I think the zero sum nature is what trips up most people about state finance. Ultimately, what is and isn't possible for a state to do stems from the vagaries

I think the zero sum nature is what trips up most people about state finance. Ultimately, what is and isn't possible for a state to do stems from the vagaries of what all other states are currently doing. It's somewhat rooted in economic output, but there are a lot of other independent variables in the pot.