Californian William Voegeli compares his home state with the Antiplanner’s favorite state (at least politically), Texas. Being homes to the first- and second-largest populations in the country, both are “populous Sunbelt states with large metropolitan areas, diverse economies, and borders with Mexico producing comparable demographic mixes.”
But there are two sharp differences between them. California spends well over $10,000 per capita each year (and Voegeli argues that it is ineffectively spent), while Texas spends barely two-thirds that much. The second difference, argues Voegeli, is a function of the first: Texas is growing rapidly while California’s growth has stagnated. Companies are moving out of California, while in one recent period, Texas gained more jobs than the other 49 states combined.
