Alabama: Conservative Paradise

Geoist · Dec 12, 2017

As Alabamans get ready to vote for a new senator, they face a difficult choice. Go with the guy who admitted dating teenage girls and would like homosexuality outlawed... or a LIBERAL. Clearly, many think it is better to go with the former. After all, he's a true conservative. Let's see what conservatism has gotten Alabama:

Health Care - #47

Education - #47

Crime & Corrections - #42

Infrastructure - #31

Opportunity - #40

Economy - #45

Government - #42

OVERALL - #47

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/alabama

Oh wait, Alabama Ranked #1!... most stressed state:

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2017-04-05/alabama-is-the-most-stressed-state

Geoist · Dec 12, 2017

43 views, no replies. Can't say I am at all surprised. There is no spin that can really get around these numbers.

ttwtt78640 · Dec 12, 2017

Maybe it is due, in part, to its diversity.

Alabama is more diverse than the rest of the country – whites compose just under 70 percent of the population, and blacks make up about 27 percent, twice as high as in the U.S. overall.

Lower median income and higher poverty are likely factors as well.

The 2015 median household income of $44,765 was only about 80 percent of the national average, and the poverty rate of about 19 percent was about a quarter above the rest of the nation’s.

You may be right - since:

Alabama is tied with Mississippi for the most religious state, according to Pew Research, with 77 percent of adults identified as highly religious. Almost nine in 10 Alabama adults are Christian.

Though the state favored Southern Democrats after the Reconstruction era, Alabama essentially abandoned the party during the 1960s civil rights movement and has been a Republican stronghold ever since.

RabidAlpaca · Dec 12, 2017

ttwtt78640 said:
Maybe it is due, in part, to its diversity.
Lower median income and higher poverty are likely factors as well.
You may be right - since:

Oh look, a conservative did show up. His response? "It's all the blacks' fault!"

Geoist · Dec 12, 2017

ttwtt78640 said:
Maybe it is due, in part, to its diversity.

We are one of the most diverse nations in the world, yet we are a super power.

ttwtt78640 · Dec 12, 2017

RabidAlpaca said:
Oh look, a conservative did show up. His response? "It's all the blacks' fault!"

I simply supplied bits from the OP linked article and included those traits that make Alabama so conservative.

Geoist · Dec 12, 2017

ttwtt78640 said:
Lower median income and higher poverty are likely factors as well.

Shouldn't this bastion of conservatism have a lower poverty rate due to everyone pulling themselves up by the boot straps and exhibiting their rugged individualism?

ttwtt78640 · Dec 12, 2017

Geoist said:
We are one of the most diverse nations in the world, yet we are a super power.

We have a very high gun death rate, high income inequality, lack UHC and we are indeed a superpower. Perhaps correlation is not causation.

holbritter · Dec 12, 2017

Geoist said:
As Alabamans get ready to vote for a new senator, they face a difficult choice. Go with the guy who admitted dating teenage girls and would like homosexuality outlawed... or a LIBERAL. Clearly, many think it is better to go with the former. After all, he's a true conservative. Let's see what conservatism has gotten Alabama:

Health Care - #47

Education - #47

Crime & Corrections - #42

Infrastructure - #31

Opportunity - #40

Economy - #45

Government - #42

OVERALL - #47

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/alabama

Oh wait, Alabama Ranked #1!... most stressed state:

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2017-04-05/alabama-is-the-most-stressed-state

I think it's really ****ty that your mocking a whole state of people without knowing how each individual sees things. Tell me, what state do you live in? Is it the best state in the world? Such an accepting and tolerating attitude.

haymarket · Dec 12, 2017

Geoist said:
As Alabamans get ready to vote for a new senator, they face a difficult choice. Go with the guy who admitted dating teenage girls and would like homosexuality outlawed... or a LIBERAL. Clearly, many think it is better to go with the former. After all, he's a true conservative. Let's see what conservatism has gotten Alabama:

Health Care - #47

Education - #47

Crime & Corrections - #42

Infrastructure - #31

Opportunity - #40

Economy - #45

Government - #42

OVERALL - #47

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/alabama

Oh wait, Alabama Ranked #1!... most stressed state:

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2017-04-05/alabama-is-the-most-stressed-state

The idea of putting the two words ALABAMA and PARADISE in the same sentence is one of the most creative things I have ever seen here on DP. Kudos!!!!!

holbritter · Dec 12, 2017

RabidAlpaca said:
Oh look, a conservative did show up. His response? "It's all the blacks' fault!"

He's quoting from the link. Is the link suggesting it's all the blacks fault? :roll:

Geoist · Dec 12, 2017

ttwtt78640 said:
We have a very high gun death rate,

Number of guns+gun culture=high gun death rate.

high income inequality,

Thanks to Republican policies.

lack UHC

Thanks to Republicans and some short-sighted Democrats.

