By far the worst state in America (Jackson, Greenville: health insurance, mortgage)

[Rogarven]

Originally Posted by Montana Griz

HEY, LOOK AT THE GENERAL PICTURE THIS WAY.......................iN THE LAST 10 DAYS OR SO,,,,,,, YOU GOT THE TWO BEST FOOTBALL TEAMS iN THE sec.............................since that situation may not continue throught the entire secon...................I'D say:.................."Make your money will you can"Good Luck

Yeah! You beat our TAMU team. Celebrate!

[Back In Orange]

Originally Posted by annie_himself

Not true. There's more poor white people and most of them vote Republican.
Affluent suburbs in the south vote Republican some vote Dem. Obama got most of the wealthiest states in the country. Or do you "think" something different?

It isn't true more poor white people vote Republican. The whole strategy of Democratic party is to get the poor vote.

I just looked at how the various counties in MS voted in 2012. ROmney won the the top 6 most affluent counties in MS by a large margin, some around 40-50 percentage points, including Madison county which is only MS county more affluent than average county in US. He just barely lost the 7th most affluent. My basis for affluence is the per capita income data on Wikipedia.

This jives with how it goes in SC, the affluent counties in SC almost always vote Republican. Romney won the affluent counties in SC including Greenville, Lexington (Columbia), Dorchester (part of Charleston), Beuufort (Hilton Head), Horry (Mrytle Beach), by big margins.

Obama no doubt did win some affluent counties. But across the board more affluent counties vote Republican, that your party calls the party of the rich;. Obaam won nearly every very poor rural county in state of SC.

It is always curious to me that Democrats try to label Republicans with lack of education and low income given so many of their voters are low income and low educational attainment. In general, union workers tend to be lower income and less educated and obviously union workers tend to vote Democrat. Those are generally white people, not minorities. Why have such disdain for people with low educational attainment and low income? That isn't being cool, plus a large percentage of the Democrat voting base.

Yes, I do think Michelle Obama is overweight. I don't see why anybody should be lectured by her regarding nutrition and exercise. That's fine if she wants to try to eat healthy but nobody elected her to be our momma and dictate what kind of food schools serve the kids. I also don't see a lot of obese kids out there, most kids are really skinny b/c their metoblism hasn't slowed up yet. Michelle is out making childhood obesity out as some kind of epidemic and it isn't. My opinion is her obsession with that has caused lot of embarrassment for overweight kids at schools too.

[Rock Climber]

I don't hate Mississippi, but I will say in this thread what I don't like about Mississippi that I believe is unique to the state and try to be as constructive about it as I can. Coming from Texas, middle class, feeling 100% American in my own views, I felt a strange "class focus" that was very up front and somewhat offensive. Maybe offensive isn't the right word. I just didn't understand it and thought it was strange.

I'm sure the Texas analogue is the "arrogant Texan" stereotype or attitude that admittedly, seems uniquely "Texas".

The mindset that holds Mississippi apart, in my view, is the prevalent focus on "class". It struck me as strange, the need for people to "place" you and find out whether you were an acceptable person to their liking before taking a chance to get to know you. That mindset is unique to a few deep south areas, and I believe it is probably rooted in the historical Aristocratic format of plantation owner/slave/sharecropper. Without bringing even race into the discussion, I encountered this consistently in the brief time I spent in Mississippi.

I come from a background of educators and while not wealthy (by Texas standards for sure) I have always lived a comfortable and solidly middle class life. In some circles, my upbringing could certainly be considered "privileged". The "are you one of us" sort of mentality I understand in some wealthier enclaves. I don't like it, but I understand why it exists. And even in places like Highland Park, it feels like people have a sense of humor about their status and most of the more intelligent people are a bit sarcastic about their "bubble". I feel like in Mississippi it exists into much lower socioeconomic strata than it does elsewhere. It felt heavy to me and it took me a while to figure out what it was I was feeling. The idea that a person's place of origin or the profession of a family member holds cues to their value as a person.

Cultural differences exist everywhere, and I know Texans have their own unique reputation for various stereotypes. I guess it caught me off guard when I visited Mississippi. Not that it shouldn't exist in Mississippi because of poverty, but because I just have never been somewhere that it felt like "the norm". The need to separate people almost immediately. The need to "sort" out people. And I also felt like being from Austin/DFW was a bonus, as I wasn't fully subjected to the same level of scrutiny for whatever reason. Perhaps my answers to the "where are you from?" question (and some were very specific) were ostensibly acceptable, although there are poverty-stricken areas of every city I've ever lived in.

I don't think its all in my head. I haven't felt that way about any other places I visited. Maybe I hit the wrong town(s) on my few weeks here and there in Mississippi, but I felt like a very rigid social order existed and it didn't feel free and it didn't feel welcoming.

[Mr.2089]

Originally Posted by Clark Park

This thread irritates me. What is the OP's point? Is it just to troll or he just hates Mississippi?

I know Mississippi because when I was growing up my father was a traveling salesman and Mississippi was part of his territory.

What I want to say about Mississippi is this:

1. Beautiful scenery and lovely countryside.

2. Some of the friendliest people in the country ... not only friendly but possessing politeness, courtesy and hospitality.

3. This state has it's own excellent regional cuisine ... you can get fantastic meals there.

4. The birth of The Blues. The Delta Region!

5. A rich history and heritage.

6. Making great strides to erase injustices of the past and moving forward in the realm of American Jurisprudence.

The problem of obesity, poverty, unemployment are tied together. Historically Mississippi developed as an agricultural state so it did not have the advantages of industrialization or the technological revolution. The issues that Mississippian must continually work on are education and poverty. I have faith that in the future these issues will be met head on.

PS is it any wonder that Morgan Freeman, who is from Mississippi chose to move back there?

1. Agree
2. Lie
3. Debatable
4.+1
5.Yeah slavery...so rich and full
6.No

[Desert kid]

Originally Posted by Mr.2089

1. Agree
2. Lie
3. Debatable
4.+1
5.Yeah slavery...so rich and full
6.No

As a 2 time visitor to the state and potential transfering college student I ask you to back up your claims.

[Mr.2089]

Originally Posted by Desert kid

As a 2 time visitor to the state and potential transfering college student I ask you to back up your claims.

Personal experiences of living here for 5 years. Also, I advise to stay far away from this depressing sink hole..unless you like rude people and no chance of landing a decent job.

P.s.- People here will treat you "nice" as a ploy to pry into your personal affairs.

[Desert kid]

Originally Posted by Mr.2089

Personal experiences of living here for 5 years. Also, I advise to stay far away from this depressing sink hole..unless you like rude people and no chance of landing a decent job.

P.s.- People here will treat you "nice" as a ploy to pry into your personal affairs.

Can this just be attributed to an attitude problem?

[Mr.2089]

Originally Posted by Desert kid

Can this just be attributed to an attitude problem?

Not on my end.

[Desert kid]

Originally Posted by Mr.2089

Not on my end.

Yeah, I'd like to see personal examples and stories from you first.

[dtmcneile]

Every state has negatives. Every state has positives. I've been in Mississippi and it seemed fine to me. It was winter and it sure was warmer than Illinois!