See a pattern here? Why don't the liberals get it?

[itsmesteph11]

 

 

May 2 2012 by JP Donlon

Click here to see a slideshow of the 10 Best States for Business in 2012
Click here to see a slideshow of the 10 Worst States for Business in 2012

2012 RANK	STATE	2011 RANK	1-YEAR CHANGE
1	Texas	1	0
2	Florida	3	1
3	North Carolina	2	-1
4	Tennessee	4	0
5	Indiana	6	1
6	Virginia	7	1
7	South Carolina	8	1
8	Georgia	5	-3
9	Utah	9	0
10	Arizona	13	3
11	Colorado	12	1
12	Nevada	10	-2
13	Louisiana	27	14
14	Delaware	16	2
15	North Dakota	21	6
16	Wyoming	14	-2
17	Oklahoma	11	-6
18	Idaho	19	1
19	South Dakota	15	-4
20	Wisconsin	24	4
21	Alabama	26	5
22	Iowa	22	0
23	Kansas	25	2
24	Missouri	23	-1
25	Kentucky	17	-8
26	New Hampshire	18	-8
27	Nebraska	20	-7
28	Montana	28	0
29	Arkansas	30	1
30	Mississippi	38	8
31	Alaska	31	0
32	Maine	36	4
33	New Mexico	32	-1
34	West Virginia	42	8
35	Ohio	41	6
36	Minnesota	29	-7
37	Washington	34	-3
38	Vermont	40	2
39	Rhode Island	35	-4
40	Maryland	37	-3
41	Hawaii	43	2
42	Oregon	33	-9
43	Pennsylvania	39	-4
44	Connecticut	44	0
45	New Jersey	47	2
46	Michigan	46	0
47	Massachusetts	45	-2
48	Illinois	48	0
49	New York	49	0
50	California	50	0

In Chief Executive’s eighth annual survey of CEO opinion of Best and Worst States in which to do business, Texas easily clinched the No. 1 rank, the eighth successive time it has done so. California earns the dubious honor of being ranked dead last for the eighth consecutive year.

This year, 650 business leaders responded to our annual survey, up from 550 in 2011. CEOs were asked to grade states in which they do business among a variety of areas, including tax and regulation, quality of workforce and living environment. The Lone Star State was given high marks foremost for its business-friendly tax and regulatory environment. But its workforce quality, second only to Utah’s, is also highly regarded.

It is perhaps no coincidence that Texas and Florida have the highest net migration of people to their states from 2001 to 2009. (By contrast, New York and California lost over 1.6 million and 1.5 million in net migration out of the states, respectively, over the same period.) People migrate in search of employment, but this can cut both ways. Texas is justly proud of adding to its employment numbers, something Gov. Perry cited numerous times during his brief campaign for the Republican Presidential nomination. Between June 2009—which marked the official end of the recession—and July 2011, the number of jobs increased in the state by 328,000. Nationally, the job growth in that time period was 697,000 according to figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This translates to Texas jobs making up 47 percent of the national net job creation. However, neither Texas, nor the nation, is adding jobs at a pace fast enough to bring down unemployment to historically normal levels. And Texas’ unemployment rate—while still below the national average—is now higher than that of 26 states.

North Carolina, Tennessee, Indiana, Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia and Utah held their positions in the top 10, with Indiana moving up a notch to fifth. CEOs indicate that workforce quality is the state’s single greatest strength, and since it became the 23rd right-to-work state last year, the Hoosier State is likely to punch above its weight competitively in the future. “Indiana is like a breath of fresh air,” volunteered one manufacturing CEO. “I have operated on both coasts, the Southeast and Chicago, and Indiana is where I will keep my manufacturing operations.”

It may be no accident that most of the states in the top 20 are also right-to-work states, as labor force flexibility is highly sought after when a business seeks a location. Several economists, most notably Ohio State’s Richard Vedder and Harvard’s Robert Barro, have found that the economies in R-to-W areas grow faster than other states, have higher employment and attract more inward migration. Governor Scott Walker’s battle with the unions in Wisconsin (See “Will Wisconsin Rise Again?”), a state that edged into the top 20 this year for this first time, demonstrates that the struggle for a pro-growth agenda can be contentious. As one Badger State business leader remarked, “Finally, Wisconsin is headed in the right direction.”

Although often eclipsed by Texas, its next door neighbor, Louisiana, is the Cinderella of business improvement. In 2006, it ranked 47th—where Massachusetts is today. And Katrina didn’t help matters. But since then it has climbed steadily up the ranks so that it is now 13th—up from 27th last year—the biggest leap in a single year of any state. “In Louisiana there is an active government push to reduce taxes and regulation and to encourage new industry to relocate to the state,” commented one chairman. “This was valuable for one of our companies, which decided to make the state our headquarters.” Other chiefs point to the big strides the state has made in workforce training and economic incentives. Its economic development office is also aggressive in luring disaffected businesses from the Northeast and California.

“I have operated on both coasts… and Indiana is where I will keep my manufacturing operations.”

