- Joined
- Jul 19, 2012
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- Political Leaning
- Libertarian
How did rich Connecticut morph into such an economic failure?
High taxes, excessive regulation, corrupt probate courts, excessive government spending, excessive restrictions on land use, huge union pensions and benefits as well as good old fashioned corruption. In other words, the usual blue state crap.
Sure, factories close or move away, technology changes, unions price themselves out of the world market. All of that goes on all the time. Governments have to adjust, and Connecticut did not.
Rather than attract investment and encourage entrepreneurs by cutting regulations, reforming land ownership laws and the probate courts, cutting spending and cutting taxes, solutions that lead to insufficient opportunities for graft and corruption, the government went on spending sprees attempting to revive the economy. This led to big tax increases, of course.
And then there is just pure stupidity, such as adopting a bunch of gun control laws, none of which would have prevented the tragedy at Sandy Hook, that resulted in one the biggest industries in the state pulling up stakes and leaving.
So now Connecticut has a higher per capita debt than California, almost double that of California, in fact. Big debt leads to bigger taxes, of course. Taxes in the state are already higher than in most.
Connecticut now ranks near the bottom as a state in which to do business or have a career.
So businesses and people are moving away. The population is falling at a rate of about 5% every 10 years. What a bitter pill it must be for people to have to trade the beautiful countryside and climate of Connecticut for places like Houston in order to stay employed or run a business. (On the other hand, the view of our balance sheets in Houston has certainly improved what with all these refugees and industries from blue states swarming in.)
And what is it that Connecticut gains by spending all the additional money that states like Texas do not? It's not clear. Business leaders have remarked that they are not seeing any benefits from the additional spending in terms of government services.
As no less than George McGovern, former US Senator, remarked as he stood on the ashes of his failed Connecticut business startup:
High taxes, excessive regulation, corrupt probate courts, excessive government spending, excessive restrictions on land use, huge union pensions and benefits as well as good old fashioned corruption. In other words, the usual blue state crap.
Sure, factories close or move away, technology changes, unions price themselves out of the world market. All of that goes on all the time. Governments have to adjust, and Connecticut did not.
Rather than attract investment and encourage entrepreneurs by cutting regulations, reforming land ownership laws and the probate courts, cutting spending and cutting taxes, solutions that lead to insufficient opportunities for graft and corruption, the government went on spending sprees attempting to revive the economy. This led to big tax increases, of course.
And then there is just pure stupidity, such as adopting a bunch of gun control laws, none of which would have prevented the tragedy at Sandy Hook, that resulted in one the biggest industries in the state pulling up stakes and leaving.
So now Connecticut has a higher per capita debt than California, almost double that of California, in fact. Big debt leads to bigger taxes, of course. Taxes in the state are already higher than in most.
According to the Yankee Institute, 2011 was a banner year when [Connecticut] Democrats – who now control both the governor’s mansion and the legislature – pushed through 77 tax hikes.
Connecticut now ranks near the bottom as a state in which to do business or have a career.
So businesses and people are moving away. The population is falling at a rate of about 5% every 10 years. What a bitter pill it must be for people to have to trade the beautiful countryside and climate of Connecticut for places like Houston in order to stay employed or run a business. (On the other hand, the view of our balance sheets in Houston has certainly improved what with all these refugees and industries from blue states swarming in.)
And what is it that Connecticut gains by spending all the additional money that states like Texas do not? It's not clear. Business leaders have remarked that they are not seeing any benefits from the additional spending in terms of government services.
As no less than George McGovern, former US Senator, remarked as he stood on the ashes of his failed Connecticut business startup:
My business associates and I lived with federal, state and local rules that were all passed with the objective of helping employees, protecting the environment, raising tax dollars for schools, protecting our customers from fire hazards, etc. While I never have doubted the worthiness of these goals, the concept that most often eludes legislators is: ‘Can we make consumers pay the higher prices for increased operating costs that accompany public regulation and government reporting requirements with reams of red tape.’ It is a simple concern that is nonetheless often ignored by legislators.