(derekbaker)

Further Evidence that the GOP Isn't What It Says It Is

A discussion with friends about how much a particular state has paid into the federal highway fund and gotten back from it (Oklahoma, which over the past 50 years has gotten back only 91¢ for every $1 it paid into the fund) made me start to wonder how the states' Congressional delegations compare with how they feed at the overall federal trough. (The "good" news for Oklahoma: federal highway spending aside, the state get $1.36 in federal spending for every $1 it pays in taxes, ranking it 15th. And it should be noted that 85 percent of Oklahoma's Congressional delegation are Republicans.)

These facts come from the Tax Foundation's annual reports and are for FY2005, the last full year they've analyzed as of this post.

So time for a quick red/blue analysis of the top 10 and the bottom 10 states that are feeding at the pork trough. (I should hasten to point out here that, "bridges to nowhere" notwithstanding, I'm not connecting the earlier discussion of highway construction and maintenance to pork — infrastructure is something we actually should be investing in in this country. But as it isn't possible to separate the fat from the lean in the federal budget, thanks to earmarks, this is just a look at federal spending per state overall, with the assumption that some major part of that is pork barrel politics rather than needed investment.

States' Federal Spending to Taxes Paid; Congressional Delegations
Rank	State	Fed Spend/$1 in Fed Taxes Paid		# Cong D's	# Cong R's	% Republican
1	New Mexico	$2.03		2	3	60%
2	Mississippi	$2.02		2	4	67%
3	Alaska	$1.84		0	3	100%
4	Louisiana	$1.78		3	6	67%
5	West Virginia	$1.76		4	1	20%
6	North Dakota	$1.68		3	0	0%
7	Alabama	$1.66		2	7	78%
8	South Dakota	$1.53		2	1	33%
9	Kentucky	$1.51		2	6	75%
10	Virginia	$1.51		4	9	69%
$Avg | Total		$1.73		24	40	63%
41	Colorado	$0.81		5	4	44%
42	New York	$0.79		25	6	19%
43	California	$0.78		36	19	35%
44	Delaware	$0.77		2	1	33%
45	Illinois	$0.75		13	8	38%
46	Minnesota	$0.72		62	4	40%
47	New Hampshire	$0.71		2	2	50%
48	Connecticut	$0.69		6	1	14%
49	Nevada	$0.65		2	3	60%
50	New Jersey	$0.61		9	6	40%
$Avg | Total		$0.73		106	54	34%

I know it's not so cut and dried as simple party affiliation: the top 10 states include West Virginia (thanks to Robert Byrd), with a delegation that is only 20% Republican, and North Dakota, which has no Republicans in Congress at the moment. And the District of Columbia isn't even among the rankings (at $5.55/$1), for obvious reasons, given where the federal government is itself encamped, and without any voting delegation in Congress. But by taking both the top 10 and bottom 10 as a group, as shown above, it does seem to further belie the claim that the GOP is the party in favor of "fiscal responsibility" and against "the redistribution of wealth."

(My previous red/blue analysis from past election years here and here.)

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Spring in Manhattan. Yes, Manhattan, New York.

Spring has hit New York City with a happy vengeance. Here's the view from my apartment as of last Thursday, compared with that same view today:

April 17, 2008	April 23, 2008

The early blooms (including the cherry trees and tulips) were already in full force last Thursday around sunset. Here's a further look at my corner of Manhattan in springtime.

Labels: Inwood, New York, politics

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