IBD: Best-Run States Are Low-Tax Republican, Worst-Run Are High-Tax Democratic, Study Finds

[PeterMP]

13 hours ago, nonniey said:

Again I don't think you are understanding what she is saying.  She saying is Wisconsin is a dumpster fire period. She goes onto explain why she thinks that using several points. You interpreted that into her saying those specific points are dumpster fires and not Wisconsin. 

 

No, I didn't.

 

You said:

 

"As I pointed out in another thread Walker "gutting" education in Wisconsin had the nasty effect of improving Wisconsin's  education results ( this from memory- in education I believe they improved from the mid 20s to the mid teens among all states) They also improved their poverty, employment and per capita rates."

 

You responded to a post about gutting higher education with a discussion of just education.  That is a misrepresentation of her point (she didn't say the gutted education.  She said they gutted HIGHER education).  From there, your post is also incorrect.

 

Like it being a wreck whether it is a dumpster fire or not is subjective and not an argument that I want to bother to make or attack.

[Hersh]

8 hours ago, NoCalMike said:

There is way too much this article doesn't account for.  For starters, a state like CA pays the most to the fed government and gets the least amount back.  If that changed, would it not effect their fiscal solvency? 

 

It just seems like this articles definition of "best run" extremely narrow.  It's measuring sticks for what equates to "best run" are questionable.

 

To piggyback on this point, it's meaningless without considering the amount of money a state gets from the federal government as it relates to their state revenues. 

[Bozo the kKklown]

 

1 hour ago, nonniey said:

UM lets look at who is mis-characterizing what she said

 

Lady Redskins

"Kansas and Wisconsin are dumpster fires of failure, except for businesses and the ultra wealthy. I have friends who live in Wisconsin where Walker and the Republican legislature has gutted higher education, public unions and so on to give huge tax breaks to the wealthy and businesses. They've pretty much wreaked that state. "

 

Looks to me like she is saying that Wisconsin is a dumpster fire due to gutting education, public unions and huge tax breaks. Your saying she said Higher Ed and Public unions were dumpster fires.  Pretty sure my take is the accurate one.  

 

That said I also pointed out Wisconsin has improved in education, average pay (btw that includes teacher take home pay due to most of them no longer paying union dues), employment etc since Walker took over which disproves the idea that Wisconsin is a dumpster fire.  I know that Walker is one of the lefts boogie men but he and his policies have been extremely successful.

 

Kansas may be a good example to hang the lefts hat on but it is just wishful thinking on their part when it comes to Wisconsin. 

Is this supposed to be a Jedi Mind Trick?

[twa]

1 hour ago, TryTheBeal! said:

Wisconsin ran the 3rd highest state deficit in the nation in 2016.

 

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/wisconsin/articles/2017-03-06/things-to-know-about-wisconsins-state-budget-deficit

 

Are you applying generally accepted accounting principles to your whole list?

 

https://ballotpedia.org/State_credit_ratings

 

[nonniey]

49 minutes ago, Hersh said:

 

To piggyback on this point, it's meaningless without considering the amount of money a state gets from the federal government as it relates to their state revenues. 

Or the amount of the State that the Federal Government owns. This does have an effect some positive and some negative effects to State revenues after all. 

[PleaseBlitz]

4th best run state, Utah, is 63% federally-owned land. 

 

5th best run state, Wyoming, is 48% federal land. 

 

9th, Idaho, 61% federal land. 

 

[scruffylookin]

By all means, go ahead and move to those wastelands. 

 

Me? I'm very happy to stay in a safe Democratic state. 

[bearrock]

Maryland's rebuttal to Mercatus ranking

 

http://marylandreporter.com/2015/08/18/dont-misinterpret-mercatus-low-ranking-of-marylands-fiscal-health/

 

Quote

... Mercatus Center study that ranked Maryland only 37th best among the 50 states for its fiscal health.

 

Quote

So it’s important to understand whether this ranking makes sense, particularly when it is so low compared to the state’s AAA bond rating. Maryland is one of 10 states that now have that highest rating from all three major bond rating agencies.

 

Quote

On June 30, 2013, Maryland had a ratio of 2.10, which was below the mean (average) among the states of 3.37. Mercatus then converted the ratios of Maryland and the other 49 states into “z scores,” which are measures of how many standard deviations each state’s score falls above or below the mean. Maryland thus earns a “bad” score of -1.79.

