The Irate Nation Est. 2001

Do states that have higher taxes provide better services?

"The Big-Spending, High-Taxing, Lousy-Services Paradigm," William Vogeli - re: California, from the article: Take entitlements and public-employee pensions, which are, Watkins says, “the real source of the state’s fiscal distress.” A 2005 study by the Legislative Analyst’s Office (California’s version of the Congressional Budget Office) found that pensions for California’s government employees “surpassed the other states—often significantly—at all retirement ages.” California government workers retiring at age 55 received larger pensions than their counterparts in any other state (leaving aside the many states where retirement as early as 55 isn’t even possible). The California Foundation for Fiscal Responsibility periodically posts a list of retired city managers, state administrators, public university deans, and police chiefs who receive pensions of at least $100,000 per year. The latest report shows 5,115 lucky members in this six-figure club. The state’s annual bill for polishing their gold watches is $610 million.

The article above seems to contend that they just find newer ways of wasting money: it's not a terribly long read, and most of you are familiar with the argument, but the numbers are still shocking.

Off-topic: William Blake, "The Tyger" - one of the reasons I started writing on poetry is that political news tends to be the same thing, over and over again. California's budget crisis has been documented for years upon years now.