BLUE STATES IN WORST FINANCIAL SHAPE – AT 8:30 A.M. ET:  I found this fascinating.  There is, at least according to a reporting piece in Forbes, a correlation between a state's financial condition and the number of its people identifying themselves as Democrats:

Want to know which states are in the worst financial condition? One telling indicator that might not immediately come to mind is whether most of its citizens identify themselves as Democrats.

The five states in the worst financial condition--Illinois, New York, Connecticut, California and New Jersey--are all among the bluest of blue states. The five most fiscally fit states are more of a mix. Three--Utah, Nebraska and Texas--boast Republican majorities and two--New Hampshire and Virginia--skew Democratic.

I'd have a question about Virginia skewing Democratic, given the landslide victory by Republicans in the recent statewide elections there.  But we'll let it pass.

Why do Democratic states appear to be struggling more than Republican ones? It comes down to stronger unions and a larger appetite for public programs, according to Kent Redfield, professor emeritus of political studies and public affairs at the University of Illinois' Center for State Policy and Leadership.

Yeah.  You add two and two, and it always comes out to four, except in Hollywood accounting and Democratic Party accounting...often the same thing.

Of the 10 states in the worst financial condition, eight are among a total of 23 defined by Gallup as "solidly Democratic," meaning the Democrats enjoy an advantage of 10 percentage points or greater in party affiliation. These states include the ones listed above as making up the bottom five, plus Massachusetts, Ohio and Wisconsin.

And...

Utah, the fiscally fittest state, has debt of just $442 and unfunded pension obligations of $7,272 per resident. It is also America's second reddest state with a 21-percentage-point Republican advantage in party affiliation. The Beehive state boasts a triple-A credit rating from Moody's.

Illinois is in the worst financial condition, with per-capita debt of $1,877 and unfunded pensions of $17,230. Moody's rates Illinois' general obligation debt A1, ahead of only California's.

Barack Obama represented Illinois in the Senate, and still has his home there.  Maybe someone should slip this article under his door.

March 1, 2010