Paul Revere by Cyrus Dallin, North End, Boston

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Monday, September 14, 2015

Liberals vs. Conservatives on Quality of Life Issues





From the blog "Why Evolution is True," a number of charts that show differences between liberal/conservative areas of the U.S.A.

Think of these charts and remember them when conservatives tell everyone how superior their political ideology is.

Look at how well, for example, the liberal northeast does compared with the very conservative southeast, deep south, and southwest on quality of life issues.

If conservatism is a superior ideology, why do conservative run states do so poorly in quality of life issues?  


The comparisons begin with religiosity:















Teen birth rate:












Overall accessibility and quality of health care:


health-system-performance





Life expectancy: Healthy years of life beyond age 65:

life-expectancy-after-65

















high-school-graduation-rate






economic-mobility







Levels of poverty by state:


american-living-in-poverty














 Human development (well being) by state:


american-human-development-index Levels of

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hmmmm. Highly religious states also have the highest rates of teen births and the poorest access to health care. They have to do more than pray in those areas, I think. Maybe do for the least of those who need the most? Isn't that something a very famous preacher preached 2000 years ago?

I guess for some people it's more important to deny people the right to marry than it is to help those in need.

Doctor Tomato said...

These chaarts have been published all over the internet for years but that doesn't stop the Tea Party from pretending they're superior to the liberals and calling liberalism a "mental illness." When it's cleaar from these charts that liberalism has made life better for the people who live in liberal states.


The conservatives who control the states where education, health care, and opportunity are measured have failed. What theyf are good at is keeping their populations under educated and poor and voting against their own self-interests. They're very, very good at self-delusion.

Les Carpenter said...

They just ain't prayin hard enough, often enough, and giving enough to the evangelical fundamentalist damnation and hell fire preachers. Don'tcha know?

Ahab said...

For me, these maps always brought up chicken-and-the-egg questions. Is the South in such bad shape because of its fundamentalism and right-wing outlook, or do southerners seek solace in religion because their economic situation and well-being is so poor?

Shaw Kenawe said...

Ahab, good question. I'm sure there are a lot of factors the account for how poorly overall the conservative-run states do in quality of life issues. But one thing is pretty certain, conservative ideology hasn't served them well at all.

RN, I'm sure the religious population in the Bible Belt pray very sincerely. But there's an old saying that goes "God helps those who help themselves." They seem not to be able to help themselves because they keep electing leaders who have failed them.

Hi Rusty. Yes, people who can't face the reality that is explicit in these charts prefer to make fun of successful states and call the people who prosper in those states "mentally ill." Meanwhile, which part of the country that is controlled by the GOP show chronic under achievement in quality of life issues?

Anonymous, too bad people in those states spend precious time interfering with peoples' civil rights instead of working to lift themselves out of poverty and poor health care.

Mary B. said...

besides reporting on these charts, can you or anyone out there give a rational explanation for the disparity between the conservative southern states and the liberal northeast/northwest states? That would be better than just accusing and pointing fingers. Thanks.

(O)CT(O)PUS said...

Mary B.
The Preamble in the Declaration of Independence states: "We hold these truths to be self-evident ..."
I sincerely hope you know what "self-evident" means.

Dave Miller said...

Octo... don't even try to explain it. I've even seen conservative bloggers post items they have later themselves admitted are not accurate, yet they stand by the gist of their post... because they posted it!

It is one thing to argue over ideology, but facts, even when not in dispute, is quite another matter.

It is as if some people just make a declaration that the truth doesn't matter, even when they post it.

PS... sadly, Thursday I've been invited to a seafood place where supposedly "el pulpo" is excelente... sorry to say, I may yield to the temptation to sample a bit of one of your cousins...

skudrunner said...

We can support people like Sanders who have a firm belief in the government providing cradle to grave support and if you don't want to work,the government will provide.
The other side is Carson and Rubio who has the belief of creating an economy that will provide good paying jobs and let people stand on their own.

The income inequality has been created largely by government dependence and lack of opportunities.
Like Legs said, "We hold these truths to be self-evident ..."

Shaw Kenawe said...


Your usual troll behavior has you posting off-topic again, skud, but I published your comment to show everyone how little you know when you post twaddle like you did:



"Sanders who have a firm belief in the government providing cradle to grave support and if you don't want to work,the government will provide."


Ben Carson received government cradle to medical school support and as a result, flourished. But your knee-jerk TGOP mind-set won't allow reality to bleed into your cemented ideology.

Ben Carson and his family received a huge amount of government support, and he succeeded. You and your ilk don't have a clue. YOu only know how to whine and complain.


"The other side is Carson and Rubio who has the belief of creating an economy that will provide good paying jobs and let people stand on their own." --skud

Yeah. Right. They believe in people pulling themselves up by their boot straps when they don't even have boots. Dr. Carson's family got those boots from the government, not an economy:



Here are the benefits Dr. Carson received from the government when he was poor:

Interesting facts about Dr. Ben Carson, Conservative Icon:

1. raised by a single mother
2. raised in public housing
3. fed with food stamps.
4. supported with welfare was-dependent-on-government
5. kept healthy with medicaid…
6. educated in public schools
7. got eyeglasses from state agency
8. benefited from affirmative action to enter college
9. used federal loans and Pell grants in undergrad school
10. benefited from affirmative action to enter medical school
11. med school paid for with grant from USPHS*
12. said: “The disintegration of the family unit and the welfare state are enslaving African-Americans and ruining their futures.”



If you don't believe any of this, try using the internet to refute these facts.

Anonymous said...

There you go again, Shaw, using facts to counter skidrunner's talking points.

Clearwater, Florida said...

The skud obviously gets his news and information from here.

Shaw Kenawe said...

Sorry skud, your second comment had absolutely nothing to do with this post. It was just more boiler plate trashing of the Obama Administration, claiming it's been a disaster for this country, IOW, more Tea Party b.s.

Why didn't you comment on how poorly the conservatives who run the southern states have served their citizens? Because, I assume, it's easier for you to attack Obama than discuss facts.

Shaw Kenawe said...

Skud, every comment on this thread is about the post. Yours is the only comment that changed the subject. I allowed the other commenters to reply to what you wrote.

The comment you left today does nothing more than make an excuse for your off-topic post.