Quality of life is a major factor in where Americans choose to work, live and make major purchases including homes. These states are the nation's worst.
Don’t believe everything you read. Yes a lot of that is true, but think about your daily life. Do you think all of that stuff really effects who your friends are, things you do with your family, the house you live in? The kind of things that effect your daily life, probably effect it no matter where you live (increased food prices, interest rates, etc.). Plus there’s hope that one day DeSantis will be gone and maybe a lot of those things will turn around. In the mean time…
I freely admit I’m sick of living in Florida, mostly for the reasons in the article and the dreadful heat, yes. But there’s a lot of good in Florida too. We have year round outdoor activities, regular launches into outer space, theme parks, pretty good beaches, no state income tax, lots of sunshine and hey at least were not Mississippi.
Just remember the source and the criteria used to make that judgment. Every place has pluses and minuses.
No state income tax means the richest people scoot by and the poorest pay the biggest share of their income on shitloads of tolls, the highest food prices I’ve ever seen, retail taxes, and insurance costs that would make your asshole pucker up the second the agent spit out the quote
If you have a lot of money and like poor people to suffer super regressive taxes, then it sounds like a fantastic place
Not Mississippi? You’re Mississippi plus tourism and a different name. That’s the difference
Oh and if you want a theme park that is actually fun, Ohio is the way to go
Doctors literally fleeing the state out of fear of what life saving procedures and prescriptions will become illegal next. I like “extreme sports”. I also like knowing that, if something goes REALLY wrong, I can use my (really nice) health insurance. Same with preventative care to know that that lump in my side is just a fatty deposit and not cancer.
Teachers flee the state out of fear of what lessons they may teach in class or attempts to comfort a student may become illegal next. I don’t have kids, but if I did, I would hope they would be educated by someone more intelligent than them, Similarly, I like to be able to swing by a McDonald’s and not have to listen to the person in front of me sounding out “que-art-turd ponder with cheese. Hey, is cheese the orange stuff?”
I am a straight-ish dude who can pass for white in a pinch. I am “fine”. My partner would have increasing anxiety as more and more of her basic human rights are taken away. An anxious partner is a partner who isn’t interested in doing fun stuff. Also, because I am not a complete sociopath, it would also harsh my mood.
And just because you are proud of being in Florida: how many insurance companies have noped the hell out of that state? Good luck next hurricane season.
As for your pros:
Outdoor activities: You should really look at the Southwest (and Colorado)
“Regular launches into outer space”: Not really sure what that does for the “daily life” but, again, the Southwest and Texas is where a lot of space launches actually happen.
Theme Parks; California. Also, it is a real shame that there is not some way that someone could get in a metal box, watch a few episodes of Frasier, and then arrive an hour or two away from Disney. Weird, it would almost be like they needed to fly to do that…
State Income Tax: Yeah… this kind of goes along with “how many insurance companies have noped the hell out of that state” along with “so… does Texas have power this week?” but income tax, when put toward social programs and basic infrastructure, is really nice.
Sunshine: Again, Southwest. Also, there is a lot less rain (except during monsoon season) which is nice for a few more years. But there also aren’t hurricanes which are only going to get a LOT worse as global warming becomes more and more of a problem.
“At least were not Mississipi”. First, you meant “we’re”. If you had more funding for the teachers who hadn’t fled the state, you would know the difference. Also, Mississippi isn’t one of the ten worst states in the country by those metrics so… maybe you should try to be more like Mississippi?
I think they probably just forgot to look at Mississippi. It gets routinely ignored by media of all types. Most of the same stuff is going on there with the criteria that they dinged the other Southern states for.
But if you looked at real estate prices and general cost of living as the most important factor for living well, these Southeast states would be kicking ass instead of being “the worst.”
Florida is not a normal member of the region so I don’t consider it part of the Southeast. Florida is just Florida.
It’s a nice place to visit for a vacation but I’d never live there either. Buying Florida real estate is a big risk anyway with climate change making all coastal habitats risky. I prefer my real estate to be a few hundred feet above sea level.
No idea where you’re getting the idea I said it was fake news. It’s very politically slanted news, generated using specific stats to align with the narrative that they wanted to write a story about.
Please, by all means stay out of the Southeast if you believe it’s so terrible. I’ll continue to stay here, and enjoy owning my own house and land, with enough room that my family and pets can roam free in our own place. It’s quite nice to be a homeowner, and I couldn’t have afforded it in most of the rest of the USA.
