justreadthearticle t1_jcw6zdv wrote on March 20, 2023 at 12:54 AM

Reply to comment by friedchicken_2020 in We're #3. Not a yay. by RedRipeTomato

MA and CA have more social programs than VT.

inthepines3000 t1_jczbjj5 wrote on March 20, 2023 at 6:26 PM

Yes. And those states have MANY more high earners paying taxes and actually some decent sized companies you may have heard of. Vermont's largest private employer is a dying remnant of IBM with less than 1000 workers. Vermont has become a rich persons playground along with a large number of borderline destitute and desperate people. With fewer and fewer middle-class in-between.

justreadthearticle t1_jczdt07 wrote on March 20, 2023 at 6:41 PM

Yeah, MA and CA definitely have more high earners and more companies. The point is that saying that more social programs = higher taxes isn't necessarily true. It ignores factors like the size of the tax base, where state income is coming from, and the outcomes of those social programs. Many social programs like free family planning or a housing first model of treating homelessness end saving the government way more money than they cost.