DuckSouth.com

Yet again we are 3rd worst only behind New York and Hawaii. At what point do we start to put together a plan to end this madness? Have
our political leaders / lawmakers ever heard of the term "Benchmarking"?

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/best-wors ... 00969.html

I don't buy into a lot of these "lists ". I guess because I make a decent living, I can read and write, I'm not fat, I'm happy, I enjoy a good quality of life, and so does my child. (I mention these because they are in reference to other "lists" I've seen FYI.) Most of the people I know do too. Perhaps we are just lucky or maybe we just put things in perspective. I never did care much about their lists or what outsiders think of us anyways.

If it dissuades Yankees from moving to the deep south then I like it.

There is no political leader that can change the statistics. Also figures don’t lie but liars figure. While working with DOD research lab I literally traveled all around the country for 10 years. I saw some places that I would love to live but I saw a ton of places that are in as bad as shape if not worse than parts of MS.

I guarantee if you extracted the Delta out of the equations MS would look a lot different on paper. I include Vicksburg to Natchez in this range also. These areas have created a population that depends on welfare assistance and the segment of the population has no need to change. They don't want to change. Everyone wants something for nothing and as long as we keep supplying it they will stay here and live off our wages. We pay for their phones, rent/houses/, food, in some cases their gas, childcare, healthcare etc. Why would there be an incentive to try to pick yourself up and change your life.

peewee wrote:There is no political leader that can change the statistics. Also figures don’t lie but liars figure. While working with DOD research lab I literally traveled all around the country for 10 years. I saw some places that I would love to live but I saw a ton of places that are in as bad as shape if not worse than parts of MS.

I guarantee if you extracted the Delta out of the equations MS would look a lot different on paper. I include Vicksburg to Natchez in this range also. These areas have created a population that depends on welfare assistance and the segment of the population has no need to change. They don't want to change. Everyone wants something for nothing and as long as we keep supplying it they will stay here and live off our wages. We pay for their phones, rent/houses/, food, in some cases their gas, childcare, healthcare etc. Why would there be an incentive to try to pick yourself up and change your life.

^^^^^THIS.

peewee wrote:There is no political leader that can change the statistics. Also figures don’t lie but liars figure. While working with DOD research lab I literally traveled all around the country for 10 years. I saw some places that I would love to live but I saw a ton of places that are in as bad as shape if not worse than parts of MS.

I guarantee if you extracted the Delta out of the equations MS would look a lot different on paper. I include Vicksburg to Natchez in this range also. These areas have created a population that depends on welfare assistance and the segment of the population has no need to change. They don't want to change. Everyone wants something for nothing and as long as we keep supplying it they will stay here and live off our wages. We pay for their phones, rent/houses/, food, in some cases their gas, childcare, healthcare etc. Why would there be an incentive to try to pick yourself up and change your life.

Nail on the head sir!!

Still stands to reason that if you want your education system to be the best in the country, or at least able to compete with the best in the country,
that you would model your system off of THE BEST in the country. Goes the same with job creation models. If you want to attract the jobs to the state
then you should look at what the JOB CREATING states are doing to make it happen. If we aren't creative enough to be the leaders at least be good at
copy catting the leaders. Stupid is as stupid does.

fireplug wrote:Still stands to reason that if you want your education system to be the best in the country, or at least able to compete with the best in the country,
that you would model your system off of THE BEST in the country. Goes the same with job creation models. If you want to attract the jobs to the state
then you should look at what the JOB CREATING states are doing to make it happen. If we aren't creative enough to be the leaders at least be good at
copy catting the leaders. Stupid is as stupid does.

Just because you WANT the model doesnt mean that model would work in this state. First problem you have to take care of is the entitlement society throughout the state. Before thats taken care of your pissin in the wind. AND taking care of that problem is alot easier said than done since we have let it go on as long as we have.

GrizwalD wrote:

fireplug wrote:Still stands to reason that if you want your education system to be the best in the country, or at least able to compete with the best in the country,
that you would model your system off of THE BEST in the country. Goes the same with job creation models. If you want to attract the jobs to the state
then you should look at what the JOB CREATING states are doing to make it happen. If we aren't creative enough to be the leaders at least be good at
copy catting the leaders. Stupid is as stupid does.

