Day: August 2, 2023

Why Avoid Florida?

A good question for a spot that use to be the pinnacle of vacation spots.

But why not Florida?

I am glad you asked.

There are so many reason and let me count the ways.

First the mini dictator, DeSantis…..a red state that hates people…..brain eating amoeba….malaria….alligators…..sharks……15 foot pythons and anacondas…..and the biggest predator of them all….Disney….and now just more scary for the list.

Florida is contending with invasive species, spiking insurance rates, worrisome warming waters, political tensions, and now … leprosy? That’s according to the CDC, who on Monday issued a release spelling out how the infectious condition, also known as Hansen’s disease, has taken hold in the Sunshine State, especially the central portion, reports the Hill. Per the release, Florida was one of the top states that contributed to the 159 new cases in the United States in 2020, with Central Florida being hit especially hard: That portion accounted for 81% of the cases in Florida that year, and nearly 20% of the cases nationally.

The agency notes that its findings “contribute to rising evidence that leprosy has become endemic in the southeastern United States.” The CDC adds that “travel to Florida should be considered when conducting leprosy contact tracing in any state.” Leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, is caused by the Mycobacterium leprae bacteria, which affects the nerves, skin, eyes, and nasal lining. Symptoms typically include discolored skin patches (as well as thick, stiff, or dry skin); loss of eyebrows or eyelashes; ulcers on the soles of one’s feet; muscle weakness; and a loss of sensation, meaning, for instance, a patient may not feel if their skin is being burned.

Upward of 200,000 cases are reported annually worldwide, per the World Health Organization, which notes that the most cases have emerged in Brazil, India, and Indonesia. The agency says the number of reported cases in the southeastern part of the US has “more than doubled” over the past decade, and that multiple cases tracked in Florida “demonstrate no clear evidence of zoonotic exposure or traditionally known risk factors.”

Central Florida?  Is that not where Disney is housed?

When it comes to Florida I’ll take vanilla.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Mississippi Stands Alone

I have pointed out many times that my state, Mississippi, is always at the bottom of every good situation and the top of every bad….once again Mississippi will remain the one state that stands against fornication.

Michigan was in the running as a pillar of unlawful coitus….that is until recently….

Unmarried couples in Michigan are a step closer to being able to legally live together as lewdly and lasciviously as they want to. The state Senate voted 29-9 Wednesday to repeal a law that makes it a misdemeanor for an unmarried man to live with an unmarried woman, the Detroit News reports. The bill would strike a provision against “lewdly and lasciviously associating and cohabitating together,” though it would retain a provision banning any individual from “engaging in open and gross lewdness and lascivious behavior,” reports WWJ. The law hasn’t been enforced for a long time, but under federal law, a person can’t claim somebody as a dependent on their taxes if their relationship violates state law.

Unmarried couples are now free to cohabitate in Michigan. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed legislation repealing a 1931 law that banned unmarried couples from living together, with penalties of up to a year in prison and a $1,000 fine, per the Michigan Advance. Though it’s been a long time since the law was enforced, some Republican lawmakers wanted it to remain in effect, fearing the societal effects of a decline in marriage. Still, the bill easily passed the state House and Senate. Democratic Sen. Stephanie Chang, who sponsored the bill, said the signing brings Michigan “into the current century”—one marked by a record-low US marriage rate. Mississippi is now the only state left with a similar law on the books.

Mississippi stands alone…..there will be no unlawful fornicating in my state.

We still think it is 1950….not long ago Mississippi got rid of the ban on interracial marriages.

There should be a sign on the borders of Mississippi advising people to set their clocks back 150 years.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Is Poverty A Political Choice?

I decided to changes things up for today and what better place to start than my state of Mississippi.

An interesting question that made me think about stuff….while the article focused on governmental programs during the pandemic….but the question is still an interesting one.

In case you want to see what made this post possible….

The data is in: Poverty is a political choice

Although this post is not so much about governmental programs but rather about the voter, especially in my state of Mississippi…..

Mississippi is less than a week away from its primaries and most of the GOP candidates are running ahead….but why?

Before I go any further let me share a bit of info about my state….

  • March 2022 unemployment rate: 4.2%
  • Year-over-year change in unemployment Feb. 2021: 2.5%
  • Q4 2021 GDP per capita: $57,769
  • GDP growth Q3 2021-Q4 2021: 5.7%
  • Average weekly wages Sept. 2020: $1,021
  • Percent change in average weekly wages Sept. 2020-Sept. 2021: 5.4%
  • Percent of population below the poverty line in 2020: 16.7%

Economic prosperity and hardship often coincide, even within state borders. For Mississippi, that couldn’t be more true. For instance, the state has seen $1.3 billion of corporate investments in 2022, helping the state add 4,149 new jobs in 2021…..Also, consider that more than one-fifth of the state has no access to broadband internet. Mississippi also has a nearly 17% poverty rate, the highest in the nation.

Mississippi is the least economically healthy state in the Union….its ranking is 100….let me explain that for you non-economically inclined….Index of state economic conditions based on crowded housing, dependency, education, income, poverty and unemployment; normalized values are 1 to 100, with a higher value indicating worse economic conditions.

In 2022, the state of Mississippi has a population of 2,940,184, having declined an annualized -0.3% over the five years to 2022, which ranks it 49th out of all 50 US states by growth rate. Mississippi’s gross state product (GSP) in 2022 reached $104.7b, with growth of 0.6% over the 5 years to 2022. Businesses in Mississippi employed a total of 1,098,569 people in 2022, with average annual employment growth over the past five years of 0.1%.

Then there is the education in the state…there are about 30+ institutions of higher learning but only about 8.5% of the population has a degree in higher learning.  To say the education is of low priority is a gross understatement.

This brings us to my thought…Is poverty a political decision?

My thought is that it is.

2023 is a major voting year for the state of Mississippi and as listed above there are many issues that need to be corrected to move the state forward.

But as usual the major issues for candidates are such non-productive issues as bathrooms, book banning, educational confusion, etc.

The candidates promise that to make the state a better place to live if their visions are put into action….and for 50 years it has been the same and for 50 years the state of Mississippi remains backwards and uneducated.

In less than a week the voter will once again vote of issues that nothing to do with their ascent into poverty….they pretend that banning books will save the state or that a fixation on bathrooms will somehow equate to better pay and they will vote for the loudest mouth and in doing so will remain at the bottom of an economic success.

What will it take to wake up the voter?  Apparently poverty will not do for they vote for it on every occasion.

Sad for the state has great potential but no one wants it to succeed.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”