But in fact, Maryland’s current ratio should earn a “good” score! A current ratio of 2.1 shows the state has twice as much in current assets as in current liabilities, which is easily more than enough liquidity (the rule of thumb minimum is a ratio of 1).

Why should Maryland keep more idle cash on hand, when those moneys could instead be used to pay for needed services or still be in the pockets of taxpayers?

 

Quote

The report uses three ratio measures of what it calls “service-level solvency”: taxes divided by state personal income (PI), revenues divided by PI, and expenditures divided by PI.

Note that these measures don’t compare the quantity or quality of services to measures of “need.” Instead, states earn higher rankings in the Mercatus approach by taxing and spending relatively little in relation to their income. With these low levels, states have more space to tax and spend more, if they choose to do so, and still remain financially solvent.

 

There is a strong whiff of confirmation bias.  Mercatus ranking rewards states who tax less and spend less rather than examining the quality of government such policies produce.  Many will say that government should tax and spend for appropriate reasons and much prefer a lower cash solvency in exchange for a government that does more.  If the ranking is designed to measure fidelity to conservative ideals, I think it does that.  But, if the ranking is trying measure degree of successful governance, I think it oversimplifies and fails.

[Bacon]

I would move to these financially solvent states if they weren't dull, culturally irrelevant and lacking opportunities. Just because a state has its money straight doesn't mean it's going to be used for the betterment of its population. 

[DogofWar1]

6 hours ago, PleaseBlitz said:

4th best run state, Utah, is 63% federally-owned land. 

 

5th best run state, Wyoming, is 48% federal land. 

 

9th, Idaho, 61% federal land. 

 

So the key to good governance is being controlled directly by the Federal Government?

 

Huh.

 

Neat.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Hey, a thread where people are going to stick to their preconceived notions no matter what.  Never would have expected liberals to disagree with findings of a poll because their best friends sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend said otherwise.   Never would have expected conservatives to pound their chests and say that their way is best and that these findings are awesome.  

[TradeTheBeal!]

19 minutes ago, Spaceman Spiff said:

Hey, a thread where people are going to stick to their preconceived notions no matter what.  Never would have expected liberals to disagree with findings of a poll because their best friends sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend said otherwise.   Never would have expected conservatives to pound their chests and say that their way is best and that these findings are awesome.  

 

The OP article is utterly fact-free and dripping with bias.  Taking issue with its conclusions does not make one a "liberal".

 

#preconceivednotions

#potmeetskettle

[Spaceman Spiff]

Just now, TryTheBeal! said:

 

The OP article is utterly fact-free and dripping with bias.  Taking issue with its conclusions does not make one a "liberal".

 

#preconceivednotions

#potmeetskettle

 

Of course it's dripping with bias.  One click on that website is all you need to know who's presenting that information.

 

Everyone's biased.  It's amusing to see who doesn't care what the bias is when it fits people's point of views.  

[TheGoodBits]

Worth noting that the Mercatus Center at George Mason University is a Koch brothers funded research institution. They basically bought it to push their hair brained, large business, trickle down bull**** the same as they always have, just with a higher education label slapped on it. 

 

Same reason George Mason Law School is now the Antonin Scalia Law School.

[LadySkinsFan]

Isn't it the Antonin Scalia School of Law? ASS of Law.

 

BTW, I just received the book, Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right's Stealth Plan for America. Can't wait to read about all the Koch funded and other organizations founded to undercut the United States of America. 

[twa]

3 minutes ago, LadySkinsFan said:

Can't wait to read about all the Koch funded and other organizations founded to undercut the United States of America. 

 

I'd imagine they prefer to say saving America. 

[LadySkinsFan]

Make themselves obscenely wealthy and **** the rest of us, you mean.

 

They want to destroy the United States and have a Constitutional Convention. 

[DogofWar1]

1 hour ago, LadySkinsFan said:

Isn't it the Antonin Scalia School of Law? ASS of Law.

They changed the name before it officially went into effect.  Someone outside the little circle of rich old people up at Mercatus probably poked their head in the door about 6 hours after the announcement and told everyone how it was a dumb idea.  They switched it to ASLS.

 

 

Ultimately, the study is flawed.  It introduces a good data POINT, but has too little context and takes that one data point too far.

[PleaseBlitz]

Another takeaway is that it helps to have a small population and a large amount of oil or natural gas.