The 3rd-world states (Michigan, Illinois) have to be generous with their monies because they’re trapped in a downward spiral of economic collapse. Basically, they’re just hoping to stave off the inevitable.

As for the red states, they’ll turn blue once the same demographic trends take over in them. One thing that may stop them however is an equillibrium that has been taking place the last thirty years, and that is that the more productive people are leaving the heavily regulated states. This is intensifying in the present recession. You see this with high-profile people like Donald Trump and Tom Golisano leaving New York for Florida but it’s being multiplied a thousand-fold by much more inconspicuous professionals and middle-managers who are following the high-rollers.

The breaking point however for all states is illegal immigration, which opens up a whole other can of worms.

By: Peter O'Filon

Peter O'Filon — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 00:40:07 +0000

I wouldn’t put too much “faith” in their work: A version of “Gross Domestic Product” that considers “investment” and “consumption” as “Product” is the kind of muddled, paper-pushing kind of (not) thinking that got us into this Depression in the first place! And one that doesn’t include such “Product” basics as “production” — agricultural as well as industrial — and “services” — even telecommunications media — may not please The Offshorers, but it’s real, basic economics.

By: cynthia curran

cynthia curran — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 04:29:18 +0000

Well, how could you compared Arizona even with the housing problem to Thailand and next door New Mexico to Hungry. New Mexico is the Thailand-high poverty even though I don’t like Richardson he has been better than some of the govenors. And Colorado basically has the best economy in the region-still lower poverty than most of the mountain and southwest and doing fair in terms of jobs concerning the economy.

By: cynthia curran

cynthia curran — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 01:10:57 +0000

Well, having use to live in California, the Republicans also made mistakes. Reagan got about 65 percent of the vote in Orange County in 1980 and MCCain only 52 percent. Reagan legalized about a million people in Ca, while hispanics are not all Dems they tend to vote Dem more than non-hispanic whites. Obama still loss the white vote in the Us. Also, back in 1980, places like Orange at 7.0 percent and San Diego at 8.0 had little poverty and were better places to live than most parts of Texas but changing the demographics thru immirgation and housing being more expensive today made it less safer for Republicans. Also, George H Bush and George W Bush favored Texas and the South for aerospace jobs. A lot of Repubs in So Ca that worked in aerospace moved from So Ca during the 1990’s and early part of this century to other states. . Also, the Rio Grande Valley in Texas is as poor as the imperial Valley in Califoria. Rio also has low tech jobs and good manufactoring and service jobs in the professional since its an area that borders Mexico.

By: Harry Coin

Harry Coin — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 15:53:00 +0000

From a Christian moral perspective, I think we have to take a look at a wellbeing formula something like this:

(GDP per capita / GDP_per_capita_ten_years_ago_in_inflation_adjusted_dollars) *

((life expectancy / life_expectancy_ten_years_ago)^10)

Our first project is good long life and better for our kids than us: is our overall life expectancy holding steady or increasing?

Our second project (like, to the tenth power ‘second’, not like, ‘closer to you than the back of your underwear is to your skin second’) is economic productivity.

The formula indicates that any gains to our life excpectancy quickly outwieghs economic gains, but if we are holding our own in life then more economic satisfaction is better.

By: Isa Almisry

Isa Almisry — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 14:54:38 +0000

In reply to Dean Calvert. Yeah, I have to protest on behalf of the Mexicans. No wonder they want to come to the US. Isa-from Chicago.

By: Dean Calvert

Dean Calvert — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 14:10:35 +0000

Well…a couple of trades are obvious.

New Jersey for Russia, and DC for just about anything.

And if we could get Saudi Arabia for say, Massachusetts…

…then we could just give away California & Illinois..if they would just take the politicians that come with them.

LOL

Dean