So I just read something on CNN by Paul Begala, effectively saying, “Hey Republicans: Don’t like the Stimulus, Don’t take the money!” It’s partisan punditry, and not that enlightening. But Begala did inspire me to look into what states receive net gains from Federal Tax dollars, and what states are net losers. Not surprisingly, blue states tend lose out in the deal. With one exception, Red states gain big (I divide states by how they voted for Obama; not a great metric, but not a terrible one). A visual representation of this is after the break. What we basically see is that only one Red State pays in more than its share (Texas). Clearly, as Begala jests, Red States are big welfare states. Now I don’t object to this, because they happen to be poorer states. And I believe in wealth redistribution. But why do states that have a net gain from the Federal government vote against a party that wants to continue to support then, and why do states that lose out in the deal continue to support a party that wants to take money away from their local communities? I should ask my colleague, Andrew Gelman.

Per Federal Tax Dollar Paid, How Many do states get back? (From Tax Foundation)

New Mexico $2.03

Mississippi $2.02

Alaska $1.84

Louisiana $1.78

West Virginia $1.76

North Dakota $1.68

Alabama $1.66

South Dakota $1.53

Kentucky $1.51

Virginia $1.51

Montana $1.47

Hawaii $1.44

Maine $1.41

Arkansas $1.41

Oklahoma $1.36

South Carolina $1.35

Missouri $1.32

Maryland $1.30

Tennessee $1.27

Idaho $1.21

Arizona $1.19

Kansas $1.12

Wyoming $1.11

Iowa $1.10

Nebraska $1.10

Vermont $1.08

North Carolina $1.08

Pennsylvania $1.07

Utah $1.07 29

Indiana $1.05

Ohio $1.05

Georgia $1.01

Rhode Island $1.00

Florida $0.97

Texas $0.94

Oregon $0.93

Michigan $0.92

Washington $0.88

Wisconsin $0.86

Massachusetts $0.82

Colorado $0.81

New York $0.79

California $0.78

Delaware $0.77

Illinois $0.75

Minnesota $0.72

New Hampshire $0.71

Connecticut $0.69

Nevada $0.65

New Jersey $0.61