Secession would bankrupt Oklahoma

[rhodesbe]

Ok so we paid $27b and only got $2b in return.
So there is $25b we as a state pay that goes elsewhere.
Which means technically our personal income tax as a whole could drop about 90% and we'd still be $ ahead.

No, because we receive direct benefits from the federal government that do not flow through the state. (ie: entitlements, defense, etc)
Also, since so many would be unemployed by cutting the teat, individual tax burden would skyrocket (less people paying in, more taking out)

 

[dru]

I think your chart looks at only half the picture. We should be looking at federal spending (in $) vs. federal taxes paid (in $) to determine what the net effect would be. I know for Oklahoma, the net is positive (we get more back than we put in), but for TX the net is about even or maybe even negative.

The way your chart is organized, it simply means that Oklahoma would have to go through a drastic restructuring of government and taxation if we ever got rid of the feds whereas a state like CT would have lesser problems.

 

[crrcboatz]

So here are some notes your comments have spurned:

Oklahoma's State Budget in 2012 was about $6.5B (http://ballotpedia.org/Oklahoma_state_budget)
Oklahoma received 43.3% of that amount as federal money, or about $2.8B
However, Oklahoma paid about $27.1B in Federal Tax that same year (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_tax_revenue_by_state)

If I'm looking at this right, OK could clearly remain solvent on it's own current tax revenues if fed payments ceased. Of course, the situation would not remain equal, as we surely recieve some benefits (ie: road projects, social security, farm entitlements, medicare/medicaid) that don't show up in any of these numbers.

"Dude" here, the above statement is wacko period. "Dude" uses common sense. Above statement well we can all decide for ourselves.

 

[SoonerP226]

Please consider starting a thread that has merit not idiocy.

We do, but we haven't found a way to keep you out of them.

 

[WessonOil]

Actually, Texas becomes more and more Blue each passing election, and Blue Austin is in a very Blue county.

http://www.politico.com/2012-election/map/#/President/2012/TX


Take a look at the county map of Texas above, and guess which counties Dallas, Austin, and Houston are in, based upon their color.

 

[rhodesbe]

"Dude" here, the above statement is wacko period. "Dude" uses common sense. Above statement well we can all decide for ourselves.

Tell me where you disagree. I doubt we do, even.