Texas. Worst state in the nation.

[johncoby2]

If you haven't been paying attention, or your head has been stuck in the sand for the last 6 years, or you've been too busy working making ends meet and keeping your kids in school, then you probably haven't notice that Texas is now the worst place to live in the United States.

The report titled "Texas on the Brink" by State Senator Eliot Shapleigh (http://shapleigh.org/system/news_article/document/882/Texas_on_the_Brink_2007_Final.pdf) paints a bleak picture of Texas in almost every category used to rate places to raise a family. These categories include the environment, health care, womens issues, education, and more. And the ratings are a result of the Republican leadership of the state over the last 6 years.

According to the report, this is how Texas ranks among the 50 States today:

* Percentage of Uninsured Children 1st

* Income Inequality Between the Rich and the Poor 2nd

* Percentage of Population without Health Insurance 1st

* Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) Scores 47th

* Percentage of Population over 25 with a High School Diploma 50th

* Percentage of Non-Elderly Women with Health Insurance 50th

* Rate of Women Aged 40+ Who Receive Mammograms 44th

* Rate of Women Aged 18+ Who Receive Pap Smears 47th

* Cervical Cancer Rate 5th

* Women's Voter Registration 43rd

* Women's Voter Turnout 49th

* Percentage of Eligible Voters that Vote 44th

Add to this list that Texas has the highest rates for home insurance, 25% higher than 2nd place Louisiana. (See The Most Expensive States To Insure Your Home 2005 by Forbes Magazine. http://www.forbes.com/realestate/2005/02/25/cx_sc_0225home.html) Deregulation of electricity has resulted in skyrocketing electricity costs instead of more competition that would reduce our rates, as promised. College education costs have soared by an average of 39% in just one short year once again as a result of deregulation.

For those with their heads still in the sand, do yourself a favor and look at your bills, your tax statement, and read "Texas on the Brink".

During the 2006 campaign Gov Perry looked into the camera and said "I'm proud of Texas. Are you?" I think the answer is very clear. Only Rick Perry could be proud of living in the worst state in the United States.

More crap like this can be found at http://bayareahouston.blogspot.com/

[Little Wing]

1. Someone has to be, might as well make it the proudest state

:shrug:

[dogday]

2. Someone has already posted this

but wtf, we can always use another Texas sux thread, right? :sarcasm:

[DBoon]

3. as Texas goes, so goes the nation

Remember which state's governor is now president.

Texas is the lab for all sorts of right wing social experiments.

[jobycom]

4. It's all those liberals that have been running the state.

ya know?

[ChairmanAgnostic]

5. luckily we have Darwin.

Give it time, and Texas will fix itself. Of course, the population will be a lot smaller by then.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

12. No, that's not how it works.

In general, population growth correlates negatively with standard of living - poor, uneducated people tend to have more children than rich or educated ones.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

19. damn. WHo are you to confuse me with facts? I mean, this is TEXAS

we are talking about. :)

No, you are right. survival of the fittest just can't win out over willful ignorance. At least their gov wants to keep their female population healthier.

[yellowdogintexas]

6. Florida will be taking over that insurance spot however.

In my job I talk to people whose mortgage payments have shot through the roof due to changes in their escrow installments. #1 cause of drastic increase now (after you factor out new construction taxes) is insurance premiums in Florida. It is unbelievable. Tripling and quadrupling over prior years.

Ours are fairly high true but nothing like what I am seeing down there.

[bmbmd]

7. Delete

nt

[AspenRose]

8. Why is this being posted again?

eom

[raccoon]

9. There are a number of states competing for this honor. nt

[brentblack]

10. Wtf?

Why are you posting this? Is it simply because our criminal-in-chief is from there?


You (and all other Southern-biased posters) are creating division among the very people that need our party. You are keeping people away from voting Democratic (most of them think and feel Democratic, but vote GOP party line out of legacy) who might come over.


Remember....Texas is the largest state in the lower 48 and there are quite a few Democrats there. Try not to piss 'em off.


Seriously though...wtf good is posting this? Just seems like petty bashing and the criminal-in-chief gives us SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO many ways to bash him...try and keep the bashing specific to him, not the good folks of Texas that are suffering because of him as well.

[mwb970]

11. Wow, I didn't realize it was *this* bad.

A lifelong Ohioan, I've never been to Texas and I admit I have a relatively uninformed idea that it is a nightmarish hellhole, except for Austin. Nothing in this piece works to change my mind!

