California certainly isn't going to improve its economic situation by emulating or by trying to become more like Mississippi, Arizona, New Mexico, Alabama, Kentucky or any of the other Parasitic States that have become so dependent on the federal government and who are being bailed out on a daily basis by Donor States like California and New Jersey.
California and New Jersey are among the producer states that have been pulling the wagon in this country. States like Mississippi, Arizona, New Mexico, Alabama, and the other Parasitic States have been riding in the wagon. How do you expect Californians to react to criticism from inside the wagon that we're not pulling fast enough to suit the free riders?
If we're going to solve our economic problems in this country, we need to reduce dependency on the federal government. Instead of castigating the producer states, maybe we should see if we can find ways to make the residents of Parasitic States more productive and less dependent on the federal government.
Californians will benefit from a reduction in size of the federal government. We will gain from that transaction. Mississippians, Arizonans and New Mexicans are either going to have to learn to become more productive and self-sufficient or are going to have to just learn how to make do with less.
I suggest you use some data to make your case.
1. CA’s “structural deficit” over the foreseeable future is $20 B. a year. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704723104576061842891382606.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
2. In 2005, CA residents paid $1300 more in Federal taxes than they got back in Federal spending (78 cents per dollar paid). http://www.taxfoundation.org/taxdata/show/22685.html
Presumably that figure is even higher in 2010.
3. CA’s population is 37 million. http://www.google.com/publicdata?ds=uspopulation&met=population&idim=state:06000&dl=en&hl=en&q=california+population
4. Thus, the $1300 “fiscal gap” that makes CA a “donor state” alone creates a $48 billion annual fiscal windfall to the feds that would more than cover CA’s current spending gap.
5. CA already has the 6th highest state-local tax burden in the country. http://www.taxfoundation.org/taxdata/show/336.html Thus, taxing its way out of its current fiscal mess is not prudent. Indeed, excessive taxes may have already contributed to a decline in the state’s tax revenues. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704723104576061842891382606.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
It’s obvious from #1 that CA hasn’t behaved in the most fiscally responsible manner. That said, its fiscal plight is considerably worsened by the federal tax dollars siphoned out of the state to pay for spending elsewhere.