I’ve been here voting against Republicans since the Bush Jr. term. Life has only gotten better over time, and since I’ve been living in such a low cost of living area I can afford to do everything I want to. Lots of wonderful people live here too, but if you generalize an entire geographic area as being all shitheads living in a terrible shithole, then you only weaken your own knowledge. Prejudice is mental weakness.
Pretty sure “mental weakness” is actively ignoring data all in an attempt to live in your own fantasy land. Just to summarize this interaction in the hopes that you decide to “strengthen your own knowledge”:
“Ha, at least we aren’t Mississippi”
“Actually, Mississippi ranks higher in most of these metrics. You probably want to be more like Mississippi”
“Ha, they just forgot to measure Mississippi. Also, cost of living here is some of the cheapest in the country and if the listing had been weighted to that then it would be all about the southeast swamplands”
“No, they didn’t forget Mississippi. Also, using the linked page to weight the study by cost of living still prioritizes the midwest for the most part”
“Ha, see, I told you that my cost of living was super cheap and you are just prejudiced and weak!”
Do you think all of that stuff really effects who your friends are, things you do with your family, the house you live in?
Literally yes. How is that something you’re even questioning?
probably effect it no matter where you live
Of course, but the point here is that some places are effected more than others. My state has very low unemployment, and very low homeless rates. That doesn’t mean there’s no homelessness and no unemployment, but it’s many times less than some other states. Is that a matter of intentional state policy? Probably not. But you are statistically less likely to be homeless or unemployed here. Making matters worse, the median income in my state is $10k higher than the median income of Florida (basically a 1/3rd increase), and the median household income is $20k higher (a 35% increase). That’s nearly the equivalent of having an entire additional income in a household in Florida.
no state income tax
My state also doesn’t have one of those, and we don’t get leveled by hurricanes at an increasing rate while the salt content in our water table rises.
at least were not Mississippi
Compared to my state, mathematically there’s almost nothing separating you from Mississippi. Your population is higher but your households are just as poor. That’s a concern, given the number of shockingly wealthy people that live in Floridian cities. In other words, there isn’t much upward mobility in either state.
The culture war bullshit is doing significant harm to the red states. They’re alienating significant segments of the population that, you know, contribute to society, and the only benefit they get in exchange is approval from conservatives, but according to polls the transphobes are a minority even within the right wing.
It’s almost like whether it impacts your daily life depends on two factors (1) are you a targeted minority or (2) you are not a targeted minority but know anyone who is or care about them to any degree.
I don’t know why you’re getting downvoted. It’s like when people talk about “third world countries” as if they’re unlivable shitholes that couldn’t possibly have any positive aspects. Like you point out, there are many aspects to life that aren’t directly tied to politics and generally the day-to-day really isn’t that bad. It reeks of elitism and it’s alienating.
This particular chain of posts has nothing to do with republican vs democrat. The person I replied to said “Plus there’s hope that one day DeSantis will be gone and maybe a lot of those things will turn around.” Does that sound like a republican being happy about desantis to you? As for myself, I said dismissing entire places because of a few negative aspects (i.e. the republican rule there), even if major, is elitist because you’re ignoring the day-to-day that the person I was replying to mentioned that includes many positives.
It’s not a liberal exclusive thing. Trump dismissed a bunch of “third world countries” as shitholes and that was actually who I was thinking of when I made my post. You just assumed I was talking exclusively about liberals because you treat politics as a sport with only two teams and that because I hit some key words in your mind, it made you assume a whole load of things about me and my post.
That’s not what I said at all. If you think that putting imaginary words in other people’s mouths is a valid form of argument, you’re just a basic trump-chode.
Rampant bigotry and misogyny is not something that I have observed anywhere in the 21st century. When you interact with people in the real world, they are generally polite rather than bigots. Try going out into the real world sometime instead of believing everything you see on the Internet that’s pushed by rage-inducing algorithms to maximize engagement.
That people are turning their noses up at places where they don’t live and assuming that the presence of some bad aspects mean a place is entirely irredeemably bad. Like the person I replied to pointed out, there are day-to-day aspects that often don’t intersect with politics and there is some good to be had there, so condescending pitying is not always warranted. You missed the point by going back to focusing back on the bad parts and dismissing the entire place as a shithole because of them.
