I was shocked to learn my state, Tennessee, is apparently worst at corruption. Really? We're worse than New Jersey? Pity poor Washington, with the highest number of bestiality cases (though for perspective let's note that there were just four in 2010). Louisiana is the nation's gonorrhea capital? Really? Wonder why Gov. Jindal hasn't done anything about that.
But Mississippi takes the cake. Yeah, the makers of this chart picked obesity but let's be honest: there was a lot to choose from:
BONUS facts: Mississippi ranks last in the most number of categories. These include highest rate of child poverty (31.9 percent), highest rate of infant mortality (10.3 percent) lowest median household income ($35,078), highest teen birth rate (71.9 per 1,000 women aged 15 to 19) and highest overall rate of STDs.
You know, the state motto here in Tennessee has always been "Thank God for Mississippi." This national punchline is why we all just laugh and laugh whenever some Villager floats Haley Barbour's name as a presidential hopeful. Clean up your own house first, dude.
Adding .... It occurs to me that a lot of these "worst" rankings are health-related. If only we had some kind of national healthcare in this country, some of these states might not be gonorrhea, cancer, alcoholism and depression capitals of the nation. Just sayin' ...
Just this morning at the local café where I get my wakeup dose of caffeine, I learned that one of the waitresses had just lost her ‘other’ job, the one that puts food on her family table. The waitresses at the local café have college degrees but have not yet been able to establish themselves in careers because there are no jobs available … except waiting on tables.
ReplyDeleteThe topic of conversation this morning: My generation is the last one to benefit from the post WWII prosperity; each succeeding generation has seen their fortunes and future prospects decline over time.
Meanwhile, the wealthy grab every vestige of economic growth for themselves through preferred tax treatment and government subsidies, while a hard-pressed middle class is forced to carry an unfair share of the burden. We have extremes of income inequality, the worst of any western nation; yet the right wing now demands cuts in Medicare and Social Security.
What of those folks who devoted their lives to teaching your children, picking up your garbage, and protecting your neighborhoods? Now the right wing wants to cut their pensions. Thus, a promise is no longer a promise, a contract can be broken with a political lie, and those entrusted to administer your accounts have gambled away your savings, your retirement, and your security on fraudulent mortgage lending practices, risky derivatives, and credit default swaps.
The Tea Bagheads chant, “We want our country back!” Back from whom, assholes!
If there are any right-wingers reading this post, they will probably call us unpatriotic, treasonous, American bashing, socialist-loving libruls. Class warfare, anyone?
SoBe, keep remindin’ them until they finally get the message!
The topic of conversation this morning: My generation is the last one to benefit from the post WWII prosperity; each succeeding generation has seen their fortunes and future prospects decline over time.
ReplyDeleteYup. This is very true. Post WWII we were able to capitalize off the fact that Europe was bascially decimated by war and it took a generation to recover (and some U.S. help in the form of the Marshall Plan ....)
Now we are a nation of consumers, not producers. We produce war but little else -- heard one of the MSNBC economics bots tell us this morning that Boeing is the nation's largest exporter. Really? REALLY? Well Boeing makes warplanes and such, so, no wonder.
Meanwhile the global factory moves to places like China. I have to wonder how Western European countries like Sweden and Norway avoided the fate that America faces ... and it's easy. We trickled our wealth up to the top corporate levels, they trickled their wealth back into their nation.
We forgot government IS people.
Southern Beale, you and I have always heard the crack about Memphis being annexed by Mississippi, and how it would raise the cumulative IQs of both states...
ReplyDeleteZOMG Squatlo I have never heard that joke before ... OUCH! Well, I'm a huge lover of Memphis so I'm gonna say, Mississippi can't have her!
ReplyDeleteI was surprised to find Ohio the Nerdiest state. I'd love to know how they came to that conclusion and how they define 'nerd'. I was born and have lived in Ohio almost all my life. When I was growing up nerds were the kids who got good grades and actually raised their hands and argued with the teachers. And yeah, I was a nerd. Frankly, I'd rather live in a nerdy state than one known for some heinous crime.
ReplyDeleteKay --
ReplyDeleteIf you go to the link they explain their choices. Ohio was labeled "nerdiest" based on number of library cards in use. Which prompted one person at another blog to point out the authors must be from Ohio because library card usage is pretty admirable when compared to, say, beastiality or STDs!
Thanks!!! Sorry -- I wasn't paying attention to links this morning. Actually, that our local libraries are always busy because no one has a job anymore therefore a *lot* of us can't afford books, videos, or internet service anymore. Friends have been known to sit in the main library's parking lot with their laptops to use the free wi-fi. It's really sad here these days.
ReplyDeleteYou're kidding me... our neighbor to the north, Washington - beastiality!!?? I can understand polls that measure literacy, health, drug usage... but how in the hell does one measure beastiality in a population? Is the data further broken down by animal species; like sheep, pigs, llamas?
ReplyDeleteWho in hell among homo sapiens would even ADMIT such a practice to a random pollster? We Oregonians now have a mission, solve our homelessness problem by shipping those guys across the Columbia River and provide them a girlfriend/pet to keep them warm at night.
Robert:
ReplyDeleteIt was based on the number of reported cases, not a random poll. Which, to be fair to Washington, numbered just four in 2010. I consider that an encouraging sign for the Republic.
:-)
But you know, let's remember Carl Palladino sent out e-mails showing a man having sex with a horse, and let's not forget the infamous case of anti-abortion extremist Neal Horsely, who admitted on Alan Colmes' radio show to having sex with farm animals.
So you know, SOMEONE is proud of this stuff ...
I'm so offended that Florida wasn't listed as the most corrupt state that I'm going to sulk in my corner and not say a damned thing. We've been robbed!
ReplyDeleteOh, but as to the idea that literacy is nerdy -- that's pure Americana. In China and almost everywhere else that isn't in decline, nerds rule.
ReplyDeleteIn fact history for the last couple hundred years could be titled "Revenge of the Nerds." So sure, feel cool about watching "da game" on your 52" TV, as long as you thank the nerds who actually know how it works and designed the damned thing.
Since I live next to Maine, I decided to check out its status as the dumbest. According to the Main St. website, the dumbest state is Nevada. Link here:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mainstreet.com/slideshow/lifestyle/smartest-dumbest-states
And don't forget Dumbya and that sheep - or was it a goat?
ReplyDeleteS
let's remember Carl Palladino sent out e-mails showing a man having sex with a horse, and let's not forget the infamous case of anti-abortion extremist Neal Horsely, who admitted on Alan Colmes' radio show to having sex with farm animals.
So you know, SOMEONE is proud of this stuff ...