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| Bill Maher in creepy robe (left) |
Last Friday, the smug but daft Maher ridiculed red states US residents. In his monologue, Maher claimed that red state Americans are resentful and envious of blue states because “the libs own everything.” Revealing his retardation with respect to reality, Maher went so far as to say that red states have gone from "the flyover states to the past over states."
Like many economic and statistical illiterates, Maher is cocksure about his opinion, which he believes is truth.
The truth is far different. US citizens and other US residents living in Red State USA are living in the richer parts of the USA.
Red State Residents are Richer than Blue State Residents
First, if each state's gross domestic product (GDP) were evenly distributed to all of its residents, the result would GDP per capita. GDP per capita might be a better approximation than average income or median income. You can think of the figure as a good estimate of what a skilled worker would earn such as an experienced electrician or someone with ten years worth of experience who has a bachelor's degree in a business-related field.
In the chart, the averages for Dem states appear in the first three columns; the averages for the GOP states appear in the second three columns; and the difference between the matching columns by color for the Dems and GOP appear in the third three columns.
As you can see, while those in Dem states earn on average $12,314 more than those in GOP states, that falls by -36.5% after taxes. Once the cost of living is calculated for each state (see: Cost of Living Data Series Annual Average 2018), those living in GOP states, so-called Red States, are nearly $2,400 richer.
Now, in Mississippi, the New World African population comprises at least 37.3% of the total population. They are a poor people living in the supposed poorest state of the union. Likely, if they vote, they vote for Democratic Party candidates.
By removing Mississippi from the average for GOP states, those living in GOP states become nearly $2,700 richer than those living in Dem / blue states.
For the thinking man or woman, this should fail to surprise. After all, if living was truly poor in red states, residents would have abandoned those states in a massive migration wave long ago in the same manner that mestizo illegal aliens coming from Mexico and other Central American countries sneak into the USA now.
Over the last five years, US residents have fled states of California, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland and Minnesota. They have moved to Idaho, the Carolinas, Florida, Tennessee, Texas, Wyoming. See the interactive map on my work, HEAD WEST, ER, AND SOUTH YOUNG MAN. THE GREAT SORT CONTINUES. USA RESIDENTS MOVES, 2011-2018, which details the five-year average for net in-bound vs out-bound moving for US residents.
If California and New York are the states where living is better because supposedly everyone is richer there, why are more residents leaving those states than moving to those states?
Richer than New Yorkers
There are seventeen red states where US residents have higher incomes than New Yorkers after adjusting for taxes paid and cost of living. Among these states are the classic flyover states: Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Missouri and Kansas.Relative to a "New York dollar," for every $100 that ends up in the pocket of a New Yorker, nearly $128 ends up in the pocket of a Wyomingite.
Smarter New Yorkers have fled the state (see link above) and have headed to states like Texas, Tennessee and North Carolina, though substantial gains in buying power come to those who have chosen to move to Texas and Tennessee.
Many Richer than Californians
Compared to California, there are twenty-four red states where US residents have higher incomes. That is nearly half of the USA!
Relative to a "California dollar," for every $100 that ends up in the pocket of a California, nearly $147 and change ends up in the pocket of a Wyomingite.
Living in California is far worse than living in the already bad state of New York. Moving to the flyover states of Kansas, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee gains anyone at least $20 more in buying power when comparing adjusted income based on the GDP per capita income or the estimated income of a skilled worker.
Living in California is far worse than living in the already bad state of New York. Moving to the flyover states of Kansas, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee gains anyone at least $20 more in buying power when comparing adjusted income based on the GDP per capita income or the estimated income of a skilled worker.
States By Income
In his moronic reading of a teleprompter — Maher is not even smart enough to reel off the top of his head, his thoughts; a paid staff of other clueless dummies write his every word for him — Maher takes a swipe at Wyoming. Yet, the richest people in the USA on a per capita basis live in Wyoming.Six of the ten richest states are GOP red states on a per capita basis after adjustments for taxes paid both to Congress and to state lawgivers as well as for costs of living. Fifteen of the top twenty richest states by adjusted income are red states. Sixty-three percent of the top 30 richest states are red states.
But smug moron Maher and his equally stupid staff of snickering writers simply do not know reality. Instead, mindlessly, they spew propaganda that fits with the Democratic Party's agenda.
The Poorest State Is Not Mississippi
In spite of the blather about Mississippi being the poorest state, after adjusting for taxes and cost of living, living in Mississippi is not so bad. The per capita adjusted income is $37,148. Mississippi is on par with the Dem stronghold state of Rhode Island.
Three of the four poorest states are blue states — Hawaii, Maine and Oregon.
The poorest state is Hawaii with an adjusted income of $26,155. Hawaii has been a majority minority state for a long time. Hawaiians were poor long before Hawaii became a state.
Three of the four poorest states are blue states — Hawaii, Maine and Oregon.
The poorest state is Hawaii with an adjusted income of $26,155. Hawaii has been a majority minority state for a long time. Hawaiians were poor long before Hawaii became a state.
States by Taxes
One of the interesting results of this study is examining the effects of taxation under the first year of the so-called President Trump tax rate cuts.
Other things being equal, if you hate paying taxes on principle, the state in which to live is Florida. For every dollar a Floridian would like to keep, a Floridian must earn $1.19 if his income is the same as the GDP per capita for Floridians, or $48,713.
The worst state in which to live with respect to taxes is New York. That should fail to surprise anyone. For every dollar a New Yorker would like to keep, he must earn $1.37.
Nine of the ten worst states for taxation are blue states: New York, Massachusetts, Hawaii, California, Delaware, Oregon, Connecticut, Illinois, Minnesota.
Other things being equal, if you hate paying taxes on principle, the state in which to live is Florida. For every dollar a Floridian would like to keep, a Floridian must earn $1.19 if his income is the same as the GDP per capita for Floridians, or $48,713.
The worst state in which to live with respect to taxes is New York. That should fail to surprise anyone. For every dollar a New Yorker would like to keep, he must earn $1.37.
Nine of the ten worst states for taxation are blue states: New York, Massachusetts, Hawaii, California, Delaware, Oregon, Connecticut, Illinois, Minnesota.
Full Data
California is the Cool State?
During his publicly-expressed stupidity, Maher said this:
"There are two Americas, and it seems like one is where the all of the cool jobs are, where people drive Teslas and eat artisanal ice cream. We have orchestras and theater districts and world-class shopping. We have chef Wolfgang Puck."
With references to Tesla, headquartered in California and Puck, also headquartered in California, clearly, Maher believes living is grand in California.
Yet, California is suffering from a homeless crisis on a scale never before seen. For those who eschew statistics for the visual, there are many videos on YouTube, which reveal the homeless crisis in California. Here is a link to YouTube homeless videos for the whole state of California. Here is a link to YouTube videos about the disastrous homelessness in San Francisco, a problem that has affected tourism.
The Look of Degeneracy
Without his teleprompter and toady audience, Maher looks like a degenerate dopey guy who has eaten one too many times at Wolfgang Puck's.Here is Maher in all of his self-deluded glory smugly reading his teleprompter.
Caveats
Be cautious about the cost of living average for each state. Take a state like New York example. The cost of living in Manhattan is many times higher than the cost of living in Utica or Batavia. So if anything, the foregoing analysis understates by how much richer red staters are relative to blue staters.
Gab It