And, like all apolitical stances, that comes from a massive position of privilege. You can dismiss things as “politics” because they aren’t about your fundamental existence. Others can’t because “politics” becomes about their fundamental right to exist or what happens if they have a medical emergency.
And that ignores that “inclusiveness” is less than 14% of the weighting in this study/article. Those states are hellholes for more reasons than just “politics”. It is just that so much of those issues are fundamentally linked since it takes a special kind of stupid to think ANY of this hate is the top priority.
And you’re assuming that the negativity is all assumptions. Some of us have lived in these places and also agree they are overall shit holes. But that’s not to say that when people talk negatively about some place that they are implying that there are no positive aspects. There’s always a silver lining no matter how bad something is, but it is in no way elitist to focus on the overwhelming bad aspects and not mention the few positive aspects.
Don’t believe everything you read. Yes a lot of that is true, but think about your daily life. Do you think all of that stuff really effects who your friends are, things you do with your family, the house you live in? The kind of things that effect your daily life, probably effect it no matter where you live (increased food prices, interest rates, etc.). Plus there’s hope that one day DeSantis will be gone and maybe a lot of those things will turn around. In the mean time…
I freely admit I’m sick of living in Florida, mostly for the reasons in the article and the dreadful heat, yes. But there’s a lot of good in Florida too. We have year round outdoor activities, regular launches into outer space, theme parks, pretty good beaches, no state income tax, lots of sunshine and hey at least were not Mississippi.
Just remember the source and the criteria used to make that judgment. Every place has pluses and minuses.
No state income tax means the richest people scoot by and the poorest pay the biggest share of their income on shitloads of tolls, the highest food prices I’ve ever seen, retail taxes, and insurance costs that would make your asshole pucker up the second the agent spit out the quote
If you have a lot of money and like poor people to suffer super regressive taxes, then it sounds like a fantastic place
Not Mississippi? You’re Mississippi plus tourism and a different name. That’s the difference
Oh and if you want a theme park that is actually fun, Ohio is the way to go
Things that affect my day to day life:
As for your pros:
Mississippi is literally the worst state in the country by actual, objective metrics.
Highest obesity rate, lowest life expectancy, lowest literacy, etc
I think they probably just forgot to look at Mississippi. It gets routinely ignored by media of all types. Most of the same stuff is going on there with the criteria that they dinged the other Southern states for.
But if you looked at real estate prices and general cost of living as the most important factor for living well, these Southeast states would be kicking ass instead of being “the worst.”
https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/state/2023/07/13/heres-why-florida-is-the-state-with-the-highest-inflation-rate/70404945007/
https://www.floridarealtors.org/news-media/news-articles/2023/03/fhfa-fla-has-6-top-10-price-increase-metros
Florida’s real estate is very quickly becoming unattainable
Florida is not a normal member of the region so I don’t consider it part of the Southeast. Florida is just Florida.
It’s a nice place to visit for a vacation but I’d never live there either. Buying Florida real estate is a big risk anyway with climate change making all coastal habitats risky. I prefer my real estate to be a few hundred feet above sea level.
So do insurers
Is “dozens of studies forgot the existence of a state” the latest version of “fake news”?
Also, going by https://www.cnbc.com/2023/07/11/americas-top-states-for-business-2023-the-full-rankings.html, the top ten for cost of living are:
So… yeah
No idea where you’re getting the idea I said it was fake news. It’s very politically slanted news, generated using specific stats to align with the narrative that they wanted to write a story about.
Please, by all means stay out of the Southeast if you believe it’s so terrible. I’ll continue to stay here, and enjoy owning my own house and land, with enough room that my family and pets can roam free in our own place. It’s quite nice to be a homeowner, and I couldn’t have afforded it in most of the rest of the USA.
I’ve been here voting against Republicans since the Bush Jr. term. Life has only gotten better over time, and since I’ve been living in such a low cost of living area I can afford to do everything I want to. Lots of wonderful people live here too, but if you generalize an entire geographic area as being all shitheads living in a terrible shithole, then you only weaken your own knowledge. Prejudice is mental weakness.
Pretty sure “mental weakness” is actively ignoring data all in an attempt to live in your own fantasy land. Just to summarize this interaction in the hopes that you decide to “strengthen your own knowledge”:
Great talk, have a good one.
Literally yes. How is that something you’re even questioning?
