Goin’ to the South

I’m going to Mississippi this weekend, which means I’ won’t be blogging or tweeting. It also means……

Well, it’s Mississippi.  It speaks for itself.

A couple weeks ago, I made this version of a sign that I saw on The Daily Show:

My apologies to Florida, but that probably is not the most accurate statement.  I introduce the rival, Mississippi, with negative statistic after negative statistic (source):

• 6th in firearm death rate per 1,000
• 1st in lynchings per capita between 1882 and 1968
• 2nd in prisoners per capita
• 3rd in prisoners held in private facilities per capita
• Last in median family income
• 1st in poverty rate
• 2nd in child poverty rate
• 1st in poverty among seniors
• 2nd in unemployment rate
• 8th in bankruptcy filings per capita
• 23rd in welfare caseloads per capita (not bad until you think of their high poverty rates)
• 2nd worst in reading and science (4th grade)
• 4th worst in math and writing (4th grade)
• 49th of 51 in library visits per capita (they keep track of that?)
• 4rd of 51 teenage birth rate (so much for abstinence-only sex-ed)
• 1st in obesity
• Last in woman who have had dental visits
• 8th in teen death rate
• Second to last in employment ratio
• This ranking called it the worst state

All Mississippi’s conservative policies just add up to total crap.  Plus it’s outrageously hot.  All these things give Mississippi this road sign:

When I get back, I’ll tell all about it.   I promise.