Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
One of my favorite economics bloggers, Jon Perr over at Crooks and Liars blog, posted this provocative report:
In just their latest posturing for the 2012 Republican presidential race, governors Sarah Palin (R-AK) and Mark Sanford (R-SC) joined Texas' Rick Perry, Mississippi's Haley Barbour and Louisiana's Bobby Jindal in announcing they would reject some of the federal stimulus funds allocated to their states. But as the steady one-way flow of tax dollars and earmarks spreading the wealth from Washington to their states shows, de facto red state socialism is alive and well.
As a 2007 analysis (above) of federal spending per tax dollar received by state shows, the reddest states generally reaped the most green. Eight of the top 10 beneficiaries of federal largesse voted for John McCain for President. Unsurprisingly, all 10 states at the bottom of the list – those whose outflow of tax revenue is funding programs elsewhere in the country – all voted for Barack Obama in 2008.
To read the rest of the post, Red State Socialism and the Politics of the Stimulus
And where did Arizona rank in 2005? Federal spending received per dollar of federal tax paid was $1.19, for a rank of 21, in the middle of the pack. The Tax Foundation – Federal Taxes Paid vs. Federal Spending Received by State, 1981-2005
This is a paradox of modern American politics. Those conservative Republicans who complain the loudest about those "socialist" tax and spend liberal Democrats are among the largest recipients of federal tax dollars. "Just put the money in my pocket while I pretend to be offended."
Arizona probably would fair better in receiving federal largesse if we did not have two drama queen Republicans who get the vapors over federal "earmarks" – Sen. John McCain and Rep. Jeff Flake. (Federal earmarks are less than 2% of the federal budget).
Arizona's Republican delegation would rather see your federal tax dollars go to other states to pay for things like oh, I don't know, a "bridge to nowhere" in Alaska, than to bring home the bacon and fry it up in the pan right here in Arizona. If it wasn't for the military bases and defense contractors here in Arizona, we would be receiving even less return on our federal tax dollars thanks to these slackers. Why can't they be more like Republicans in other states who take the money and feign offense?