Perhaps correlation is not causation.

And I could say the same to you.

However, you must admit, these numbers do not look good for conservative policies. Conservatives cannot just blame racial diversity for their policies failing.

ttwtt78640 · Dec 12, 2017

Geoist said:
Shouldn't this bastion of conservatism have a lower poverty rate due to everyone pulling themselves up by the boot straps and exhibiting their rugged individualism?

Nope, since poverty is measured (largely) regardless of cost of living. All states, except AK and HI, use the same household income/size to determine "official" poverty yet cost of living varies widely among, and even within, those states.

Geoist · Dec 12, 2017

holbritter said:
I think it's really ****ty that your mocking a whole state of people without knowing how each individual sees things.

On the contrary, I feel for everyone, Alabaman conservative or not, who has to suffer under short-sighted policies.

Geoist · Dec 12, 2017

ttwtt78640 said:
Nope, since poverty is measured (largely) regardless of cost of living. All states, except AK and HI, use the same household income/size to determine "official" poverty yet cost of living varies widely among, and even within, those states.

Cost of living tends to go up when you have good infrastructure, schools, jobs, etc.

beancounter · Dec 12, 2017

It Alabama. Moore will win.

The only thing that could take him down is if it's discovered that he's a closet Atheist.

ttwtt78640 · Dec 12, 2017

Geoist said:
Cost of living tends to go up when you have good infrastructure, schools, jobs, etc.

Close:

Cost of living tends to go up when you have more expensive infrastructure, schools, jobs, etc.

cpwill · Dec 12, 2017

RabidAlpaca said:
Oh look, a conservative did show up. His response? "It's all the blacks' fault!"

Cites a series of stats to try to deride a group of people he doesn't like.

Gets upset when those stats turn out to offer problems with a group of people he likes.

Geoist · Dec 12, 2017

ttwtt78640 said:
Close:

Cost of living tends to go up when you have more expensive infrastructure, schools, jobs, etc.

That is correct.

So why is this conservative bastion #45 in economy?

ttwtt78640 · Dec 12, 2017

Geoist said:
That is correct.

So why is this conservative bastion #45 in economy?

According to your link:

Alabama’s economy has suffered in recent years, with the mining and logging, construction and leisure and hospitality industries all experiencing declines in 2016. Agriculture and forestry remain driving forces in the state – about 70 percent of the state is covered in forests – and almost one in five jobs is dependent on the industries.

Geoist · Dec 12, 2017

ttwtt78640 said:
According to your link:

Why is the conservative economy depending on only a couple of industries? Shouldn't their freer market mean a vast array of economic opportunities?

ttwtt78640 · Dec 12, 2017

Geoist said:
Why is the conservative economy depending on only a couple of industries? Shouldn't their freer market mean a vast array of economic opportunities?

I have no idea. Maybe they should raise taxes, increase regulations and expand their government to make their state more attractive to other business interests.

Geoist · Dec 12, 2017

ttwtt78640 said:
I have no idea. Maybe they should raise taxes, increase regulations and expand their government to make their state more attractive to other business interests.

Or maybe their government should have smart taxes, smart regulations, and smart investments.

Rickeroo · Dec 12, 2017

Geoist said:
Shouldn't this bastion of conservatism have a lower poverty rate due to everyone pulling themselves up by the boot straps and exhibiting their rugged individualism?

There is a flaw in the political party / success correlation. For example, it could just as easily be said that inner cities are bastions of liberalism. Obama didn't raise Baltimore out of poverty, and Trump isn't going to raise coal country out of poverty. This isn't a problem in itself, but becomes one when those voting factions depend on a politician (a celebrity of sort) to do the work of success for them.

ReverendHellh0und · Dec 12, 2017

Geoist said:
Number of guns+gun culture=high gun death rate.

Incorrect, a culture of inner city violence and criminal records= high gun death rate.

It's democrats killing each other. lets not forget that.

Alabama: Conservative Paradise

Geoist

Geoist

ttwtt78640

Sometimes wrong

RabidAlpaca

Engineer

Geoist

ttwtt78640

Sometimes wrong

Geoist

ttwtt78640

Sometimes wrong

holbritter

haymarket

holbritter

Geoist

ttwtt78640

Sometimes wrong

Geoist

Geoist

beancounter

ttwtt78640

Sometimes wrong

cpwill

Geoist

ttwtt78640

Sometimes wrong

Geoist

ttwtt78640

Sometimes wrong

Geoist

Rickeroo

ReverendHellh0und

I don't respect you.