“Don’t tell me,” Michael Barone writes, that “public policy doesn’t account for much of the difference” between the job and population growth in Texas and the loss of jobs in California and anemic population growth in New York. In “the ten years between April 2001 and April 2011”.
Texas gained 732,800 private sector jobs, far ahead of the number two and three states, Arizona (90,200) and Nevada (90,000). The nation overall lost more than 2 million private sector jobs, with the biggest losses coming in California (623,700), Michigan (619,200) and Ohio (460,900).
Read the whole thing — and this one too!
Governor Brown, are you paying attention?
A number of our friends have moved to other states, Texas one of them. All who have moved, said they will not look back. My partner and I have been throwing around the idea of moving to Texas. I am a 5th generation Californian and can’t stand this state anymore. Taxes, housing, traffic, illegals, liberal goons have destroyed this state, this is not the state that I grew up loving. Jerry Brown, will not listen, he did not in his first term, and he will not in his second term.
God blessed Texas!
Here is the problem. Despite the continued job losses throughout the state, uber-liberal San Francisco continues to record job growth. They point to that and say “See, look, higher taxes and more regulations don’t kill jobs”. What they don’t seem to understand is that geographically San Francisco is a little island of paradise,… It’s freaking gorgeous!!!! high profile businesses move there DESPITE the liberal policies… Because… well… It’s Paradise!
The rest of the state???… Not so lucky to be located in such a blessed area.
As long as San Fran grows the powers that be are happy.
Sonic, I wonder how much of SF’s job growth is related to tourism.
My understanding is that jobs growth there is fueled by the tech industry. There are always altruistic high minded hugely successful tech companies that are awash in cash. Nothing wrong with either of those, being altruistic or being awash in cash. Google and Facebook come to mind. Because they don’t have as much pressure to watch the bottom line, they can afford to locate in SF (that’s San Francisco, not SonicFrog). People don’t realize that San Fran has a HUGE tech industry. I went there to be in the audience on the Tech TV cable show. That said, most companies, tech and non-tech, are not awash in cash.
Michael Barone’s “The Almanac of American Politics” is an eminent guide to our politicians. In the two articles cited, Mr. Barone opines that high taxes and onerous regulation are to blame (alone among all other issues would he suggest?) for California’s current unemployment, fiscal irresponsibility, and political malaise. He also comments on a superficial historical and cultural similarity between the two states. He does not mention that Texas was a slave state. California was not. Perhaps he might find some other answers in his Almanac.
Look at what Californians have permitted to occur so one may see how tarnished the Golden State has become…and how undemocratic our political system. If the citizens split themselves geographically into the Blue Coast and the Red Inlands, they further lock themselves into Democratic lust for public unions and Prop. 98 (education minimums) and Republican bludgeoning with the 2/3 supermajority for budget/spending and Prop. 13. The voters “wisely” believe themselves better than their elected representatives-and, representing as they do either political or corporate cronyism all too often, who can blame them?- and have created over the past few decades a plethora of stop-gaps designed to relieve the system which have only served to constipate it. Such examples would be: unfettered use of the initiative process, the prevention of the legislature to propose counter intitiatives, term limits, the limitless passage of bonds without matching revenues, and other egregious measures. Recall that the 1990’s dot-com boom gave a carte blanche to the legislatures, and to Governors Wilson and Davis, neither of whom deigned to create a rainy-day fund, or take a stab at a pay-as-you-go budgetary process. The Democrats never saw an expense they didn’t like; the Republicans can’t see past their property taxes. Can one really not anticipate a bust following such expansion? There’s enough blame on both Democrats and Republicans. And enough blame on the voters and their very interested lobbyists who can create any sort of legislative mischief. Who’s to blame? Everyone…and no one.
The problems California faces are not merely reduced to taxes and job creation. Yes, I can hear the rejoinder: well, they can’t hurt! Please see the above list of other woes. We cannot have a solution without understanding the evils we have created. If, as Mr. Barone notes, teachers are paid less in Texas than in California, this factoid is not so useful in fixing the California educational system when our schools funding method has been corrupted by Props. 13 and 98, among others. As far as our taxation goes, we have chosen to make it a matter suitable for the State’s Constitution, rather than merely for statute. When economic times change, as they have rather rapidly in California’s history, it’s less easy to revise a constitutional amendment than a legislative statute.
