Mississippi is one of two states that economically shrank in 2014 (Jackson: transplants, lawyers)

[Ivory Lee Spurlock]

Originally Posted by Neshomamench

All of Utah is far more religious and very exclusionary and they are doing fine. There are plenty of success stories in the rest of the bible belt as well.

Utah has far different issues than Mississippi. The two states are like apples and oranges. Their only similarity is a large percentage of their populations are staunch conservative religionists. I think Utah might be a little more progressive, though. It wasn't all that long ago the Winter Olympics were held in Utah. To land the Olympics had to take some progressive thinking. It's very competitive between cities around the world to get the Olympics.

[Ivory Lee Spurlock]

Deleted. Posted duplicate post. Sorry. Still not use to this new phone..

[Neshomamench]

Originally Posted by Ivory Lee Spurlock

Utah has far different issues than Mississippi. The two states are like apples and oranges. Their only similarity is a large percentage of their populations are staunch conservative religionists. I think Utah might be a little more progressive, though. It wasn't all that long ago the Winter Olympics were held in Utah. To land the Olympics had to take some progressive thinking. It's very competitive between cities around the world to get the Olympics.

Of course it is different but the problem hurting in Mississippi is not a religious one just like religious is not hurting Utah.

[Ivory Lee Spurlock]

Originally Posted by Neshomamench

Of course it is different but the problem hurting in Mississippi is not a religious one just like religious is not hurting Utah.

I honestly don't know. But I do think the religionists might keep alot of companies from relocating to Mississippi when there are other states where religion is not the order of the day. If Apple was to open a manufacturing plant in Mississippi, then I might believe that religion doesn't keep businesses from locating in Mississippi. Apple would be a real boom for Mississippi. They pay good wages to their blue collar workers and have excellent benefits including lots of paid time off. They treat their employees with respect and are very good to them. Apple is set to become the first trillion dollar corporation, worth more than ExxonMobil and General Motors. The state would probably have to come up with lots of good incentives to land an Apple manufacturing facility, but I think it would be well worth the investment for Mississippi.

[Neshomamench]

Originally Posted by Ivory Lee Spurlock

I honestly don't know. But I do think the religionists might keep alot of companies from relocating to Mississippi when there are other states where religion is not the order of the day. If Apple was to open a manufacturing plant in Mississippi, then I might believe that religion doesn't keep businesses from locating in Mississippi. Apple would be a real boom for Mississippi. They pay good wages to their blue collar workers and have excellent benefits including lots of paid time off. They treat their employees with respect and are very good to them. Apple is set to become the first trillion dollar corporation, worth more than ExxonMobil and General Motors. The state would probably have to come up with lots of good incentives to land an Apple manufacturing facility, but I think it would be well worth the investment for Mississippi.

It isnt religion. That is blaming the wrong thing and in doing so, will only hurt Mississippi more.

Mississippi has real problems that we dont need to make up problems. People dont want to hear the truth, The truth is this place is horrible to outsiders and probably just as horrible to each other. As an outsider I have never been treated so poorly as I have been here and I have been a lot of places. The black population treats the white population with vile scorn and contempt and the white population hates the blacks. On top of that, no one has an education and few want to change anything and the crime makes entire swaths of town (and other parts of the state) no go zones for even a lot of small business. This place is broken like few others and I guess someplace has to be the worst.

This is what people experience when they come here. It makes total sense so few would want to move a sizable business here.

...but no one wants to talk about that and if someone bring it up, they attack the messenger.

For what it is worth, I live here. I will be here for a few more years. I certainly dont want it to suck.

[Ivory Lee Spurlock]

I've been to Mississippi several times and I have always been treated good by all the residents, black and white and I always had a good time. I never had a bad experience with anybody in Mississippi. Next time I go to Mississippi I want to follow the blues trail thru out the state. And I think I would like to stay at least one night at the Shack-Up Inn outside of Clarksdale. And I also want to go to Doe's Kitchen in Greenville and have a good meal and buy a t-shirt for my mom. Her name is Doe, also, and she has always spent alot of time in the kitchen, so I think she would like to have a t-shirt like that.