California’s enduring place of perpetual decline continues in this year’s ranking. Once the most attractive business environment, the Golden State appears to slip deeper into the ninth circle of business hell. The economy, which used to outperform the rest of the country, now substantially underperforms. And its status as the most ruinously contentious place to operate remains undisturbed in eight years. Its unemployment rate, at 10.9 percent, is higher than every other state except Nevada and Rhode Island. With 12 percent of America’s population, California has one-third of the nation’s welfare recipients. Each year, the evidence that businesses are leaving California or avoid locating there because of the high cost of doing business due to excessive state taxes and stringent regulations, grows. (See “Eastward Ho!”) According to Spectrum Location Solutions, 254 California companies moved some or all of their work and jobs out of state in 2011, an increase of 26 percent over the previous year and five times as many as in 2009.

[lorenska]

 And I love how, in states where unemployment is dipping, they want to give Obama credit (even though they have Republican governors), but in states where the jobless rates are still too high....crickets. He's great at taking credit and deflecting blame...and as a Texan who now unfortunately lives in California, this chart makes me a little queasy.

[_Kissy_]

And yet Texas has the most uninsured. Kids not passing exams. Highest teen pregnancy rate.
And those jobs don't pay living wages or only part time. No benefits.

[mehamil1]

I can find stats that say the exact opposite. 

I can also find stats that say monkey's fly out of my butt.

[_Kissy_]

Here in Texas we have had refineries blow up, pig blood spilled into our water, natural gas in the drinking water, 4 earthquakes caused by fracking. Yes those regulations are strict.

Quoting mehamil1:

I can find stats that say the exact opposite. 

I can also find stats that say monkey's fly out of my butt.

[mehamil1]

I'm sure you Texans are great people. However, I would never step foot into Texas. 

Quoting _Kissy_:
Here in Texas we have had refineries blow up, pig blood spilled into our water, natural gas in the drinking water, 4 earthquakes caused by fracking. Yes those regulations are strict.

Quoting mehamil1:

I can ind stats that say the exact opposite. 

I can also find stats that say monkey's fly out of my butt.

[_Kissy_]

Lol. Thanks.
But DH is from Canada and when he gets done fixing a mistake a Company here made we are high tailing to canada

Quoting mehamil1:

I'm sure you Texans are great people. However, I would never step foot into Texas. 

Quoting _Kissy_:
Here in Texas we have had refineries blow up, pig blood spilled into our water, natural gas in the drinking water, 4 earthquakes caused by fracking. Yes those regulations are strict.

Quoting mehamil1:

I can ind stats that say the exact opposite. 

I can also find stats that say monkey's fly out of my butt.

[itsmesteph11]

 There are many instances of things like this and worse in ALL other states so your comparison is lame as usual. You know, Shit happens and you move on.  Fix it if it needs fixing and continue on. Something libs have a hard time doing.

Quoting _Kissy_:

Here in Texas we have had refineries blow up, pig blood spilled into our water, natural gas in the drinking water, 4 earthquakes caused by fracking. Yes those regulations are strict.

Quoting mehamil1:

I can find stats that say the exact opposite. 

I can also find stats that say monkey's fly out of my butt.

 

[_Kissy_]

Lol. You are sitting here trying to toot Texas's horn by comparing them to states that rise and fall all the time in this instance.
So typical for a con to take one story and run with it

Quoting itsmesteph11:

 There are many instances of things like this and worse in ALL other states so your comparison is lame as usual. You know, Shit happens and you move on.  Fix it if it needs fixing and continue on. Something libs have a hard time doing.

Quoting _Kissy_:

Here in Texas we have had refineries blow up, pig blood spilled into our water, natural gas in the drinking water, 4 earthquakes caused by fracking. Yes those regulations are strict.

Quoting mehamil1:

I can find stats that say the exact opposite. 

I can also find stats that say monkey's fly out of my butt.

 

[mehamil1]

I once spent a week in Oklahoma. It was nuts. I quite literally felt like I was in another country. Everyone called me "yank" and it took me a few days they meant it as an insult. I was only there to visit a cousin (my grandfather was one of 13 kids, I have cousins everywhere). 

On the flip side I have never been hit on so creatively. Southern charm, I tell ya. 

Quoting _Kissy_:

Lol. Thanks.
But DH is from Canada and when he gets done fixing a mistake a Company here made we are high tailing to canada

Quoting mehamil1:

I'm sure you Texans are great people. However, I would never step foot into Texas. 

Quoting _Kissy_:
Here in Texas we have had refineries blow up, pig blood spilled into our water, natural gas in the drinking water, 4 earthquakes caused by fracking. Yes those regulations are strict.

Quoting mehamil1:

I can ind stats that say the exact opposite. 

I can also find stats that say monkey's fly out of my butt.

[mehamil1]

Lame to you. I thought it was an awesome instance. And creatively written. 

Illinois has a shit ton of problems but regulations are very tight. As a result, there are few accidents. So I say fix it before it breaks. Here it's cheaper to comply with tight regulations than pay the fines that happen when stuff breaks because of negligence and greed. 

Quoting itsmesteph11:

 There are many instances of things like this and worse in ALL other states so your comparison is lame as usual. You know, Shit happens and you move on.  Fix it if it needs fixing and continue on. Something libs have a hard time doing.

Quoting _Kissy_:
Here in Texas we have had refineries blow up, pig blood spilled into our water, natural gas in the drinking water, 4 earthquakes caused by fracking. Yes those regulations are strict.

Quoting mehamil1:

I can find stats that say the exact opposite. 

I can also find stats that say monkey's fly out of my butt.