NORTHERN NASTY AND NICE (United Way ranks quality of life: Southern states are the worst)

Providence Journal ^ | 11/22/01 | Robert Whitcomb

[LarryLied]

Despite the "friendly" Sunbelt's purported ease and opportunity, the "unfriendly" North continues by far to have the best quality of life.

The United Way now reports that Minnesota (of which I am genetically half a native, which may undermine the good data here) is the best state, in economic well-being, education, health, civic engagement, safety and the environment. Having visited this Midwest Finland, I am not surprised. And I find New Hampshire's Number 2 rating apt, too, having inhabited that rocky realm of rectitude, responsibility and (usually) reasonableness for four years.

Ditto the others in the top 10: Connecticut (even with Hartford!); Massachusetts; Vermont; Maine; Wisconsin; Iowa; New Jersey, and, yes, even Rhode Island, hardly a state at all!

Meanwhile, the bottom 10 are all in the Sunbelt, the worst New Mexico, and then Louisiana.

Maybe it's mostly the weather. The North's bracing and wildly variable climate energizes people and encourages planning and careful citizenship. And it's probably better for you, because cold is bad for bugs. Even the post-war wave of air-conditioning hasn't let previously soporific Southern schools, offices and factories overcome the North's paradoxical climatic advantage.

And Northerners tend to be less mobile, and so less likely to slide into that appalling anomie in which the American Dream is pursued by folks wandering the roads in search of pots of gold that turn out to be tin, and leaving no forwarding address. But then, it is easier to wander about where the weather is warm. Thus the pervasive trailer parks in the Sunbelt, and enough social problems to make you ask if the Sunbelt's growing national power is a good thing. (Don't show this to my Tennessee relatives.)

[#3Fan]

You know being rude or ugly to people does have consequences.

Read the first part of this thread and count how many rude comments there were about all Northerners before there was a Northern response in kind.

[FITZ]

No offense, but what is the big deal about those desert states?

I'll never tell.

[LarryLied]

Taxes are a bit high though, but what do you expect with an ol' boy democratic legeslature?

I stayed at a campground run by Pueblo Indians and sold at a swap meet on their land (next to the Santa Fe Opera house). No state sales tax and the RV park was cheap. Dealers had big ticket items ($5,000 to $20,000 at a swap meet!) which drew big spenders who wanted to not pay sales tax and the overhead of a store. don't know about now but a few years back, one could make enough in New Mexico in three months selling mainly on weekends to coast the rest of the year.

[#3Fan]

Throughout my comments on this thread, I personally haven't made any derisive comments about anyone.

You said you didn't want people to move to where you live. I assume you meant Northerners. Who else would you have meant?

This article attacks quality of life in my homeland and I was refuting it only. BTW More than 2500 men from the Illinois and Michigan regiments died in a battle not far from me in Kennesaw Ga. There is a very nice memorial there for these and the confederate men who died in this battle.

I have a high amount of respect for those who fought that war in those conditions on both sides.

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

I saw an interesting show on of all things PBS about what Canada did to their Indians. It seems that much of the poor treatment the Indians recieved by us in our past was also done in Canada by the Hudson Bay Company and the railroads. My point is America isn't the only guilty party when it comes to the way Indians were treated.

The United Way is 100% correct on this report. Things suck here in the South and living a good life is impossible. The Northerners should just stay put as the quality of life is so much better where they live. I'm glad I could help warn them away from here. No need to thank me.

[JD86]

The United Way is 100% correct on this report. Things suck here in the South and living a good life is impossible. The Northerners should just stay put as the quality of life is so much better where they live. I'm glad I could help warn them away from here. No need to thank me.

I agree. They would be much happier staying up north and keep living the good life. We will just have to continue the struggle to catch up with them.

[boxlunch]

Minn #1? N.H. #2? Mass. #3? The home of Teddy Kennedy and Barney Frank? This rating obviously didn't take into account liberal insanity in their "quality of life" index.

Give the good old conservative south with at least some sanity in our laws and code of conduct any day.

[COB1]

Yes, snow birds in Texas means someone who comes from the North to Texas to escape the snow.
From there you completely misinterpreted my post.
Gore carried deep South Texas because of the give-away programs offered to the indigents, mostly Mexican, by the Democratic Party.
The snow birds didn't have anything to do with that.
On the other hand, most of the snow birds come from areas in the North which are predominately Democratic so a large percentage of them coming to Texas are liberal.
I said they would feel right at home among fellow liberals.

[FITZ]

The United Way is 100% correct on this report. Things suck here in the South and living a good life is impossible. The Northerners should just stay put as the quality of life is so much better where they live. I'm glad I could help warn them away from here. No need to thank me.

Yes especially the part about New Mexico being the worst of all. It really is. Just a lot of sand and sun, you'd never want to see it. I was raised in the north and boy am I sorry I ever left, I'd really hate to see thousands of others make my same mistake.

[uglybiker]

So why are you on the internet arguing with me instead of frolicking with the bears in your back 100 acres? :^)

FITZ is just taking a break from the ongoing battle to keep the Californians out.

[#3Fan]

That is obvious, because you don't respond to me about what I say...you respond to me about what other people have said.

I don't care what you personally think because you're an anti-North bigot. Now when you make public statements though, there will be a response for the benefit of all. LOL

If you review my posts (since you obviously didn't read them the first time) you will find I did not bring up the War Between the States, or slavery, or any opinions about the state of the economy in the North or South before 1860.

YES YOU DID! My first post to you was post #91 where I didn't mention slavery or the Civil War. Your first post to me was post #99 where you brought up the issue of slavery.

You were obviously responding to other posters and directed it to me.

Read post #99.

Because we don't like people who don't like us. Remember? I don't care what you think.

You drew first blood.

[FITZ]

LOL!! They keep letting a lot of wolves loose around here (for real) so I'm hoping that will help me keep them out.

[JD86]

Please don't get them stirred up again. They have this thing I don't understand but I don't want to get them riled up and preaching. You know how some people aren't confortable with their position in life and keep apologizing for it? Well, some northerners just keep trying to convince us that they were right, that they had only altrustic reasons for fighting the war, to save the slaves...and they think if they keep saying it, we will eventually agree. However, those who actually lived in the South know most Southerners didn't own slaves...and that most Southerners were fighting to defend their homes. The North was the invading force, the South was in the defensive position. They can't accept that so they have convinced themselves they had a higher cause than raping and pillaging the South. If the South was the drag on the Union L-D says, the Union should have just cast the South loose...but they didn't. If the war was to free the slaves, Lincoln would have freed them all at once...but he didn't. So I have come full circle and find I agree with you...they were meddlin'.....but please don't stir them up with the truth, they can't handle it.

[#3Fan]

How do you know this?

Illegal aliens are pretty obvious aren't they? If they are so Americanized that I can't tell the difference in their look, speech, or attitude, then they are no problem anyway. :^)

[antienvironmentalist]

Yes, here in the North there are far too many liberals. In fact, it disgusts me to hear Teddy K. and Patty Leahy open there slime holes, but I'll be damned if I ever leave this land and give up on it. I expect to fight for conservative values here in CT and MA until I die. You cowards who emmigrate to the south are dispicable. As for native southerners, I can't understand why you hold such a grudge against us Yankees. We work just as hard up here as you do down there, and the Civil War ended over a hundred years ago, can't you move on. So you don't want us down there, tough sh@#, it's a free country. Too bad you don't have the intestinal fortitude to move up here, we could use some good conservatives on our side.