oldfart
Older than dirt
Interesting;
Very well. I get it. you are insulted that the study found blue states as fiscally unsound. Excellent! Now will you be so kind as to find another study that disagrees with this one? They come out every so often and the worst states rarely change.
What are you talking about? I'm just reading the measurements of the study so I understand them.
The very first sentence in the abstract says;
The second sentence of the abstract is
I create the cash, budget, long-run, and service-level solvency indices using
fiscal year 2012 data to measure the dimensions of fiscal condition.
That is pretty much what I picked up reading the study for a better understanding. She's got, "cash solvency", "budget solvency", "long-run solvency" and "service-level solvency" as her basic measures.
Three indicators comprise the cash solvency index: the cash, quick, and current ratios.
Two financial indicators make up the budget solvency index: operating ratio and the surplus (or deficit) per capita.
Three indicators measure long-run solvency: net asset ratio, longterm liability ratio, and long-term liabilities per capita.
Three measures also compose the service-level solvency index: tax per capita, revenue per capita, and expense per capita
I'm not close to deciding if I like them or not.
Nowhere have I said shit about what states are what. I suspect that you are simply projecting.
In the statistical community these kind of disclaimers are used for a "non-study study". By acknowledging up front that your methodology is somewhat arbitrary, you are immunized from being called out on that point. It becomes a thought experiment, not an attempt at proof. If the author were attempting to prove something, there would follow a discussion justifying the methodology. By accepted norm, these thought experiments are suitable for fluff pieces in popular print, but not for professional publication.
Now if the OP wants to have a discussion on measuring fiscal solvency of state governments, I'm up to that. It has to start with the methodology though.