Tennessee: Ayn Rand’s vision of paradise

[cali]

If you’re worried about where America is heading, look no further than Tennessee. Its lush mountains and verdant rolling countryside belie a mean-spirited public policy that only makes sense if you believe deeply in the anti-collectivist, anti-altruist philosophy of Ayn Rand. It’s what you get when you combine hatred for government with disgust for poor people.

Tennessee starves what little government it has, ranking dead last in per capita tax revenue. To fund its minimalist public sector, it makes sure that low-income residents pay as much as possible through heavily regressive sales taxes, which rank 10th highest among all states as a percent of total tax revenues. (For more detailed data see here.)

As you would expect, this translates into hard times for its public school systems, which rank 48th in school revenues per student and 45th in teacher salaries. The failure to invest in education also corresponds with poverty: the state has the 40th worst poverty rate (15%) and the 13th highest state percentage of poor children (26%).

Employment opportunities also are extremely poor for the poor. Only 25% have full-time jobs, 45% are employed part-time, and a whopping 30% have no jobs at all.

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http://www.salon.com/2013/04/11/tennessee_ayn_rands_vision_of_paradise_partner/

[hollysmom]

1. Wrong -0 these people have religion

a cold heartless independent religion, but not atheists.

[Initech]

2. I'm all for freedom of speech and everything...

But I honestly wouldn't mind seeing every copy of Atlas Shrugged destroyed in a massive bon fire and then we could use the Neuralizers from Men In Black to wipe the collective memory of Rand and her toxic anti worker, pro rich bullshit from our national conscious. Really it has to go.

[olddots]

3. I second your emotion x100

why do people only read a few books and spend the rest of their lives interpreting dog shit ?

[Initech]

4. I use Bill Maher's term to describe these people: low information voters.

It sucks that we have to put up with their bullshit but we do.