“Californians pay the bills for the federal government. We pay over $80 BILLION more in taxes than we get back,” the Democratic governor said in an X post Friday afternoon, referencing a recent analysis from the Rockefeller Institute that California contributed about $83 billion more in federal taxes in 2022 than it received back from Washington.”
So if Newsome cuts off the flow, it’s not just the $83B overage, it’s everything + $83B.
California is, what? 13th largest economy in the world? 11th?
Whoah… 4th. Just ahead of Japan and behind Germany:
What’s preventing conservative states from being able to pay for their own social programs and infrastructure?
Is it liberal states absorbing all the wealth so that the conservative states can’t grow? Is it that being conservative is actually really really bad for the economy? Maybe they just never recovered from having slavery taken away and refused to adapt. Because there’s definitely something going on…
Personally, I think climate has a lot to do with it. Texas overcomes their climate because of oil, but look at the bottom 10 GDP states compared to the top 10:
Top 10:
California
Texas
New York
Florida
Illinois
Pennsylvania
Ohio
Georgia
Washington
New Jersey
You’re going to boil your ass working in Texas, Florida, and Georgia. Oil makes it worth it in Texas. Agriculture, aerospace and defense in Georgia, apparently. Tourism in Florida.
Bottom 10:
West Virginia
Delaware
Maine
Rhode Island
Montana
North Dakota
South Dakota
Alaska
Wyoming
Vermont
1/2 of this list is known for brutal cold. I think all Rhode Island produces is commuters to New York. LOL.
When a State actually takes care of it’s citizens, it becomes a better place to live and start businesses. That attracts and creates better educated and more affluent people, which makes it a better place to live and do business. People flee the poorer states for a better chance at success in the liberal state. Repeat this for a century or so and that’s how conservative states become shitholes and liberal states (and countries) are much better off.
That’s kind of the point. Financial capability is what leads this divergence. Those who have wealth take their wealth with them, leaving the state they come from further impoverished.
The discussion is not about equity or equality (which is what I believe your comment is pointing to), but instead looking at why this divergence potentially occurs.
I’m too lazy to verify my hunch, but I’m guessing Texas is largely oil (exploiting natural resources), whereas California is largely intellectual output (tech, with some Hollywood and other sundry stuff), though California certainly does exploit its natural resources too (good farming conditions, some oil…).
No, they have a ton of industry. Specifically a lot of the actual weapons manufacturing btw.
Texas is more or less what Ukraine was to the Soviet Union, if you want to understand why a fascist loser like Putin is so hung up on getting it back. A significant source of resources, manufacturing, and expertise.
Newsom is the King of awful neoliberalism. If the tech oligarchs demand fascism we’ll get fascism in California too. You’re not wrong. But Musk has proven himself to be a useless child. That’s not how things would go. The ruling class isn’t that stupid. That’s why Trump kicked him out. Use him as tool? Absolutely. But Musk is basically political poison. But then again, the Democrats have been so incompetent they might actually try to work with him publicly.
“Californians pay the bills for the federal government. We pay over $80 BILLION more in taxes than we get back,” the Democratic governor said in an X post Friday afternoon, referencing a recent analysis from the Rockefeller Institute that California contributed about $83 billion more in federal taxes in 2022 than it received back from Washington.”
So if Newsome cuts off the flow, it’s not just the $83B overage, it’s everything + $83B.
California is, what? 13th largest economy in the world? 11th?
Whoah… 4th. Just ahead of Japan and behind Germany:
https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/04/23/california-is-now-the-4th-largest-economy-in-the-world/
US and China being #1 and 2.
You know? It really begs the question:
What’s preventing conservative states from being able to pay for their own social programs and infrastructure?
Is it liberal states absorbing all the wealth so that the conservative states can’t grow? Is it that being conservative is actually really really bad for the economy? Maybe they just never recovered from having slavery taken away and refused to adapt. Because there’s definitely something going on…
Personally, I think climate has a lot to do with it. Texas overcomes their climate because of oil, but look at the bottom 10 GDP states compared to the top 10:
Top 10:
California
Texas
New York
Florida
Illinois
Pennsylvania
Ohio
Georgia
Washington
New Jersey
You’re going to boil your ass working in Texas, Florida, and Georgia. Oil makes it worth it in Texas. Agriculture, aerospace and defense in Georgia, apparently. Tourism in Florida.
Bottom 10:
West Virginia
Delaware
Maine
Rhode Island
Montana
North Dakota
South Dakota
Alaska
Wyoming
Vermont
1/2 of this list is known for brutal cold. I think all Rhode Island produces is commuters to New York. LOL.
When a State actually takes care of it’s citizens, it becomes a better place to live and start businesses. That attracts and creates better educated and more affluent people, which makes it a better place to live and do business. People flee the poorer states for a better chance at success in the liberal state. Repeat this for a century or so and that’s how conservative states become shitholes and liberal states (and countries) are much better off.
Not everyone who would move can afford to move.
That’s kind of the point. Financial capability is what leads this divergence. Those who have wealth take their wealth with them, leaving the state they come from further impoverished.
The discussion is not about equity or equality (which is what I believe your comment is pointing to), but instead looking at why this divergence potentially occurs.
It is true, but how does that contradict their argument or disprove it in any way?
I didn’t say it did. F those poor people, I guess.
California, propping up red states since 1970’s…
Did something happen then that started to prevent red states from having functional economies?
Regularity capture. Lobbying. Lead poisoning. Terrible politicians. Regressive tax policies.
Average population intelligence and education.
Inbreeding catches up to everyone.
Texas is the 8th largest economy in the world.
that blew my mind recently.
It’s all oil.
4th largest.
California is the 4th largest.
Texas is the 8th.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Texas
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_California
I’m too lazy to verify my hunch, but I’m guessing Texas is largely oil (exploiting natural resources), whereas California is largely intellectual output (tech, with some Hollywood and other sundry stuff), though California certainly does exploit its natural resources too (good farming conditions, some oil…).
No, they have a ton of industry. Specifically a lot of the actual weapons manufacturing btw.
Texas is more or less what Ukraine was to the Soviet Union, if you want to understand why a fascist loser like Putin is so hung up on getting it back. A significant source of resources, manufacturing, and expertise.
Ukraine was the California of the USSR but with the natural resources of Texas
California doesn’t, or didn’t, have a history as an independent state or popular desire to be so.
Is weapons manufacturing a social program? 🤔🫴
US weapons manufacturing is an Israeli housing program.
Wine too I bet for California.
Agriculture in general, really.
That jerk is just going to make Musk their fascist king
Newsom is the King of awful neoliberalism. If the tech oligarchs demand fascism we’ll get fascism in California too. You’re not wrong. But Musk has proven himself to be a useless child. That’s not how things would go. The ruling class isn’t that stupid. That’s why Trump kicked him out. Use him as tool? Absolutely. But Musk is basically political poison. But then again, the Democrats have been so incompetent they might actually try to work with him publicly.
The only thing libs want is money. He has more of that then anyone else in the world.
Seems like that’s all he needs to buy Newsom