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The problem with these kinds of analyses is that the criteria are what appeals to a certain group of people. I lived in MA for many years. Yes the quality of life is good by many measures. At the same time it is terrible in other ways. When I moved up to VT it was like a breath of fresh air compared to the suffocating bureaucracy and political/cultural intolerance that is deeply embedded in MA.
The problem with these kinds of analyses is that the criteria are what appeals to a certain group of people. I lived in MA for many years. Yes the quality of life is good by many measures. At the same time it is terrible in other ways. When I moved up to VT it was like a breath of fresh air compared to the suffocating bureaucracy and political/cultural intolerance that is deeply embedded in MA.
Like work?I love NE in general and there is plenty for everyone to brag about but there is not a lot of work in Vermont .New Hampshire (lower) benefits from being close to Boston.
Since some feel left out, I looked up the states with the highest teen pregnancy rates. So for all of you states that are in the 40's in the OP's list make the top 10 in my list! Something to be proud of, yes. You may also be in the top 10 for obesity, highest mortality rate, highest smoking rate, highest gun ownership rate, lowest graduation rates. So, stand proud and don't fret!
"...Among the states, New Mexico had the highest teen pregnancy rate, in 2010, with 80 pregnancies per 1,000 women in the age group, followed by Mississippi, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma..."
The problem with these kinds of analyses is that the criteria are what appeals to a certain group of people. I lived in MA for many years. Yes the quality of life is good by many measures. At the same time it is terrible in other ways. When I moved up to VT it was like a breath of fresh air compared to the suffocating bureaucracy and political/cultural intolerance that is deeply embedded in MA.
Certainly if you want to take the muffler off your motorcycle or own a larger arsenal then NH is going to feel "more free:.
There is no problem with these kinds of data. They are accurate within the civilization we live in. VT is a sparsely populated severe climate which is not indicative of most modern human civilization. As great as VT is, believe me when I say you want your brain surgery and medical research done in Boston.
The thing about data - infant mortality, obesity, education, life span, etc.....is that it doesn't have a column for "I felt free of the intolerance". That type of "data" would - if it were true, shorten life spans due to the stresses involved.
Not that I am saying you are wrong in your feelings. It's just that feelings are not data and if we want to measure up in the modern world (which is, Trump aside, GLOBAL), we need to use metrics that matter. Health, infant mortality, life span, quality of health care, income, education, etc. are some of the agreed upon measurements.
We can't make "new rules" and say "the number of Nascar tracks figures in".
On the other hand, the fact that states like MA have decrimed and legalized weed is a BIG step toward a more civilized and tolerant society so maybe you need to give some credit where due.
followed by Mississippi, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma..."
States like TX and LA were so blessed with natural resources...that to me it makes things so much worse that they are not at the top of the heap. In other words, never has so little been done with so much. Texas could afford to be at the top of the heap if they didn't spend all their energy trying to make things worse for most people who live there (they are terrible, for example, in percentage of people covered by health care).
But, hey, some Oil guys get to pay less in taxes and that is what they think Freedom is.
States like TX and LA were so blessed with natural resources...that to me it makes things so much worse that they are not at the top of the heap. In other words, never has so little been done with so much. Texas could afford to be at the top of the heap if they didn't spend all their energy trying to make things worse for most people who live there (they are terrible, for example, in percentage of people covered by health care).
But, hey, some Oil guys get to pay less in taxes and that is what they think Freedom is.
Absolutely, some of these states could be so much better. Loads of natural resources and in the richest country in the world. The top producing states do cost more but ya get what ya pay for...
My understanding is that Texas has extremely high property taxes and sales taxes. The sales taxes being regressive. I could be wrong. Don't feel like looking it up.
My dd lives in Massachusetts. While it is expensive, the benefits outweigh the COL (and no, she is not a highly paid person - both she and her dh work).
^ this is basically what I have to say about living on Long Island as well
Yeah, it's expensive but our high taxes give us excellent public schools and one of the lowest crime rates in the country. We get 4 distinct seasons too, each of which has their own beautiful aspects.
Priests? At Harvard Divinity? what would John Adams think!
Yeah the Catholics didn't start coming until quite a bit later.
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