this post was submitted on 29 Mar 2026
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[–] protist@retrofed.com 10 points 2 days ago (3 children)

I live in Texas. I love where I live, and also fuck this place, but either way what you're saying just isn't true. Sure, there are a number of defense contractors plus NASA and military bases operating in Texas, but between energy, healthcare, education, tourism, tech, and over 50 Fortune 500 companies, Texas's economy is actually really diverse. California has a ton of military bases and defense contractors too, because like Texas they have the workforce to pull it off

[–] W98BSoD@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

For people who don’t continue down the thread, here is the proof suggested by another user and found by me:

https://rockinst.org/issue-areas/fiscal-analysis/balance-of-payments-portal/

[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 1 day ago (2 children)
[–] Godric@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I think this is the first time I've ever heard NJ described as goated in my life. Thank you for the experience!

[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 16 hours ago

That's why it's low-key.

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Meanwhile WA and NH are just getting their money back

[–] protist@retrofed.com 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

According to this, all but 3 states receive more than they contribute, and Texas is roughly 17th out of 50 in terms of receiving the least amount back. I guess I don’t understand how Texas could be singled out in a dataset like this. This definitively shows Texas is not among the states receiving the most federal dollars in return for what they pay

[–] tehn00bi@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I lived in Texas for 30 years, I left 10 years ago and have no desire to go back. Apart from texmex klobasnek and a few other things, I don’t miss it at all.

[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

I think people underestimate the differences between living in a deep red state vs a deep blue state.

It's like night and day. I would never voluntarily step foot in a red state again for the rest of my life if I don't need to.

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

Fuckin hell growing up in ohio it was a swing state, and I remember watching it slowly get worse and worse before I left for the PNW. The busses come with reasonable frequency here, and they even go to suburbs beyond a single commuter bus. Portland and Seattle both even have light rail systems (Columbus adamantly rejects the premise of building a fucking train, despite being quite blue). When I was unemployed they didn't care that I had savings when I applied for medicaid, just that I wasn't earning too much in interest on them to qualify (ohio rejected me for having less money in savings). There are still problems and bigots and I don't love everything about here, but I feel safe and I feel like this place actually is attempting to improve while Ohio just kinda started giving up when manufacturing went away and is convinced that trying to improve things will only make them worse, which the state legislature has fostered.

[–] tehn00bi@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

I’m in a pretty purple state now, there isn’t a blue state that really interests me in moving too. Far too many of them have unreasonable taxes or bad weather or both. And they few outliers like Oregon and Washington are too expensive for me to attempt to move to.

[–] Akh@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago (1 children)

You have no idea how much of all those industries you just named get corporate welfare or other federal grants. Texas is a net tax sink not payer to the federal government

[–] protist@retrofed.com 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

What is your evidence of this?

[–] Akh@lemmy.world 8 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Rockefeller Institute of Government and analyses by the Tax Foundation. Texas consistently receives more in federal funding than it contributes in federal taxes. In 2023, for every dollar Texans paid to the federal government, the state received approximately $1.20 in return. This net inflow of federal dollars places Texas among the states that benefit most from federal redistribution.

[–] protist@retrofed.com 0 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Have a link to these? All the sources I see indicate Texas pays more in federal taxes than it receives back in aid

[–] W98BSoD@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Not OP; here’s the most likely link.

https://rockinst.org/issue-areas/fiscal-analysis/balance-of-payments-portal/

And here is a screenshot of the relevant data

Texas clocks in at $1.21 receivers for every $1 sent to the federal government.

[–] protist@retrofed.com -1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

According to this, all but 3 states receive more than they contribute, and Texas is roughly 17th out of 50 in terms of receiving the least amount back. I guess I don't understand how Texas could be singled out in a dataset like this

[–] W98BSoD@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

Because of how much Texas screams.

[–] protist@retrofed.com 0 points 22 hours ago

Ok, and that has nothing to do with the original claim, which your data demonstrates was false