Worst US State

[English]

Texas.
I imagine I would hate living there.
Too money orientated, religious, right wing and hot.

States I'd probably like....
Vermont, North Dakota & Mass.
North Dakota is fairly conservative, but people have told me the people are extremely friendly and crime is virtually non-existant. I'd also like warm, sunny summers and snowy winters.

[migrendel]

Of course I wouldn't, MarkDel. I also support bans on menorahs or whatever Ramadan displays they can muster.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Texas.
I imagine I would hate living there.
Too money orientated, religious, right wing and hot.

States I'd probably like....
Vermont, North Dakota & Mass.
North Dakota is fairly conservative, but people have told me the people are extremely friendly and crime is virtually non-existant. I'd also like warm, sunny summers and snowy winters.

the winters go a lot beyond "snowy"

[Bono]

Since we're talking about states we'd like, I'd not mind Nebraska, a state known for its weird political experiments.

[dazzleman]

The South and Mid-Atlantic are horrible for me.  I hate strong police powers and my personal experiences in both suggest to me the police are a little extra corrupt in many parts of the South and quite ticket-happy in the Mid-Atlantic.  And on a personal level I wouldn't want to live in Massachusetts because I'm not a Masshole.

So I guess you got nailed for speeding a few times in the mid-Atlantic states?  Join the club, man.  Most of my friends have some pretty funny stories about getting nailed for speeding in that section of the country.

I live in New England and like it quite a bit.  There are many parts of the country where I would not mind living, so it's hard to say what the best place would be.  I guess right where I am right now.  I really like some parts of the west coast of Florida, the Washington DC area, and parts of California.

I think that just about every state has places that are great to live, and places that are terrible to live.  You just have to know how to differentiate between the two.

[freedomburns]

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LOL  LOL

Your problem, my good sir, is that you are provincial.  I have traveled the world.  I have visited all of the continents and lived on three of them for more than two years.  I have visited most of the states in the union and lived on both coasts for extended periods.  My travels, and my extensive life experience leads me to assiduously avoid persons of your character as well as localities which espouse the aberrant politics and overt racism that yours does.  

SR, you can’t argue with numbers.  Undoubtedly the reason for why ZERO POINT FOUR percent of the population of ID is black is because they don’t want to live somewhere where they are made to feel SO extremely unwelcome.  That attitude is backwards, racist, small-minded and totally lame.  If there were any question that the people from ID tend toward ignorance and meanness, then this gentleman’s hostile postings should allay any uncertainty in that regard.

I have a few good friends from ID.  They come and visit me in CA and they stay at my house.  They are the exceptions to the rule, as there can be little doubt that most people from ID hate people from CA. My friends are extremely well mannered.  They always graciously invite me to allow them to reciprocate by having me stay with them while I visit them in ID.  I always try not to break into outright laughter or smirk, but to be equally gracious in declining their offer.

LOL

I am so glad that I have learned to trust my own judgment on these matters.

freedomburns

[??????????]

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SR, you can’t argue with numbers.  Undoubtedly the reason for why ZERO POINT FOUR percent of the population of ID is black is because they don’t want to live somewhere where they are made to feel SO extremely unwelcome.  That attitude is backwards, racist, small-minded and totally lame.  If there were any question that the people from ID tend toward ignorance and meanness, then this gentleman’s hostile postings should allay any uncertainty in that regard.

I disagree. Quit blaming everyone else. Maybe blacks don't want to live in Idaho.

[freedomburns]

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SR, you can’t argue with numbers.  Undoubtedly the reason for why ZERO POINT FOUR percent of the population of ID is black is because they don’t want to live somewhere where they are made to feel SO extremely unwelcome.  That attitude is backwards, racist, small-minded and totally lame.  If there were any question that the people from ID tend toward ignorance and meanness, then this gentleman’s hostile postings should allay any uncertainty in that regard.

I disagree. Quit blaming everyone else. Maybe blacks don't want to live in Idaho.

And WHY exactly would that be SR?  Do you have a better theory than the fact that ID is filled with racist, neo-Nazi ideologues?  Because it is.
 
You have every right to disagree.  I just wish you had some good reason for disagreeing.  You don't.  You just seem to be repeating the point that I am making.

freedomburns

[??????????]

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SR, you can’t argue with numbers.  Undoubtedly the reason for why ZERO POINT FOUR percent of the population of ID is black is because they don’t want to live somewhere where they are made to feel SO extremely unwelcome.  That attitude is backwards, racist, small-minded and totally lame.  If there were any question that the people from ID tend toward ignorance and meanness, then this gentleman’s hostile postings should allay any uncertainty in that regard.

I disagree. Quit blaming everyone else. Maybe blacks don't want to live in Idaho.

And WHY exactly would that be SR?  Do you have a better theory than the fact that ID is filled with racist, neo-Nazi ideologues?  Because it is.
 
You have every right to disagree.  I just wish you had some good reason for disagreeing.  You don't.  You just seem to be repeating the point that I am making.

freedomburns

I would like to see evidence that Idaho is just so filled with Racists and Neo Nazis. Did you know that New York has more hate crimes per capita then any other state in the US? Did you ever put into consideration migration trends among the various states? I don't see a huge migration of any race into Idaho. Mostly because it's remote and I doubt their is very much work there. People go where the work and money is at. Especially as the "disadvantaged" races have done for the past 150 years. Remember the great migration North? Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, and Utah have been desolate places for years. Now if Idaho had 10 million people and those kind of numbers of minorities I could understand that racism may be the reason. But if you want to use that example why do Mississippi and Alabama have such huge populations of blacks. Those were two of the most dangerous states for blacks only 40 years ago. Economics hold people to a particular area of our nation more then racial relations IMHO. If racial relations WERE the reason for migration then the south would be lily white.

