XPost: alt.law-enforcement, or.politics   
   From: MeanDog@BiteMe.dash   
      
   Rightists are the real parasites.   
      
   time. com   
      
   5 Mar 2025   
      
   What Republicans Dont Want To Say: Blue States Are the Ones Bailing Out Red   
   States   
      
   By Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Stephen Henriques   
      
   The red state denial of fiscal responsibility is manifest today as   
   misguided voices champion the economic virtues of red states. For instance,   
   President Donald Trump and the GOP have threatened to block disaster relief   
   for Californian wildfires, to obstruct the return of federal relief for   
   state and local tax payments, and to roll back the massive industrial   
   investments from Biden-era legislation. Now, as GOP leaders in both   
   chambers advance their budget proposals, Republicans are pursuing other   
   politically punitive budget measures before the March 14 debt funding   
   deadline.   
      
   However, blue states would do well to remember that it is they who are   
   picking up the bill for red states. Before Republicans start criticizing   
   Democrats about their dependence on federal dollars, a quick review of the   
   facts may be warranted. For instance, while federal dollars to New York   
   represented 38% of its state budget in 2022, Texas received the same   
   proportion, and Florida received even more (40%). Similarly, much attention   
   from the GOP is given to Medicaid funding in blue states such as Illinois,   
   but they conveniently ignore the fact that Texas, Florida, Georgia,   
   Louisiana, and West Virginia, among other red states, see a greater share   
   of the cost of their traditional Medicaid programs covered by the federal   
   government.   
      
   A recent Wall Street Journal editorial called blue states the wards of   
   Washington by questionably only looking at federal spending to blue states,   
   ignoring the flow of federal funds to red states and oddly forgetting to   
   analyze the other half the national income statement, matching expenses   
   with revenuesthat is tax revenues collected.   
   We have compiled a first-of-its-kind comprehensive five-year assessment of   
   state-by-state inflows and outflows of federal funds and found the balance   
   of contributions and receipts is not even close, red states are still   
   propped up by blue states. After our researchers analyzed federal   
   expenditures, including the Biden era infrastructure initiatives,   
   Medicare/Medicaid, military spending, government contracts, standard   
   grants, etc. , against federal revenues across all 50 states, it is clear   
   that blue states are funding red states.   
      
   From 2018 to 2022, individuals and organizations from blue states   
   contributed nearly 60% of all federal tax receipts but only received 53% of   
   all federal contributions to states in the form of either direct payments,   
   grants, contracts, or wages. Meanwhile, red states were only responsible   
   for 40% of federal tax receipts but received 47% of all federal   
   contributions to states. A 7% differential that in effect equates to a more   
   than $1 trillion transfer payment from blue states to red states, amounting   
   to $4,300 per capita, compared to the instance where their respective fair   
   shares were paid.   
      
   In dollar terms, while federal contributions to blue states amounted to   
   $11.6 trillion compared to $10.3 trillion across red statesor $71,500 and   
   $67,000 per capita, respectivelyfederal receipts from blue states amounted   
   to $10.7 trillion compared to $7.3 trillion from red statesor $58,500 and   
   $45,000 per capita, respectively. Among the top 20 states realizing the   
   greatest net flow of funds, calculated as federal contributions to states   
   (inflows) less federal tax receipts from states (outflows), 14 were red   
   states, while 13 of the bottom 20 states are blue states. Headliners of the   
   top 20 include West Virginia, Mississippi, Kentucky, and Alabama. Leading   
   the bottom 20 are states such as California, Washington, Massachusetts, and   
   New York, all critical hubs of business, investment, and innovation.   
   Digging deeper into the component parts of federal contribution, red and   
   blue states received similar dollar amounts in direct payments on a nominal   
   ($6.9 trillion) and per capita ($42,900) basis, much of which come in the   
   form of payments from Social Security, Medicare, and public assistance   
   programs, such as the earned income and child tax credits. The red and blue   
   states also receive similar amounts for military and non-military wages   
   (excluding the U. S. Post Office, which is self-funded) on a nominal ($650   
   billion) and per capita ($4,900) basis.   
      
   Another major geographic injustice favoring red states is the transfer of   
   military muscle south. Despite Department of Defense investments into key   
   military contractors in many blue states, such as Virginia, Maryland, and   
   Connecticut, red states, such as Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina, have   
   overwhelmingly benefited from military base expansion and relocations   
   because of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process established by   
   Congress.   
      
   Since the BRAC Commission first began their reviews in 1988, the proportion   
   of bases located in red-state-dominate regions (i. e. , Southeast,   
   Southwest) increased by 6 percentage points compared to a decrease of 7   
   percentage points in blue-state-dominate regions (i. e. , Northeast, Mid-   
   Atlantic)   
   The negative economic impact of such shifts has cast a shadow over many   
   cities and regions for decades. For example, the closure of the   
   Philadelphia Naval Station resulted in an estimated loss of 35,000 jobs; a   
   +25% increase to regional unemployment; a $1.2B in loss of wage and non-   
   wage income; a $2.1B loss in gross regional product; and a loss of $37M in   
   state tax revenues   
      
   Finally, blue states did receive more in COVID-19 relief funds, but red   
   states have disproportionately benefited from Bidens signature   
   legislationIRA, CHIPS, IIJAby as much as fivefold.   
      
   It should be acknowledged that blue states do come out ahead on a few   
   fronts. For instance, blue states receive more funding from grants on a   
   nominal ($2.3 trillion in blue states vs. $1.7 trillion in red) and per   
   capita ($13,200 vs. 12,300) basis, much of which fund Medicaid; Special   
   Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children; Child Care   
   and Development Block Grants. They also receive more financial assistance   
   for the construction, maintenance and operations of state highways and   
   ground transportation.   
      
   Plus, blue states receive more in federal contracts on a nominal ($1.6   
   trillion in blue states vs. $1.1 trillion in red) and per capita ($10,500   
   and $6,650) basis, the majority of which support the procurement of   
   critical materials, supplies, and equipment for the Department of Defense;   
   the medical and scientific research coordinated by the Department of Health   
   and Human Services; and the well-being and health of Americas veterans   
   through the Department of Veterans Affairs. However, these blue state   
      
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