[Neshomamench]

Originally Posted by Ivory Lee Spurlock

I've been to Mississippi several times and I have always been treated good by all the residents, black and white and I always had a good time. I never had a bad experience with anybody in Mississippi. Next time I go to Mississippi I want to follow the blues trail thru out the state. And I think I would like to stay at least one night at the Shack-Up Inn outside of Clarksdale. And I also want to go to Doe's Kitchen in Greenville and have a good meal and buy a t-shirt for my mom. Her name is Doe, also, and she has always spent alot of time in the kitchen, so I think she would like to have a t-shirt like that.

I believe you. The problems Mississippi has are not absolute. Some people will like Mississippi and some people's experiences visiting here will be good.

The problem is how many people dont have a good experience. The proof is evident by the situation. Mississippi suffers a talent drain and no one wants to come here. When they do, they often leave. That goes a long way towards proving a lot more people have my observations than yours. On of the things that damages Mississippi is people who cant understand that and act like anyone with anything negative to say is in need of being attacked and/or wrong.

Again, Mississippi is the most broken state. It cant be fixed until enough people recognize the actual problems.

[JacksonPanther]

Neshomamench, you have constructed your argument in such a way that if anyone disagrees with you, that proves we are the problem in Mississippi. Makes it not so much fun to have a discussion with you.

I disagree with your comments that black people treat white people like crap, and that visitors to MS routinely have a bad experience here. I will say this - a bad employee usually treats Everyone like crap. They don't treat one group better or worse than another. Everyone gets the same crap treatment.

But bad service level people can be found all across the country, and is not restricted to MS. I disagree that this the problem within the state.

Large scale poverty, and short sighted thinking from the business leaders and elected officials, is what got us here and what keeps us here. We don't have an embedded educated workforce, so trying to attract any kind of knowledge based firm is difficult, as they need to in turn convince people to move here. But the quality of life is lacking for anyone not interested in hunting, fishing, and college football. The entire state is like a small town, with no major city and major city attractions anywhere close, except for the Memphis suburbs.

[Neshomamench]

Originally Posted by JacksonPanther

Neshomamench, you have constructed your argument in such a way that if anyone disagrees with you, that proves we are the problem in Mississippi. Makes it not so much fun to have a discussion with you.

I disagree with your comments that black people treat white people like crap, and that visitors to MS routinely have a bad experience here. I will say this - a bad employee usually treats Everyone like crap. They don't treat one group better or worse than another. Everyone gets the same crap treatment.

But bad service level people can be found all across the country, and is not restricted to MS. I disagree that this the problem within the state.

Large scale poverty, and short sighted thinking from the business leaders and elected officials, is what got us here and what keeps us here. We don't have an embedded educated workforce, so trying to attract any kind of knowledge based firm is difficult, as they need to in turn convince people to move here. But the quality of life is lacking for anyone not interested in hunting, fishing, and college football. The entire state is like a small town, with no major city and major city attractions anywhere close, except for the Memphis suburbs.

There is nothing you or I can say that changes the fact that talent leaves and if you can get it to come here, it doesnt often stay.

All the BS about what a great place this is or saying "no, such and such isnt the problem..." has not fixed that reality.

You can believe anything you want, the results are, this is the most broken State and nothing this State has tried has worked very well. That goes a long ways towards demonstrating what people like you think is flat out wrong. Hell, you want to argue with me what kind of experience I am having. like it or not, enough black people are horrible to white people here that it gets noticed fast and I cant take the way white people talk about the black people. It is flat out vile. Most everyone I know that is temporary here agrees.

Change or keep dying.

[CoolZombie]

Originally Posted by Jardine8

I don't think religous conservatives scare people or companies off. I think it is more of an issue of education (ie we don't have a lot of skilled workers to attract industry) and leadership (ie we need quality leadership that can attract large employers that need skilled labor).

And education will never thrive when people are cast out for believing in science or evolution.

Originally Posted by Neshomamench

All of Utah is far more religious and very exclusionary and they are doing fine. There are plenty of success stories in the rest of the bible belt as well.

You are blaming the wrong things. An uneducated workforce with no hope or worse, desire of becoming educated. Real and perceived crime problems. The fact that people who do try to come here hate it and leave.There are plenty of other problems but Jesus isnt causing those problems.

Utah does well because of their rich mineral and oil resources. High tech companies are attracted to the state's one liberal area: Salt Lake City. I'd imagine they'd probably be doing even better without their ridiculous religious rules and making it hard to find jobs without Temple recommendations. The educational system will never improve as long as the Bible thumpers have their war on science.