13 November 2016

It's a funny thing

Blue States are net contributors to the Federal system.  That is, in general, people in Blue States pay more into the Federal Government through taxes than they receive from the Federal Government from all the different federal programs that send money to the states.

Red States, on the other hand, tend to be net recipients from the Federal system.  That is, in general, people in Red States receive more money from the Federal Government than they pay into it through taxes.

The tax cuts the Republicans will want to introduce once Trump takes office will largely help the wealthy, and wealthy people tend to live in Blue States (see this lovely map). 

The programs the Republicans will want to cut once Trump takes office will hurt poor people across the country. However, once the benefits of the tax cuts trickle down to those living in Blue States, the Blue States will be able to afford to replace those programs. Unfortunately, the Red States won't have that luxury. 

So in the end, it seems likely that when the social safety nets are cut loose, the suffering will be largely felt by those in the Red States that voted for the Trump.

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