Meet Your Next. U.S. President

[giblets]

Nope, they don't have that low of taxes at all. At least not for actual people. The total tax burden (state and local) in Texas is with in two percentage points of California but the Republicans keep shouting that Texas is supposedly low tax while California is supposedly high tax. That's just not true unless you make over $250,000 a year. The main difference is the cost of real estate and the primary driver for why most of Texas costs so little while most of California costs so much is because Texas is a sucky place to live while California is a great place to live so the market bids up land prices here in California. Would you rather live in a flat place which has little natural beauty which is hot as hell & humid as as an alligator's arse hole or would you rather live in a place with great weather, beautiful mountains, and gorgeous views of the ocean? The market has spoken.

Yeah but Texas seems to be attracting a larger number of Mexican immigrants because of the low cost of living, so people can claim that Texas has "created lots of jobs".

[SlowwHand]

We don't have a state tax, Doc.

[Dinner]

http://www.businessinsider.com/texas...-crisis-2011-1



And how many teachers did they lay off, and are still with a massive deficit?

Last I heard they have a $19 billion deficit and that was with $13 billion in stimulus funds to help close the gap (so real deficit if the Fed wasn't bailing them out ~ $32 billion which is bigger then California's deficit in absolute terms even though California's economy is much larger). Texas has massive budget problems because even though they keep cutting taxes for Perry's rich buddies & they slashed every manner of service such that Texas is at or near the worst in the country in most catagories, they still have HUUUUGGGGGGEEEE Budget problems.

[Docfeelgood]

We don't have a state tax, Doc.

True but, everything else is taxed.

[Docfeelgood]

Last I heard they have a $19 billion deficit and that was with $13 billion in stimulus funds to help close the gap (so real deficit if the Fed wasn't bailing them out ~ $32 billion which is bigger then California's deficit in absolute terms even though California's economy is much larger). Texas has massive budget problems because even though they keep cutting taxes for Perry's rich buddies & they slashed every manner of service such that Texas is at or near the worst in the country in most catagories, they still have HUUUUGGGGGGEEEE Budget problems.

Yes! damn I hate admitting you're correct

You a closet Texan? Sure know a lot about Texas.

[Ben Kenobi]

Texas made some pretty substantial cuts, unlike certain states. BTW, how's the monorail construction going?

[Dinner]

One of the forums I visit has sub forums for each state and the big cities in each state. Over the last year tons and tons of Texans kept coming to the California subforum babbling nonsense about how great Texas is doing and how "socialist" California was supposedly so badly off. The California folks got pretty good at refuting the wild claims made by the Texans. It's kind of lame but I guess that's what passes as a subforum war on some political sites.

[Dinner]

Texas made some pretty substantial cuts, unlike certain states. BTW, how's the monorail construction going?

If you mean the high speed rail network then it is ahead of schedule and with a per mile cost below the original estimates. The recession has unexpectedly lowered labor and materials costs.

BTW California has indeed made substantial cuts as well though the 2/3rd rule has resulted in some blockages in the political process blocking deeper cuts or a role back of tax cuts both of which are needed to balance the budget in a responsible manner.

[Asher]

Did you know that Texas has the 2nd highest property tax rates ($18 per $1000 in prop value) in the whole USA (after Wisconsin).

[Ben Kenobi]

If you mean the high speed rail network then it is ahead of schedule and with a per mile cost below the original estimates. The recession has unexpectedly lowered labor and materials costs.

It's already blown through the budget. 3 billion now already?

BTW California has indeed made substantial cuts as well though the 2/3rd rule has resulted in some blockages in the political process blocking deeper cuts or a role back of tax cuts both of which are needed to balance the budget in a responsible manner.

Bull****. The republicans blocked a massive tax hike.

Do you lie as much on the other forums as you do here?

Anyways, as for debt, most of the debt in TX is actually local, whereas California's is state.

[Ben Kenobi]

Did you know that Texas has the 2nd highest property tax rates ($18 per $1000 in prop value) in the whole USA (after Wisconsin).

Sure, but they collect quite a bit less than CA, which has a lower rate but massive valuation.

[Guynemer]

Seriously:

Someone convince me that the United States is in better shape than Canada. Fiscally, politically, internationally, etc. Go.

[Dinner]

I'm talking about their airport.

I can't blame them for having a bad airport. Have you seen LAX? What a dump. It's like they built in the late 50's and then forgot about it.

[Asher]

Sure, but they collect quite a bit less than CA, which has a lower rate but massive valuation.

I agree with you that the market thinks Texas is a ****ty state to live in.

[Dinner]

Seriously:

Someone convince me that the United States is in better shape than Canada. Fiscally, politically, internationally, etc. Go.

No can do.