Book: “Red” State Children at Much Greater Risk than Youths In “Blue” States ...

Every Child Matters ^ | January 24, 2007 | Book author: Mike Petit

[Marie2]

Excellent point. It is hard for children to suffer from obesity, violence or a lack of health insurance when they are killed before they are born.

At least more red state kids get a fighting chance.

[Riverman94610]

Red states are more likely to be in the South where there are large numbers of poor blacks and whites who are more likely than wealthy white liberals to exhibit outwardly pathological behavior.
Thats not to say these well to do libs are virtuous or "better" but they can afford to hire therapists and "life coaches"for their wayward offspring much easier than someone in the Miss.Delta or hills of Arkansas.

[vetvetdoug]

I can tell you unequivocally, if the blue counties in Mississippi were removed, Mississippi would be in the top ten of healthy youths. Jackson and the Delta up to Memphis have the problem that drags the entire state down....diversity has its downside...

[keepitreal]

Blue’ states tend to tax themselves at significantly higher levels, which makes it possible to reach more children and families with beneficial health, social and education programs. ‘Red’ states overwhelmingly are home to decades-long adherence to anti-government and anti-tax ideology that often runs directly contrary to the needs of healthy children and stable families.”

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I have never seen high taxes equated with stable families before. Low taxes give moms the opportunity to stay home and actually supervise their children after school - something that significantly reduces the rate of teen drug abuse and pregnancy. Further, a parent home after school helps children to do better in school. High taxes don't help kids with their homework.

[nyconse]

Yeah and Georgia has Peachcare. It ticks me off that a woman I know could get healthcare from her husbands job and she could also buy it...she gets stipend, but she'd rather spend the money (not wisely either) and her son is on Peachcare which is supposed to be for low income kids with no opportunity to get health insurance. Many of the uninsured don't choose to purchase it.

[Hillary'sMoralVoid]

This is a classic case of ignoring the real root cause and assigning a root cause that is convenient to the argument.

Almost any idiot can see a trend here.

These "bad" states are mostly southern states with the highest numbers of illegal immigrants. Illegal immigration probably has a higher correlation to these problems than political affiliation.

Secondly, just how "red" or "blue" are some of these states anyway? NM has a Democrat governor as does Louisiana, several states in the "Blue" category have republican governors and/or legislatures.

Often, the trends today are a reflection of political decisions of many previous administrations, the majority of which were predominantly "Blue" in the "bad" southern states over the past 50 years.

The real test would be to see kids of which party have the highest rates of the same maladies nation-wide. I think we know the answer here.

[magslinger]

There are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies, and statistics.-Benjamin Disraeli

[GeorgefromGeorgia]

Most of the Red states mentioned have a high minority population (ironic since most of the youths this article refers to are probably future Democrat voters).

[traditional1]

Was this some government-funded Liberal study?????

[listenhillary]

They left the children that are in pieces in the trash out of the survey in the Blue states didn't they?

[wtc911]

Research indicates that the average size of the male penis is significantly smaller in Blue States than in Red States. Wonder why that would be???

______________________________________________________

Was your research hands on?

[GeorgefromGeorgia]

I agree, Government action usually sucks the energy out of private competition.

[Lorianne]

I agree, it is a dangerous book. I am hoping the "statistics" in this book can be accurately refuted.

It seems to take a snapshot (one election) and impose that as the baseline got ills of poverty. Poverty does not occur in a short sequence snapshot time frame. The author's strategy seems dubious to me, but I'm not a statistician. I'm hoping someone more learned than me will refute the premise.

[etlib]

Red-State children are less likely to be shot-up in school, or killed by drug gangs, or hooked on heroin, or OBESE, or blown up by terrorists ... you get the idea ...

Yep!

This article is a classic example of selecting the evidence which supports a predetermined position and ignoring anything to the contrary.

PS, the reason for the article lies in the quotes:

Joel J. Alpert: “It is unconscionable for policymakers and parents to allow two very different Americas to exist today for our children. ... We can and must erase the differences that exist today for children in ‘red’ and ‘blue’ states.

Sarah M. Greene: “I am pleased to see that the author correctly recognizes the danger posed to American children ... We wholeheartedly endorse the portion of the ‘Homeland insecurity’ that calls for full-scale national/state-level support for early childhood education … including full funding of Head Start.”

Elizabeth J. Clark: “... We call on the government to make that same investment. ...  we implore lawmakers to make their well-being the centerpiece of the 2008 elections and beyond.”

The book Homeland Insecurity: outlines a 10-year, $500 billion “Invest in Kids” agenda to improve the life chances of all U.S. children, regardless of where they live

 Just another attempt to get more federal level socialist policies.

[etlib]

Almost any idiot can see a trend here.

These "bad" states are mostly southern states with the highest numbers of illegal immigrants.

Secondly, just how "red" or "blue" are some of these states anyway?

Often, the trends today are a reflection of political decisions of many previous administrations

Also, many red states are more rural where certain kinds of risk are more prevalent and access to care may be more difficult. The book apparently doesn't consider many risks which are associated with urban environments.

[durasell]

Also, many red states are more rural where certain kinds of risk are more prevalent and access to care may be more difficult. The book apparently doesn't consider many risks which are associated with urban environments.







Bingo! Each environment has its own set of risks to children as well as adults.

[nascarnation]

I'm old enough (59) to remember the "War on Poverty"
there was definitely less poverty BEFORE that war
nothing has been as destructive to American society as the socialist intervention of big government

[freeandfreezing]

Blue’ states tend to tax themselves at significantly higher levels, which makes it possible to reach more children and families with beneficial health, social and education programs. ‘Red’ states overwhelmingly are home to decades-long adherence to anti-government and anti-tax ideology that often runs directly contrary to the needs of healthy children and stable families.”

I guess they forgot that New Hampshire, which they rank as #1 among the 'Blue' states has one of the lowest tax burdens of any state -- no income tax, and no sales tax, and a "decades long..anti-government and anti-tax ideology". Why even Democratic politicians in this state promise never to support an income tax.

Somehow I can't imagine that they are going to recommend that other states adopt the policies of the state that they rank as #1.

[freekitty]

That's what I say and their point is? Possibly that we should come over to the slavery side eventually die early for it.

[alnick]

I'm sure if they threw aborted babies into the mix, it would change those statistic...if the statistics are even credible to begin with.