Teabagging Red States Are Biggest Federal Welfare Queens
(HT to GoBlue2008 for reporting the facts and for the inspirational title)
There are at least 25 states that get more Federal aid back than they pay in to the system. Of those 25, 19 are “red states,” i.e., voted Republican in the last presidential election.
For example, Gov. Sanford’s South Carolina gets back $1.35 for each dollar paid in federal taxes. Gov. Jindal’s Louisiana gets $1.78 on every dollar sent in. And Gov. Palin’s Alaska gets a whopping $1.84 in federal aid for every dollar it sends to Washington.
And that’s not counting stimulus funds.
On the flip side, Michigan — with a 12.6% unemployment rate — loses 8 cents on every dollar it sends in federal taxes. California (10.4% unemployment), gives up 22 cents. Illinois, 25 cents. And New Jersey (8.2%), coughs up 39 cents on every dollar of federal tax paid. All of them are, of course, blue states — and they’re not the only ones.
What’s that they say? “From each according to his ability to each according to his need.”
It reminds me of an episode of The West Wing when President Bartlet is debating his opponent during the campaign. I’ve paraphrased his words to align them to the facts of today, but the spirit is the same:
There are times when we’re fifty states and there are times when we’re one country, and have national needs. And the way I know this is that Louisiana didn’t fight Germany in World War II or establish civil rights. You think states should do the governing wall-to-wall. That’s a perfectly valid opinion. But your state of Louisiana got back $1.78 in federal aid for every dollar you sent in. You got it from Michigan, from Illinois, from New Jersey and from California with their San Francisco gay couples. So, Governor Jindal, I just have one question: Can we have it back, please?
