May 19, 2003

Oh, please.

A fascinating discussion has erupted within the political blogging community: with all these Republicans out there complaining about how heavy taxes are and how they aren't getting any benefits, just how much *are* their constituencies getting back?

Answer: the exact amount depends on how exactly you count it, but pretty much any method will show that the "red states" (those that voted for Bush in 2000) get back considerably more in federal expenditures per tax dollar collected than do the "blue states" (those that voted for Gore). Atrios gets $1.08 for the red states and 94c for the blue; AngryBear has $1.12 for the red states and 87c for the blue. Quiddity put together some particularly damning maps that highlight the situation. All of this is based on a recently released report (HTML summary) on federal tax expenditures. I'd have no problem at all with the allocations---those are poorer states that are getting higher revenues---if it weren't for all the whining about the evils of big government. I mean, come on.

"The doomsday cults---which predict the end of the world or the creation of a new world order---are the most sinister, but the absurd, white-shrouded Pana Wavists may not gain even the distinction of being considered dangerous. Of course, if the world does end on Thursday sceptics will face a position of unthinkable embarrassment." --Robert Pigoll, BBC Posted by blahedo at 2:05pm on 19 May 2003

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