Of course, but the point here is that some places are effected more than others. My state has very low unemployment, and very low homeless rates. That doesn’t mean there’s no homelessness and no unemployment, but it’s many times less than some other states. Is that a matter of intentional state policy? Probably not. But you are statistically less likely to be homeless or unemployed here. Making matters worse, the median income in my state is $10k higher than the median income of Florida (basically a 1/3rd increase), and the median household income is $20k higher (a 35% increase). That’s nearly the equivalent of having an entire additional income in a household in Florida.
My state also doesn’t have one of those, and we don’t get leveled by hurricanes at an increasing rate while the salt content in our water table rises.
Compared to my state, mathematically there’s almost nothing separating you from Mississippi. Your population is higher but your households are just as poor. That’s a concern, given the number of shockingly wealthy people that live in Floridian cities. In other words, there isn’t much upward mobility in either state.
The culture war bullshit is doing significant harm to the red states. They’re alienating significant segments of the population that, you know, contribute to society, and the only benefit they get in exchange is approval from conservatives, but according to polls the transphobes are a minority even within the right wing.
It’s almost like whether it impacts your daily life depends on two factors (1) are you a targeted minority or (2) you are not a targeted minority but know anyone who is or care about them to any degree.
I don’t know why you’re getting downvoted. It’s like when people talk about “third world countries” as if they’re unlivable shitholes that couldn’t possibly have any positive aspects. Like you point out, there are many aspects to life that aren’t directly tied to politics and generally the day-to-day really isn’t that bad. It reeks of elitism and it’s alienating.
What aspect of recognizing Florida as a shithole with a fascist governor reeks of elitism?
The part where Republicans are playing the victim about everything now, so if you insult them, You’re just an elite liberal
/s if it wasn’t obvious
This particular chain of posts has nothing to do with republican vs democrat. The person I replied to said “Plus there’s hope that one day DeSantis will be gone and maybe a lot of those things will turn around.” Does that sound like a republican being happy about desantis to you? As for myself, I said dismissing entire places because of a few negative aspects (i.e. the republican rule there), even if major, is elitist because you’re ignoring the day-to-day that the person I was replying to mentioned that includes many positives.
It’s not a liberal exclusive thing. Trump dismissed a bunch of “third world countries” as shitholes and that was actually who I was thinking of when I made my post. You just assumed I was talking exclusively about liberals because you treat politics as a sport with only two teams and that because I hit some key words in your mind, it made you assume a whole load of things about me and my post.
Why not? Many republicans want trump gone because he makes it difficult to really hurt people and be greedy the way they want to
The part where you ignore the rest of the state’s aspects, focusing on the worst parts only.
“Yeah, the rampant bigotry and misogyny isn’t so bad so long as you’re not trans, black, latino, or a woman!”
That’s not what I said at all. If you think that putting imaginary words in other people’s mouths is a valid form of argument, you’re just a basic trump-chode.
Rampant bigotry and misogyny is not something that I have observed anywhere in the 21st century. When you interact with people in the real world, they are generally polite rather than bigots. Try going out into the real world sometime instead of believing everything you see on the Internet that’s pushed by rage-inducing algorithms to maximize engagement.
I wasn’t making an argument, I was engaging in ridicule. It’s because I find your position ridiculous, you see.
OK then, you are blocked.
Woah, we got a real wit here. Well, half of one, maybe.
That people are turning their noses up at places where they don’t live and assuming that the presence of some bad aspects mean a place is entirely irredeemably bad. Like the person I replied to pointed out, there are day-to-day aspects that often don’t intersect with politics and there is some good to be had there, so condescending pitying is not always warranted. You missed the point by going back to focusing back on the bad parts and dismissing the entire place as a shithole because of them.
And, like all apolitical stances, that comes from a massive position of privilege. You can dismiss things as “politics” because they aren’t about your fundamental existence. Others can’t because “politics” becomes about their fundamental right to exist or what happens if they have a medical emergency.
And that ignores that “inclusiveness” is less than 14% of the weighting in this study/article. Those states are hellholes for more reasons than just “politics”. It is just that so much of those issues are fundamentally linked since it takes a special kind of stupid to think ANY of this hate is the top priority.
And you’re assuming that the negativity is all assumptions. Some of us have lived in these places and also agree they are overall shit holes. But that’s not to say that when people talk negatively about some place that they are implying that there are no positive aspects. There’s always a silver lining no matter how bad something is, but it is in no way elitist to focus on the overwhelming bad aspects and not mention the few positive aspects.