14 January 2010

Exurban Whitopias

"A disproportionate share of our government's tax income comes from diverse, urbanized economically powerful states, including California, Illinois, New York, and New Jersey. Meanwhile many of the states that gobble the most money from Uncle Sam are rural, homogenous, culturally conservative strongholds, such as Montana and the Dakotas."
-Rob Baedeker in SF Gate


...and they also hold disproportionate power in the US Senate. One of the key reasons our political system remains backwardly automobile focused.

3 comments:

Quimbob said...

Actually they hold exactly the power they should hold in the senate.
Or do you mean in holding committee chairs?
SoDak only has 1 Congressman to Ohio's 18(?)
Here is a list of state's rankings in taxes paid & money received.
Alaska, ranking 3rd as a receiver state, makes me chuckle when they claim they want to be independent.

CityKin said...

I'm talking Senate, not House.

The two Senators from California represents 37 million citizens while the two Senators from Wyoming represents half a million, and they each have the same voting power and they use that power to enrich the rural states.

Quimbob said...

That's why there are 2 houses.