Just because you WANT the model doesnt mean that model would work in this state. First problem you have to take care of is the entitlement society throughout the state. Before thats taken care of your pissin in the wind. AND taking care of that problem is alot easier said than done since we have let it go on as long as we have.

Modeling or benchmarking doesn't mean copying it word for word. It means look at what works for the successful states, and put a plan together that would work
for our state. If successful states have ticks sucking off the system, find out how they make it work, because we will always have ticks.

davidees wrote:I don't buy into a lot of these "lists ". I guess because I make a decent living, I can read and write, I'm not fat, I'm happy, I enjoy a good quality of life, and so does my child. (I mention these because they are in reference to other "lists" I've seen FYI.) Most of the people I know do too. Perhaps we are just lucky or maybe we just put things in perspective. I never did care much about their lists or what outsiders think of us anyways.

Agreed. They are factoring in the unemployment rate, and it has nothing to do with the people who are actually trying to make a living. The biggest city in MS has become overrun with "non-wage earners". If a bulk of these people actually attempted to make an honest living, they could. This would dramatically improve the economy. However, so many of these people have no desire to actually find a real job. Hawaii is the very same. It's not as lovely as it appears on post cards. As soon as you get away from the resort areas, you see the $#!+ the vast majority of the populated areas are. Much like 1/2 of Jackson and the bulk of the delta, but with beautiful scenery and foliage.

duramax wrote:

davidees wrote:I don't buy into a lot of these "lists ". I guess because I make a decent living, I can read and write, I'm not fat, I'm happy, I enjoy a good quality of life, and so does my child. (I mention these because they are in reference to other "lists" I've seen FYI.) Most of the people I know do too. Perhaps we are just lucky or maybe we just put things in perspective. I never did care much about their lists or what outsiders think of us anyways.

Agreed. They are factoring in the unemployment rate, and it has nothing to do with the people who are actually trying to make a living. The biggest city in MS has become overrun with "non-wage earners". If a bulk of these people actually attempted to make an honest living, they could. This would dramatically improve the economy. However, so many of these people have no desire to actually find a real job. Hawaii is the very same. It's not as lovely as it appears on post cards. As soon as you get away from the resort areas, you see the caca the vast majority of the populated areas are. Much like 1/2 of Jackson and the bulk of the delta, but with beautiful scenery and foliage.

I lived in Hawaii awhile and it seemed like a 3rd world country to me. After living there awhile I learned the people who make these lists are full of crap. There's no way Mississippi ranks behind them in some of these lists, particularly in fatness. Just saw another list today that says Mississippi is the most corrupt state....whatever.

davidees wrote:

duramax wrote:

davidees wrote:I don't buy into a lot of these "lists ". I guess because I make a decent living, I can read and write, I'm not fat, I'm happy, I enjoy a good quality of life, and so does my child. (I mention these because they are in reference to other "lists" I've seen FYI.) Most of the people I know do too. Perhaps we are just lucky or maybe we just put things in perspective. I never did care much about their lists or what outsiders think of us anyways.

Agreed. They are factoring in the unemployment rate, and it has nothing to do with the people who are actually trying to make a living. The biggest city in MS has become overrun with "non-wage earners". If a bulk of these people actually attempted to make an honest living, they could. This would dramatically improve the economy. However, so many of these people have no desire to actually find a real job. Hawaii is the very same. It's not as lovely as it appears on post cards. As soon as you get away from the resort areas, you see the caca the vast majority of the populated areas are. Much like 1/2 of Jackson and the bulk of the delta, but with beautiful scenery and foliage.

I lived in Hawaii awhile and it seemed like a 3rd world country to me. After living there awhile I learned the people who make these lists are full of crap. There's no way Mississippi ranks behind them in some of these lists, particularly in fatness. Just saw another list today that says Mississippi is the most corrupt state....whatever.

This is absolutely the truth, we work with government offices in LA, MS and AR and I can tell you LA has some of the shadiest dealings one could ever imagine.