Forbes teamed up with the Gallup Poll recently to determine which states are in the worst financial shape.  Forbes and Gallup measured each state’s “unfunded pension liabilities, changes in tax revenue, credit ratings, debt as a percentage of Gross State Product, debt per capita, growth expectations for employment and the state economy, net migrations and a “moocher ratio” that compares government employees, pension burdens and Medicaid enrollees to private-sector employment.”

Unsurprisingly, the states in the worst fiscal situations are those most heavily controlled by The Democratic Party and the public employee union tail that wags it.

“The five states in the worst financial condition–Illinois, New York, Connecticut, California and New Jersey–are all among the bluest of blue states,” Forbes writes. “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 venture to argue that NH and VA lean Republican today.)

 Is there anything simpler to understand?