Why is Mississippi #1 in teen pregnancy, high school dropout, obesity and diabetes rates?

[BOSSHOG]

Could there be any correlation with the fact that the state is also number one in Churchs per capita?

- Faith Based weight loss?
- And just how do those single virgin teenage girls get pregnant?
- And if ya got the Lord ya don't need an education?
- And whats with all those free DNA testing signs?
- Oh and I can attest we are, by gawd, a proud red state. We got us some values.

[stanwyck]

1. Look for Huckabee to take Mississippi's primary

and then he'll probably be done. If the GOP isn't careful, they'll become the party of the South. And not much else.
(say, does that Faith based weight loss work?)

[BOSSHOG]

3. You weigh what God wants you to weigh.

There is no doubt Huckleberry will sweep Mississipi from Tupelo to Biloxi. It will be a grand day indeed.

[stanwyck]

6. Ah, that explains the Huckabee family portrait

thus concludes my mean-spirited post for today.
(Hey, I'm not the one who called his son a Volkswagen with eyes. No, you didn't hear that from me....)
Repenting now.

[Warpy]

16. Hey, all that deep fried lard is keeping his kids out of the army

Jebus takes good care of his people in the south.

[stanwyck]

21. OK. You've hit a sore spot with me

since I have a Marine son with three tours to Iraq. (he's a liberal who wants Hillary. His twin sister voted for Obama yesterday). Why is it that all of our (with the exception of McCain) war-lovin' Republicans have these big, hulking sons who, like Cheney, have "other priorities" about enlisting to go to Iraq? I understand it's their life. Their choice. And we have an all volunteer army. Yet it still is a source of irritation to me that these war-mongering candidates who have no remorse at sending the same forces to Iraq repeatedly don't have children in the battle. Makes you wonder about their real "family values." Apparently, military service is not a value that is, uh, valued.

[Warpy]

27. Thank your son for his service

and I hope we are able to keep him from having to serve a fourth term in that useless war being clung to by a bunch of rich old men who want to be richer.

I'm a firm believer in a volunteer military unless the US has been invaded by a hostile power and only the sons of the wealthy are left outside it. That wasn't a problem in WWII, as even the sons of the wealthy volunteered to fight Hitler and Tojo.

I am just saddened that so many fine young men and women volunteered to defend our country and were sucked into a useless war based on lies told by greedy madmen. I hope we rid ourselves of the madmen soon, imprison them where they belong, and get your son home for good.

[stanwyck]

33. thanks for the concern

which is shared by so many here at DU. The support I've had during my son's tours has been such a comfort to me and my family.
I, also, am a firm believer in having a volunteer military. I hope we do not see a return to the draft.
However, our leaders need to find a way to minimize the hardship on our troops as they are continually redeployed to the Mideast. What Eisenhower warned of has happened: the administration has allowed the military industrial complex to determine when and how we use our armed forces.

[Donnachaidh]

2. I blame the funnel cakes. n/t

[leftofthedial]

4. moon pies and rc colas

[Warpy]

17. Don't dis the breakfast of champions

Lived on it for years in the south.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

5. It's also the poorest state in the country.

Create jobs in Mississippi and things would do much better.

[BOSSHOG]

8. Is it fair to say

that an influx of well paying jobs and a significant upturn in the state's economy would be bad news for evangelical preachers?

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

13. and any conmen and hucksters

I sometimes think the corrupt politicos want to keep the masses fat and ignorant.

[BOSSHOG]

18. I have no doubt

that a big improvement in education is the last thing Preachers want. A bigger chuck of tithing would go to such silly thinks like Cancer and Alzheimers and Diabetes research.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

19. No, I don't think so.

I'm willing to bet that most evangelical preachers are as honest and hard working as anybody else.

[NoSheep]

15. DING!

That's MY answer

[spoony]

32. You're correct.

[jody]

7. Self removed. n/t

[seasat]

9. Funny story about Mississippi

I did my masters at the University of Southern Mississippi. They had a free comedy show by Carrot Top so a bunch of us decided to attend. The warm up comedian was from South Carolina. He was making jokes about how backwards his state was. He mentioned that South Carolina ranked 49th in the country in education. A huge group of students on the front row then shouted, "We're 50th!". The guy kind of lost his composure and tried to recover by saying that he was sure Mississippi was number one in something. The same group then shouted, "Teenage pregnancy!". The poor comedian was completely speechless for a while.

[Cabcere]

12. LOL!

That is really funny. Poor guy...

[mitchum]

31. Many South Carolinians say that the SC state motto "dum spiro spero"...

is Latin for "Thank God for Mississippi"

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

10. So Arkansas doesn't have to be

We always say "Thank God for Mississippi! Because of that state, we aren't dead last in the nation as far as education goes!" I'll extrapolate from that to include the items on your list.

I'd also add that there is quite a bit of nepotism and political corruption here--would it be the same there in Mississippi?

[BOSSHOG]

14. I recall when I lived in my beloved Arkansas

that old saying "Thank God for Mississippi. Nepotism absolutely here. Some corruption but we are overshadowed in that department by our neighbors to the West, Louisiana.

Its funny about nepotism. I asked by wife (wiseassedly) about the DNA testing signs on the road, and she said yeah, isn't everybody here related to one another? Bless her heart.

[Dawggie]

11. They're one of the biggest pro gun states in the union?

[Freddie Stubbs]

20. It also has the highest percentage of African Americans

These are all problems which endemic in the African American community. Mocking their religiousness probably isn't the best solution.

[BOSSHOG]

24. I think

less religion and more education would be a solution. Maybe not the best, certainly not the only, but a solution non the less. I see the clergy in this state doing nothing for their flocks except making them feel good.

[DCKit]

22. Self-Hating Republicans?

Submerging themselves in cheap, bad food, pointless sex, reality TeeVee and mindless, fundamentalism to avoid reality?

I'm not sure who's more at fault, Jerry Springer or WJC.

[madrchsod]

23. a guy my dad worked with was from mississppii

my dad asked him with he moved to illinois..he said he wanted his son to get an education because it just was`t the blacks it was also the poor whites that received poorly funded schools. the rich people sent their kids to private schools..

[hadrons]

25. The people of Mississippi see these problem which is why there are so many churchs ....

part of the problem is that many there aren't open to solutions that don't involve religion.

[Donk Yore]

26. Poverty and very poor education systems

I hear what you're saying.

[acmavm]

28. Maybe poverty?

[TahitiNut]

29. Krispy Kreme, mattresses without sheets, and Mississippi bur.. learning.

:evilgrin:

Sheets as clothing seem to encourage weight gain.

[Initech]

30. Guess they're not buying Pat Robertson's weight-loss bars and protein shakes!