There's more to United States than just California . . . .

[SlowwHand]

Possibly because for most of last year, gas was at $4.00/gallon, old oil wells were being opened in East Texas because they were suddenly profitable again, and taxes from oil companies were pouring into the treasury.

Not just east Texas. There are a lot of wells in west Texas, too.
I don't see your point, since it does nothing to offset that I'm correct.

[DanS]

The fact is that over the last 5 years, state tax revenues increased a whole lot more than the rate of growth of the underlying economy. Most states dutifully beefed up government services to match the outsized increase in revenues.

Generally, states don't have a very diversified tax base, so when real estate taxes of various sorts and capital gains taxes plummeted, the states found themselves bringing in a lot less money on the whole and having to scramble to cut services.

None of this is a real crisis. States will just have to live within their means, like they always do. A longer-term goal would be to broaden the tax base. California especially needs to do this. Or set some money aside for a rainy day fund. But raising taxes only compounds the problem.

[Lefty Scaevola]

California has by no means been unduly limited in its revenues, it has consistantly been among the high tax states for the last 20 years, running from #2 to #11 in highest per capita tax revenues (state and local sum total) over that period, and prop 13 did not even limit property taxes all that much, whith the total prop taxe revenues (mostly local) in the state increasing of 400% since prop 13 was passed, much faster than population.
California's problem has been spending, spending, spending.

[Lefty Scaevola]

I heard Texas added more jobs this last year then the rest of the nation combined.

53% of the jobs added in the nation was the figure, I do not recall what the source or methodology was for obtaining this figure, so I am not endorsing it as fact. It sounds like some sort chamber of commerce blurb.

[Ben Kenobi]

I wouldn't be surprised. Texas has it's head on straight.

The reason people make fun of y'all is because they are jealous.