News, Why is Massachusetts America's Best State. (Boston: rent, home)

[JD59]

It may be everyone’s punching bag, but it’s time to face facts: The Bay State is best.


Massachusetts, in today’s political culture, is more epithet than state. The People’s Republic, Taxachusetts, “Sweden”—this is America’s arugula-munching, maple syrup-swigging, receding-ponytail hippy uncle, exiled to its cold, lonely corner of American geography by Sunbelt population growth and a rightward-leaning national discourse. That “Spirit of America” license plate doth protest too much. For much of the country, Massachusetts, if not actually un-American, is the suspicious redoubt of the American left.

Massachusetts is the best state in the union. - Slate Magazine

[LeavingMA]

What no mention that MA citizens are in the top 10 for debt per person as MA continues to spend away. Or that many state cops make around $150,000 a year, or firefighters in Boston call out sick constantly so their coworkers can be called it to get time and a half.

Don't get me wrong, MA is far from the worst state, but the article is very biased.

[TAM88]

You realize the author of the article is from Mass right?

[ogre]

Hey Tam, at least he's right up front about the fact that he's from MA. First sentence of the second paragraph. So that fact is out there for the reader to judge.

Something I've got to say I wondered about was the article's link to the ranking of states for corruption, in which MA ranked well. I don't know. I'll admit that I don't have a lot of long term experience in many other states as a basis for comparison, but I certainly get the subjective impression that MA is pretty corrupt, not the worst state in that regard, but still not so good. Of course I guess this depends how you define corrupt.

What really made me wonder about that particular link was that Illinois actually ranked one place better than MA as one of the less corrupt states. Illinois? Home of Blago and the multi-generational Daly machine? That Illinois? Hmmm, that right there is enough to make me take that particular ranking with more than a few grains of salt.

[BitofEndearment]

Originally Posted by ogre

Hey Tam, at least he's right up front about the fact that he's from MA. First sentence of the second paragraph. So that fact is out there for the reader to judge.

Something I've got to say I wondered about was the article's link to the ranking of states for corruption, in which MA ranked well. I don't know. I'll admit that I don't have a lot of long term experience in many other states as a basis for comparison, but I certainly get the subjective impression that MA is pretty corrupt, not the worst state in that regard, but still not so good. Of course I guess this depends how you define corrupt.

What really made me wonder about that particular link was that Illinois actually ranked one place better than MA as one of the less corrupt states. Illinois? Home of Blago and the multi-generational Daly machine? That Illinois? Hmmm, that right there is enough to make me take that particular ranking with more than a few grains of salt.

Massachusetts is pretty corrupt I think both on its own terms and in comparison to other state. There is a lot of that "old boys" mentality. Favors are rank and file, pork is the diet, and the sense of entitlement of Massachusetts legislators and other high ranking public officals to their "career" is astounding.
But, somehow, we manage to live our lives all the same despite the gray cloud perched atop Beacon Hill. I don't know if Massachusetts is the best state in the Union, I don't know if that is even possible to judge, especially considering no one has probably ever lived a substantial amount of time in every American state. But for what it's worth, it's beautiful and it has a lot going for it.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by ogre

Hey Tam, at least he's right up front about the fact that he's from MA. First sentence of the second paragraph. So that fact is out there for the reader to judge.

Something I've got to say I wondered about was the article's link to the ranking of states for corruption, in which MA ranked well. I don't know. I'll admit that I don't have a lot of long term experience in many other states as a basis for comparison, but I certainly get the subjective impression that MA is pretty corrupt, not the worst state in that regard, but still not so good. Of course I guess this depends how you define corrupt.

What really made me wonder about that particular link was that Illinois actually ranked one place better than MA as one of the less corrupt states. Illinois? Home of Blago and the multi-generational Daly machine? That Illinois? Hmmm, that right there is enough to make me take that particular ranking with more than a few grains of salt.

Most of those "corruption rankings" are extremely flawed. If you actually look at the methodology used, they rely heavily on things like the number of politicians indicted on corruption charges. To be indicted, one first has to be charged and investigated. That all too often doesn't happen in MA due to the good ole boy blind eye mentality and one party rule. The states that look the worst on the lists, my guess is they actually take corruption and ethics more seriously so therefore you see more prosecuted. They look bad because they are confronting the problem (which does happen anytime people are put in power).

In turn, the "see no evil hear no evil" states will look squeaky clean because the problem looks statistically low.

[Cato the Elder]

I doubt the media would turn a blind eye. It's like John Daley selling city dump trucks to his mom for a dollar a piece and having her rent them back to the city. The media reported it and everyone knew but it was technically legal. No one did anything because the Daleys are Chicago royalty and the city remembered how poorly the city was run when Byrne did everything on the up and up but had no pull with the gray elements of the city. In this case the entire city basically turned a blind eye.

[Diskothek]

Thats a laugh.

[snatale1]

Overpriced, Middle Class almost eliminated, Borderline Socialist, no respect for Constitutional rights. Terrible job market. YA! It's the "Best" alright! The last thing it is, is the "Spirit of America". That's LONG gone!

[TAM88]

Originally Posted by snatale1

Overpriced, Middle Class almost eliminated, Borderline Socialist, no respect for Constitutional rights. Terrible job market. YA! It's the "Best" alright! The last thing it is, is the "Spirit of America". That's LONG gone!

Do you live here? Massachusetts has a lower unemployment rate than the national average. This is not Nevada.