Texas on the Brink

From Border Health dot org is what I was speaking about earlier. How Texas is at the top in things that are baaadd, like guns, uninsured children, poverty, and rank at the bottom in things that matter most, like quality of air, safety, our environment, cost of living and especially education.

Some of what you will find in Texas on the Brink:

In Texas today, the American dream is distant. Texas has the
highest percentage of uninsured children in the nation. Texas is dead last
in the percentage of residents with their high school diploma and near
last in SAT scores. If we do not change course, the Texas generation of
tomorrow will be less prosperous than the generation of today.

Without the courage to invest in the minds of our children, and
steadfast support for great schools, we face a daunting prospect. Those
who value tax cuts over children and budget cuts over college have put
Texas at risk in her ability to compete and succeed.

Check out Texas on the Brink. You will find State Rankings stats like:

With (50th being the Lowest and 1st being the Highest)

Concerning State & Government:
· Public Elementary-Secondary Education we rank 38th
· Parks and Recreation we rank 49th
· Police Protection we rank 48th
Concerning Education:
· Current Expenditures Per Student we rank 40th
· State Aid Per Pupil we rank 46th
· Percentage of School Funding from Local Revenues we rank 12th
Concerning State of the Child:
· Birth Rate we rank 2nd
· Percent of Population Under 18 we rank 4th
· Percentage of Uninsured Children we rank 1st
· Percentage of Children Living in Poverty we rank 5th
· Percentage of Children Immunized we rank 49th
Concerning the Environment:
· Air Pollution Emissions we rank 1st
· Pollution Released by Manufacturing Plants we rank 1st
· Amount of Green House Gases Released we rank 1st
· Amount of Toxic Chemicals Released into Water we rank 1st
· Amount of Toxic Chemicals Released into Air we rank 4th
· Amount of Recognized Cancer-Causing Carcinogens Released into Air we rank 1st
· Amount of Recognized Cancer-Causing Carcinogens Released into Water we rank 7th
· Number of Clean Water Permit Violations we rank 1st
· Number of Environmental and Civil Rights Complaints we rank 1st
· Number of Hazardous Waste Spills we rank 2nd
· Amount of Hazardous Waste Generated we rank 1st
· Number of Hazardous Waste Sites on National Priority List we rank 9th
· Amount of Carbon Dioxide Emissions we rank 1st
· Consumption of Energy Per Capita we rank 5th
· Consumption of Electricity Per Customer we rank 10th
· Open Space Protection we rank 50th
· Drinking Water Quality we rank 38th
Concerning the WorkForce:
· Income Inequality Between the Rich and the Poor we rank 2nd
· Number of Job Discrimination Lawsuits we rank 1st
Concerning Cost of Living:
· Homeowner’s Insurance Affordability we rank 50th
· Auto Insurance Affordability we rank 39th
· Residential Electric Bill Affordability we rank 50th
Concerning Safety:
· Number of Executions we rank 1st
· Number of Gun Shows we rank 1st
· Rate of Incarceration we rank 3rd
· Total Crime Rate we rank 6th
· Violent Crime Rate we rank 12th
· Murder and Rape Rate we rank 14th
· Rate of Firearm Deaths Per 100,000 Population we rank 22nd
· Number of Registered Machine Guns we rank 1st
· Number of Deaths Attributed to Floods (Pre -Hurricane Katrina) we rank 1st
· Fatalities Caused by Tornadoes we rank 1st
· Rate of Motor Vehicle Fatalities we rank 20th
· Number of Road-Rage Traffic Fatalities we rank 2nd

Now, do you see what I was talking about? These rankings are appalling, dismal and frankly a bunch of crap. We need people in our elected offices to change those percentages, especially those that affect our children. Quality of air, water, and especially education. These, are of course, only a sampling of how badly we rank compared to other states. So, what are we going to do about it? Please view other dismal Texas rankings.