Roy Exum: We’re The Angriest State

  • Friday, February 23, 2018
  • Roy Exum
Roy Exum
Roy Exum

WalletHub, a financial-health website that has found it can draw a lot of attention by ranking the states on which is “fattest,” smartest, and so forth, has just announced its “sinful” rating and Tennessee churches should be ashamed of the job they are doing in making the Volunteer State a haven for puritans. Then again, our tourism may soon explode … remember Sodom & Gomorrah.

Tennessee took top honors among the 50 United States in “Anger & Hatred,” this as the Southern Poverty Law Center just reported we have 37 active hate organizations thriving in the land where it is okay to sore our beautiful Tennessee Walking Horses. I swear I think abusing Walkers attracts skinheads and other types of low life, but think about it: in the five years since animal abuse became a felony, there hasn’t been nary an arrest.

Two of the Washington politicians who steadfastly protect the wretched Tennessee Walking Horse Celebration, due to The Dirty Lick’s campaign donations, are running for the state’s top political offices this year – Black for Governor and Blackburn for Senate – so it comes as little surprise due to the seedy people who mock our state.

WalletHub explains what their statisticians do to come up with its lively lists. “Some states are better-behaved than others. In order to determine the states that most give in to their desires, WalletHub compared the 50 states across 38 key indicators of immorality. Our data set ranges from violent crimes per capita to excessive drinking to share of the population with gambling disorders.”

Just so you’ll know, Florida won the overall 2018 title with California and Nevada second and third, respectively. Texas, Georgia and Tennessee were added to “The Worst Half Dozen” and Illinois, Michigan, Arkansas and Louisiana rounded out the Top 10.

Tennessee has a Vice Index of 50.48 after being found No. 1 in “Anger and Hatred,” No. 15 in “jealousy,” No. 3 in “Excesses and Vice,” No. 20 in “greed,” and No. 11 in “lust.”

Just for fun, the WalletHub crowd took a look at the 180 biggest cities and Chattanooga was No. 47 with a 43.40 index. We beat out some real snake nests – For example Chicago, the nation’s capital for murders, had an index of 42.66. Out of the 180 cities, Chattanooga was No. 15 for hatred, No. 57 for jealousy, No. 35 for excesses & vice (people overweight are counted), No. 161 for greed, and No. 116 for lust.

The worst “sin city” in the state was No. 35 Knoxville, which isn’t surprising after UT didn’t win an SEC game in football for the first time in history. Memphis, which is now among the Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities in the country, was No. 61 in overall sin, and Nashville was No. 73, this thought to be due to the number of “nice people” who are flooding the state capital.

MORE FROM THE WALLETHUB STATISTICIANS

THE MOST EDUCATED STATE – Massachusetts (Tennessee is No. 43)

STATES WITH MOST UNDERPRIVILEGED CHILDREN – The worst: Mississippi, Washington DC, Nevada. The best: Connecticut, New Hampshire, Massachusetts. (Tennessee is No. 14)

MOST CHARITABLE STATES – The best: Utah, Maryland, Minnesota. The Worst: Hawaii, Rhode Island, Nevada. (Tennessee is No. 21)

THE NEDDIEST CITIES – The worst: Detroit, Cleveland, OH, Newark NY. The best: Irvine, CA, Pearl City, HA, Columbia, ND. (Chattanooga was No. 35 on a list of 185 cities.)

BEST & WORST STATES FOR SINGLES – The Best: California, Florida and New York. The Worst: Arkansas, West Virginia, Alabama. (Tennessee is No. 32)

BEST & WORST STATES FOR WOMEN -- The Best: Minnesota, Vermont and North Dakota. The Worst: Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama. (Tennessee was No. 34.)

BEST & WORST STATES FOR WOMEN’S EQUALITY – The Best: Hawaii, Nevada, Illinois. The Worst: Utah, Virginia, Texas (Tennessee was No. 32)

BEST & WORST STATES FOR WORKING MOMS – The Best: Vermont, Minnesota, New Jersey. The Worst: Alabama, Louisiana, Nevada (Tennessee is No. 31)

THE SAFEST STATES – The Best: Vermont, Maine and Massachusetts. The Worst: Mississippi, Louisiana, Oklahoma. (Tennessee is No. 35)

CITIES WITH MOST EFFECTIVE EDUCATION SPENDING – The Best: New Orleans, Miami, and Birmingham. The Worst: Buffalo, Syracuse, Memphis (Chattanooga is No. 58)

BEST COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM – South Dakota, Alaska, Washington (state.) Tennessee is No. 15.

FASTEST GROWING CITIES – Frisco, Texas, Kent Washington, Lehigh Acres, Fl. (Murfreesboro is No. 12 and will soon displace Chattanooga as Tennessee’s fourth-largest city, if it hasn’t already.) Chattanooga ranks 228 out of 551 cities listed.

CITIES THAT HAVE FARED BETTER AFTER RECESSION – The best: Midland, TX, Odessa TX, The Woodlawn’s, TX. The Worst: Deltona FL, Vallejo, CA, Hesperia CA. (Chattanooga was No. 246 on a list of 285 cities.)

royexum@aol.com

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