Kansas vs. California: two Americas

A sleazeball, yes, but John Edwards was right about there being two Americas. I’ve written and discussed the differences between public vs. private sector Americas. There is another dividing line out there and that is between states that are serious about economic development and making themselves attractive to business and those that are trying to get by on their past glories.

Take Kansas and California. Kansas just enacted some of the most sweeping pro-growth tax cuts in recent memory. Kansas is already a relatively economically-free place with a “right to work law” and relatively reasonable taxes and regulations.

Then there is California where Gov. Jerry Brown is pushing a $10 billion tax hike that would, among other things, give California a top income tax rate exceeding 12 percent!

For additional comparisons, check out the relative tax burdens of these and other states here.

Truly, California and a few other “deep blue” states seem to be rushing towards a fiscal meltdown while Kansas and other “heartland” states are pushing ever harder to generate economic growth within their own borders.