I did hear that Ohio has taken over for Texas as number 1 in air pollution following the just-ended 15-year period of one-party rule here by Republicans. We're just lucky states can't declare war!

Any Texas defenders?

[acmejack]

14. It is not a "Nightmarish Hellhole"!

I live here by choice. I have lived in Canton, Ohio; Baltimore; Syracuse, Honolulu; San Diego; Seattle; Norfolk; Tampa; and Austin. I started and ended in Austin, which should tell you something! In the interim I traveled the world over, literally, but I returned to Austin, Texas, by choice to live out my days here. It's a terrible place, alright-I wouldn't recommend anyone come down here!

http://www.austintexas.org/

[wicket]

16. I definitely want to visit Austin at some point

n/t

[TwilightZone]

18. Hehe. Yeah, stay away from Austin!

I'm moving there in the next couple of months. But then, so is everyone else!

I love Austin. I can't wait.

[Liberal In Texas]

34. There a few of us around.

Texas bashing is such an easy sport on DU. Even the OP is from Houston. Go figure.

We have the 3rd most population and the second largest area. There's a lot to go wrong.

Especially when the neo-cons took over. Like that family from Connecticut who moved here and got into the oil business...let's see...what were their names....?? Oh yeah, it was the Bush's.

BTW, Austin isn't the only blue island in Texas. Dallas officially became one in the last election. El Paso and Houston are not far behind.

Florida, Ohio and many of the deep south states also have a lot of progressive problems.

Problems remain. We're working on it.

[acmejack]

13. I think in all fairness, one might consider the burdens imposed by

rampant uncontrolled immigration that contributes to many of the figures you cite. We can either bitch about it, roll up our sleeves and try to fix it, or move and abandon the place. Our problems here have been well documented in the innumerable Texas sucks threads which appear here on a daily basis, but I guess I'll stay here with my friends and family rather than move elsewhere at this point in my life.

[johncoby2]

33. That is a pretty stupid statement.

Yep. Immigrants made my electricity, insurance, and college education go out the roof. They caused polution and cervical cancer.

And they stole my wife.

Those bastards!

[TlalocW]

15. But listening to all those insipid country songs

I thought, "God blessed Texas?"

TlalocW

[jobycom]

23. But then the Republicans cursed it. They are stronger than God, you know.

[Virginia Dare]

17. I wonder if Mexico will take it back?

or do they operate under "Pottery Barn" rules?

[Ganja Ninja]

20. It might be a good idea to have politicians from some other states ...

in charge of the leadership positions of this country for the next couple of decades. We've had too many Texans in power for too long.

[jobycom]

25. Oh come on, that's not true!

Like, name one powerful national leader from Texas. You have to leave out George HW Bush, George W. Bush, Lyndon Johnson, Sam Rayborn, Jim Wright, James Baker, Ross Perot, Tom DeLay, Barbara Jordan, Henry B Gonzales, Lloyd Bentsen, John Tower, John Connally, Ralph Yarborough, Phil Gramm, and Lovie Smith. They don't count.

[Ganja Ninja]

30. Dick Armey

:P

[jobycom]

31. Oh, hell

you win. :rofl:

[fed-up]

21. My brother just moved near Austin which I hear is NOT like the rest of Texas :)

[PDittie]

22. Gee, John, instead of just bitching and moaning

how about some positive suggestions? What can YOU do to help?

:)

[Justitia]

24. TX is great. Our crooked, re-districting, repub politicians suck. -eom

[OutNow]

26. One Less Texan

After 26 years in Texas my wife and I are moving to Oregon. It has everything to do with retiring and moving to be close to our first grandchild. We did not make the decision for political reasons. But, I must admit it will be nice to vote for Democratic candidates for mayor, house of representatives, senate, and governor and actually see them win the election. I love Lloyd Doggett, but the rest of the members of congress from central Texas are really awful.

May Molly Ivens rest in peace

[leftofthedial]

27. all that "conservative" repuke rule

sure turns out good, doesn't it?

[Ilsa]

28. * Rate of Women Aged 18+ Who Receive Pap Smears 47th --- here's why

You need pap smears after becoming sexually active. We're all virgins here in Texas. OVer and over again. Even our teenage daughters that are virgins because they've gone those special dinners with their daddies. And ask the 14 yo giving birth in the emergency room -- she's a virgin too.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

29. Texas. The place you can look the farthest and see the least.

[Breeze54]

32. That pic is a riot!! lmao!

I feel bad for the Dems and Independents living there.