US States: The Good and the Bad and Ugly

Great map posted on Ezra Klein's blog on WashingtonPost.com yesterday about the pros and cons of each state in the Union. Now some of the pluses are questionable, such as Kentucky being the "Best Armed" or just seem like a pathetic reach, such as Oklahoma being "Best License Plate". Some of the negatives are funny, like Utah with "Porn Usage" or Washington with "Bestiality". My personal favorite is the seemingly obvious connection between Ohio's pro ("Highest Library Usage") and con ("Nerdiest state").

It would have been nice to see a side by side list so I made one up myself below. See if you can find any other interesting connections. Enjoy!

Alabama
Good: Church Attendance
Bad: Stroke

Alaska
Good: Most Equal
Bad: Suicide

Arizona
Good: Sunniest
Bad: Alcoholism

Arkansas
Good: Bromine Production
Bad: Worst Credit Score

California
Good: Safest for Workers
Bad: Air Pollution

Colorado
Good: Lowest Obesity Rate
Bad: Cocaine Use

Connecticut
Good: Lowest Carbon Emissions
Bad: Breast Cancer

Delaware
Good: Best State to Incorporate In
Bad: Abortion

Florida
Good: Affordable In-State Tuition
Bad: Identity Theft

Georgia
Good: Hosts Busiest Airport Hub
Bad: Most Sickly

Hawaii
Good: Highest Life Expectancy
Bad: Cost of Living

Idaho
Good: Highest Per Capita Computer Manufacturing Output
Bad: Weakest Government Influence

Illinois
Good: Most Average
Bad: Robbery

Indiana
Good: Most VPs Born
Bad: Least ‘green’ state

Iowa
Good: Sick Days Taken
Bad: Oldest State

Kansas
Good: Wheat Production
Bad: Poorest Health

Kentucky
Good: Best Armed
Bad: Cancer Deaths

Louisiana
Good: Biggest Pork
Bad: Gonorrhea

Maine
Good: Least Violent Crime
Bad: Dumbest State

Maryland
Good: Highest Income
Bad: AIDS

Massachusetts
Good: College Grads
Bad: Worst drivers

Michigan
Good: Best Freshwater Access
Bad: Unemployment

Minnesota
Good: Best Heart Health
Bad: Tornadoes

Mississippi
Good: Churches per Capita
Bad: Obesity

Missouri
Good: Political Bellwether
Bad: Bankruptcy

Montana
Good: Native American Political Empowerment
Bad: Drunk driving

Nebraska
Good: Least Public Corruption
Bad: Violence on Females

Nevada
Good: Most Liberalized Prostitution Laws
Bad: Crime

New Hampshire
Good: Least Poverty
Bad: Corporate Taxes

New Jersey
Good: Lowest Suicide Rate
Bad: Taxes

New Mexico
Good: Spaceport Home
Bad: Anti-social

New York
Good: Transit Use
Bad: Daily Commute

North Carolina
Good: Best Value University
Bad: Teacher salary

North Dakota
Good: Lowest Unemployment
Bad: Ugliest residents

Ohio
Good: Highest Library Usage
Bad: Nerdiest state

Oklahoma
Good: Best License Plate
Bad: Female criminals

Oregon
Good: Most Breastfed Babies
Bad: Homeless population

Pennsylvania
Good: Most Hunters
Bad: Arson

Rhode Island
Good: Lowest Coal Consumption per Capita
Bad: Drug use

South Carolina
Good: Golf Holes per Capita
Bad: Most mobile homes

South Dakota
Good: Fewest Mental Health Days Taken
Bad: Rape

Tennessee
Good: Immunization
Bad: Corruption

Texas
Good: Most Wind Power Production
Bad: High School Graduation

Utah
Good: Highest Reported Wellbeing
Bad: Porn Usage

Vermont
Good: Healthiest
Bad: Infertility

Virginia
Good: Presidential Birthplace
Bad: Motorcycle deaths

Washington
Good: Lowest Infant Mortality
Bad: Bestiality

West Virginia
Good: Most Retirees
Bad: Heart Attack

Wisconsin
Good: High School Graduation Rate
Bad: Binge drinking

Wyoming
Good: Cleanest Air
Bad: Fatal car crashes

Enhanced State of Union Address

Here is the video of President Obama's State of the Union address. If you haven't heard, the did a really cool thing where they had graphs and charts appear alongside the President as he spoke through he speech. It's kind of like watching a lecture with a corresponding PowerPoint presentation. Be sure to check it out!

That about sums it up.

Count on Washington Post cartoonist Tom Toles to sum it up pretty accurately.

The Earth Shaking Touchdown

This is pretty funny. More than just a helluva run by Marshawn Lynch.

Repealing the Affordable Care Act will Hurt the Economy | The White House

Repealing the Affordable Care Act will Hurt the Economy | The White House

"I am rubber, you're glue" is the equally mature response here.

Steven Pearlstein writes yet another fascinating column, this time an uncharacteristically aggressive piece about the Republican Party's obsession with the term "job-killing". A few poignant quotes:

"What's so curious is that it's hard to find almost any Republican concern about employment homicide during 2008, when George W. Bush was president and the economy was shedding 4.4 million jobs. Given the lag with which economic policy works, the biggest net job loss that could credibly be assigned to Obama during his two years in office would be less than a million."

"There is an unmistakable redbaiting quality to the "job-killing" rhetoric, a throwback to the McCarthy era. It reflects the sort of economic fundamentalism better suited to Afghan politics than American. Rather than contributing to the political dialogue, it is a substitute for serious discussion. And the fact that it continues unabated suggests that Republicans are not ready to compromise or to govern."

Sadly, if any Republicans read this, they would accuse me of writing a job-killing blog post so you can't win either way except to say:

"I am rubber, you're glue, whatever you say bounces off of me and sticks to you."

It’s amazing what you find when you read between the lines of the U.S. Constitution…

The actual text of the United States Constitution can be found here. However, constitutional law scholar David Cole gives us the version the Tea Party would prefer to read on the floor of the House of Representatives.

Déjà vu all over again

Why am I not surprised that the process for selecting candidates for this election is nearly identical to the process for selecting candidates in this election?

In both cases “candidates must believe in the principles of the [political party or country] and have a prominent political and religious background.”

Implementation Timeline - Kaiser Health Reform

Everything you need to know about the provisions in the Affordable Care Act:

Implementation Timeline - Kaiser Health Reform