Mr. Barone’s other fascinating item for which his Almanac is invaluable reflects the stagnation of California’s population growth such that for the first time in its history no new seats will result from Congressional reapportionment for the 2010 Census. I fail to see this item as a negative. Since the Gold Rush California has depended too much upon an endless stream of new arrivals, thus permitting it the illusion of growth without consequence. Always there’s someone new to take the place of those who leave. Perhaps now at long last there are only those who choose to stay- whether by choice or by default it matters not. What matters is that those who stay are more invested in seeing our state solve its problems. And that change is a cause for rejoicing. I wish my former Californian citizens and businesses who have moved to finer fields- even to Texas- my best wishes.
#1 Austin is a pretty big tech area. Also has a huge band scene. However, it’s a pretty liberal area and may be the closest thing to San Francisco that you’d find in Texas. Houston’s pretty red and has energy and medicine as the big fields. HP has a big complex on the northwest side.
When I lived in Houston, at the time, everybody on my street either worked at Compaq (HP) or Enron. The group that I ran with consisted mostly of engineers for the oil companies. Their wives generally worked in the medical field.
And Dallas, well we don’t talk about southern Oklahoma.
Forgot to mention that there’s a lot of cute cowboys in Texas. If one were so inclined, my brother always says the cutest girls are in Texas.
Oh and the Rio Grande Valley’s pretty blue, but a conservative blue. Not really moonbatshitcrazy lib blue.
One more: If you’re looking for medical, there’s the huge Texas Medical Center plus there’s probably about 40 or so hospitals in Houston. When I was working in medicine & EMS in Houston, I was in and out of about 30 of them in the Houston area.
And then there’s logistics. With the ship channel and Bush Intercontinental Airport, there’s tons of freight that go in and out. My partner’s an Imports Specialist over there.
Yep… You can go out any night of the week and catch a show. The guitarists / main songwriter from my former band Chris Plays Guitar now lives there. He was only planning on staying there for six months… It’s been three years! He LOVES it!!!!!
Wow, where to begin?
Okay, for starters – the reason why Texas (and its residents in general) are so successful is that we don’t let the government take away any extra taxes from us. Reason – we don’t like big government. Period.
In fact, it is even enshrined in our 1876 Texas Constitution – we have a very weak state government but powerful local ones, including a bifurcated school district system. Therefore, the people have more power than the state does.
Second – due to this “can-do” spirit (which during the Bush years was called “cowboy mentality”), Texas is fertile ground for a lot of new businesses springing up and becoming successful. Plus, since the state is pretty hands-off, there is no encroachment by the government on private enterprise.
Now, getting to cities – TGC has it right. Austin is pretty left-leaning (when I attended The University of Texas in the late 1980s, we called it “The People’s Republic of Austin”). Its country counterpart, College Station, reminds me a lot of Berlin circa 1938. (Lots of brownshirts and drinking.)
Houston – my beloved hometown – is not only the largest city in the country led by a lesbian mayor, but also home to various industries and professions. Unfortunately, due to SnObama’s hatred of our state, we are losing NASA, Continental Airlines and (with the onset of Obamacare) the Medical Center.
Lots of people compare Dallas to Houston. That’s like comparing San Fran to LA. The two are in no way similar except that they are in the same state. Houston has much more of a laissez-faire, come-what-may attitude similar to our closer geographical neighbor, southern Louisiana. In fact, Houston and New Orleans are pretty much on the same latitude in terms of climate, cuisine, and general joie de vivire.
Plus, we’re only 45 minutes from the Gulf Coast and those gentle summer breezes on the beach can be heaven in July and August.
Anyway, this infomercial was brought to you courtesy of me. 😉
Regards,
Peter H.
So San Francisco is doing great while all the SFO BAY area is in a slump? Would someone explain that to me. My daughter a school superintend just sent out a notice to 400 of her teachers and other school personnel that they will not have a job next Fall. The other school districts in the Bay area are laying off personnel also.