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> VOTERS who apparently don't give a rats ass about anything unless it is approving more services and lower taxes for themselves. California has the highest st

> VOTERS who apparently don't give a rats ass about anything unless it is approving more services and lower taxes for themselves. California has the highest state taxes in almost every tax category, from personal income, to corporate income, to minimum corporate tax ($800 corporate taxes payable if you broke even or lost money, ouch), highest vehicle registration costs, vehicle re-sale taxes, high sales tax, high hotel taxes, etc, etc. It doesn't matter how much money you bring in if you consistently spend more than it.

TomOfTTB 16y ago
That, to me, is the real point here. You could not imagine a state or country with more going for it. Farming, the technological and entertainment hubs of the world along with a climate that produces idealic beaches, snow covered mountains and an ideal enviornment for theme parks (little rain combined with mild temp). California should be studied as what not to do because the fact that it has become so screwed up is almost beyond belief Edit: I forgot shipping. One whole side of the state is along the pacific and we're the closest landlocked state to Asia where all the cheap goods are made
- stretchwithme 16y ago
  landlocked?
  - lazugod 16y ago
    Alaska and Hawaii are closer, but don't share a border with any other states. California does: thus, it's considered landlocked.
    - Charuru 16y ago
      That's not what landlocked means, landlocked means not having a sea coast. Arizona would be landlocked for example.
      - lazugod 16y ago
        Ah, that makes more sense. The OP is incorrect, then.
- rdl 16y ago
  I'm expanding a startup in Texas or Washington State due to not just the high costs of California, but the uncertainty -- the state is basically bankrupt, as are many local municipalities, and it's really unclear what changes will happen as a result. WA's government is better, but not vastly; TX seems like the most solvent state with a viable startup nexus (I don't see Alaska becoming a startup center unless global warming vastly improves things :).
  - protomyth 16y ago
    North Dakota has a budget surplus, but is not going to be a startup culture anytime soon. Although a lot of towns have fiber to the home.
_delirium 16y ago
At least as far as the taxes individuals pay (adding all the various kinds together), the anti-tax Tax Foundation seems to think that CA's taxes are a bit above average, but not hugely so: Californians pay 10.5% of their income as state and local taxes, versus a national average of 9.7%. Source: http://www.taxfoundation.org/taxdata/show/335.html http://www.taxfoundation.org/taxdata/show/335.html
whyenot 16y ago
Overall, on a per capita basis, the state is ranked as having the 6th highest tax rate in the nation by the Tax Foundation (10.5%) [1]. Most California voters apparently want it both ways: spend a lot on services, public employees, prisons and the rest without raising enough money to pay for them. Almost nobody seems to care that this is completely unsustainable. Oh, and our next governor? Yeah, it either Jerry "Moonbeam" Brown, who already proved how ineffectual he is a governor, not to mention as mayor of Oakland, which has now gone completely to crap, or Meg Whitman who may have her heart in the right place but seems completely unprepared. Sorry, as someone who has lived my entire life in California, I find this situation extremely frustrating. [1] http://www.taxfoundation.org/research/topic/15.html http://www.taxfoundation.org/research/topic/15.html

TomOfTTB 16y ago

That, to me, is the real point here. You could not imagine a state or country with more going for it. Farming, the technological and entertainment hubs of the world along with a climate that produces idealic beaches, snow covered mountains and an ideal enviornment for theme parks (little rain combined with mild temp). California should be studied as what not to do because the fact that it has become so screwed up is almost beyond belief Edit: I forgot shipping. One whole side of the state is along the pacific and we're the closest landlocked state to Asia where all the cheap goods are made

stretchwithme 16y ago
landlocked?
- lazugod 16y ago
  Alaska and Hawaii are closer, but don't share a border with any other states. California does: thus, it's considered landlocked.
  - Charuru 16y ago
    That's not what landlocked means, landlocked means not having a sea coast. Arizona would be landlocked for example.
    - lazugod 16y ago
      Ah, that makes more sense. The OP is incorrect, then.
rdl 16y ago
I'm expanding a startup in Texas or Washington State due to not just the high costs of California, but the uncertainty -- the state is basically bankrupt, as are many local municipalities, and it's really unclear what changes will happen as a result. WA's government is better, but not vastly; TX seems like the most solvent state with a viable startup nexus (I don't see Alaska becoming a startup center unless global warming vastly improves things :).
- protomyth 16y ago
  North Dakota has a budget surplus, but is not going to be a startup culture anytime soon. Although a lot of towns have fiber to the home.

_delirium 16y ago

At least as far as the taxes individuals pay (adding all the various kinds together), the anti-tax Tax Foundation seems to think that CA's taxes are a bit above average, but not hugely so: Californians pay 10.5% of their income as state and local taxes, versus a national average of 9.7%. Source: http://www.taxfoundation.org/taxdata/show/335.html http://www.taxfoundation.org/taxdata/show/335.html

whyenot 16y ago

Overall, on a per capita basis, the state is ranked as having the 6th highest tax rate in the nation by the Tax Foundation (10.5%) [1]. Most California voters apparently want it both ways: spend a lot on services, public employees, prisons and the rest without raising enough money to pay for them. Almost nobody seems to care that this is completely unsustainable. Oh, and our next governor? Yeah, it either Jerry "Moonbeam" Brown, who already proved how ineffectual he is a governor, not to mention as mayor of Oakland, which has now gone completely to crap, or Meg Whitman who may have her heart in the right place but seems completely unprepared. Sorry, as someone who has lived my entire life in California, I find this situation extremely frustrating. [1] http://www.taxfoundation.org/research/topic/15.html http://www.taxfoundation.org/research/topic/15.html