[freedomburns]

Now THAT was a good argument.  And there probably is something to what you say.  Mississippi is in the Deep South where all of the slaves were.  But if I were African American I would be in a big hurry to get away from the places where apartheid and Jim Crow are deeply ingrained in the culture.

I would move far away, even somewhere cold if I could find an open, egalitarian culture of tolerance and acceptance.  I don't think it's just Idaho.  Oregon can be just as bad in the wrong parts.  But Idaho might be the worst.  

As far as neo-Nazi's, I only know what I have heard and read about all of the Aryan Nation's marches through downtown Coeur d´Alene.  And again I fall back on statistics which are really hard to massage and interpret any other way.  I mean come on.  Zero Point Four percent??  I mean really.

I don’t think all rednecks are racists.  Just the ones that wear caps and drive domestic pickups.  

Did you know that 30% of the old time cowboys were black?  I didn't either.  Hmm.

freedomburns


bedtime for gonzo...

[English]

I always thought Idaho was mostly uninhabited wilderness!!

[opebo]

I always thought Idaho was mostly uninhabited wilderness!!

America is largely uninhabited wilderness...

[English]

I always thought Idaho was mostly uninhabited wilderness!!

America is largely uninhabited wilderness...

New Jersey certainly isn't! Unless you count chemical works and scrap yards!

[??????????]

I don’t think all rednecks are racists.  Just the ones that wear caps and drive domestic pickups.  

Hey! I drive a Ford F-150 and wear ballcaps and cowboy hats. And around here old Floridians are called crackers (from the sound the whip made when it was cracked during cattle drives) instead of rednecks.

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I know quite a few blacks today that are cowboys. Mexicans have taken over a LOT of the jobs around here that blacks used to do. The black middle class is on the rise here. Around here I'd say the racial tensions are more Black/White vs Mexican. Blacks hold a lot of resentment towards Mexicans because of my before mentioned statement. I don't know how it is in Californai or anything west of Texas really since I've never been and can't say for sure.

[ATFFL]

I don't know how it is in Californai or anything west of Texas really since I've never been and can't say for sure.

In that case, you should just make stuff up.  That is the lesson I have learned from teh Idaho discussion.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

I would like to see evidence that Idaho is just so filled with Racists and Neo Nazis.

Here's the evidence: It was one of Bush's best states.

[Bogart]

Is it really possible to narrow it to just one?  Okay...MissouriOklahomaTexasoranyoftheDeepSouthstatesexceptFloridaandGeorgia.

[Bono]

Is it really possible to narrow it to just one?  Okay...MissouriOklahomaTexasoranyoftheDeepSouthstatesexceptFloridaandGeorgia.

What's wrong with Oklahoma?

[Bogart]

Is it really possible to narrow it to just one?  Okay...MissouriOklahomaTexasoranyoftheDeepSouthstatesexceptFloridaandGeorgia.

What's wrong with Oklahoma?

Nothing there. Boring, boring, boring.

[Bogart]

Maybe, I'm not really sure. I drove through OK a couple of times to and from AZ to WI. I even had the "pleasure" of staying overnight in Oklahoma City once. Not the most beautiful city I've had the pleasure to visit.

[freedomburns]

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I love people who disagree with me because it makes me think about my ideals and question whether they are rooted in a good philosophy.  That's the difference between us.  I appreciate other people's ideas and opinions.  If it weren't for a diversity of viewpoints, America would not be the great country that it is.

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You're right, I am making assumptions about you, and for that I apologize.  I just assumed that if you had traveled extensively you would have seen a lot of nice places and had the good sense to settle yourself in one of them.  My mistake.  Again, I apologize.  

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I understand.  No problem.  I know that it can be unsettling for some people to have a cherished set of beliefs questioned.  We will have to agree to disagree.  I have spent time in Idaho.  If you enjoy it there, well, more power to you.  That's probably where you belong.  I should not criticize a place that I have only visited once, right?  

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Again, I must apologize for my assumptions.  I was unaware of this growth in the black population as I do not have access to statistics more current than the 2000 US Census Report.  I think it's great that the Idahoans managed to convince another black person to move there.  That makes what?  Three now?  So that would be zero point six percent?  Terrific!  A fifty percent improvement!  Keep up the good work!

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I do not claim to always be right.  That is your assumption about me.  I am only offering my point of view, and unlike some, I am always willing to listen to opposing points of view with an open mind and a willingness to modify or change my opinions if I can be convinced of a better way.

freedomburns

[Storebought]

Now THAT was a good argument.  And there probably is something to what you say.  Mississippi is in the Deep South where all of the slaves were.  But if I were African American I would be in a big hurry to get away from the places where apartheid and Jim Crow are deeply ingrained in the culture.

It's a fact that blacks are moving back to the South in droves.

[freedomburns]

You have never accepted an opposing view from me, but I don't care.  Truce?

Truce.  Gladly.  Before I say anything else that's even more stupider than I already have...

*Hand extended in sincere gesture of consiliation.*


I haven't had the oportunity to debate anything with you except which is the lousiest state.  Not necessarily the most burning and crucial question for maintaining the health of the union...

freedomburns

[W in 2004]

suburban wasteland. brownfields and beach walls.  bruce springsteen and annoying 6 hour concerts.

Camden and Atlantic City are both great cities.

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I think it's shaped more like the elder Bush's head.

Camden NJ is nasty!!!  So is the town of Lakewood in Ocean County NJ.

[Governor PiT]

Illinois