[smokinjoe64]

Originally Posted by Henn28

Well said SmokinJoe. If I had a nickel (well, maybe a dime in today’s economy) for every guy I have worked with from a net-debtor state who told me how awful and screwed up someone else’s state was (always a net-funder state and almost always CA, IL or NY) I would be able to retire comfortably to the wine country of CA.

Why we spend so much time bashing the other guys’ states is beyond me. I get why politicians and the info-tainment media obsess over it (hint: the votes and money pyramid scheme), but why we allow them to play us like this is peak stupidity. We have 50 states for a reason…find one you like and live in it and don’t cry about the other guy’s state.

The cost of gas in CA is just a distraction to draw our focus off of failed policies and amateur-hour behavior from our elected officials who know that many of us only vote and donate money if they can convince us someone else is out to take our sh*t and ruin our lives. Total BS, but we get the government we deserve.

And yes, the top 5 net contributor states (including CA, NY and IL) fund fully 25% of the federal government, while the bottom 5 (mine included) contribute about 1% or 2%. Once federal payments back to those states are factored in the disparity becomes very, very large and represent a terrible investment for the top 5 states. So do they have something to complain about when they look at my arguably failed state (in metrics like education and public health) that they continue to prop up?

Gas prices in Europe average around $7/gal and somehow they get by.

Finally, I hate to admit that I’m old enough to remember when CA’s air quality in some areas was some of the worst in the nation and absolutely contributed to premature death and sickness. Bipartisan action at the state and federal levels has been a resounding success in cleaning up the Golden State’s air, and also has lead to higher gas prices. Can you imagine any of our politicians today finding a bipartisan solution to any of our glaring problems, much less an environmental one? We get the government we deserve.

Henn28 welcome the thoughtful, rational, and free-spoken comments.

In most cases, these 'characters'/haters have little to no actual experience living in CA.
Although originally from CA, have lived in many other states with mind-set of 'enjoying & appreciating' each state, what it had to offer, and with a positive outlook toward experiences.
Short list of states resided over time [sometimes multiple cities therein]:

1. NY
2. NJ
3. VA
4. MD
5. GA
6. FL
7. AR
8. MN
9. TX
10. WA

BTW - Another way facts overwhelm BS, narrow-minded CA bashers...
Most dependent states
(receive more than they pay)

1. New Mexico
2. West Virginia
3. Mississippi
4. Alaska
5. Alabama
6. Louisiana
7. Kentucky
8. South Carolina
9. Arizona
10. Maine

Originally Posted by Phillies8008

In fairness, I think the more meaningful measure would be dollars contributed per capita. It'd be silly to expect Delaware to contribute as much to the Federal government as California, for instance. Could be someone has done this, but I'm too lazy to look or do it myself. Just saying that the total dollar amount might not be an entirely accurate picture of the situation.

But I do agree with the general sentiment and think the list of positive contributors vs. negatives is... interesting.

Phillies8008 fair point and measure to consider...

Per-capita Contribution (who pays the most per person)
Different lens — smaller wealthy states dominate.
Top states by federal taxes per person:

1. Massachusetts
2. Connecticut
3. Washington
4. New Jersey
5. New York