Is Mississippi a poor state because of financial reasons ?

Question

I have been hearing about how the state of Mississippi is poor and does not have many attactions as most of the states in the union. Can Mississippi be prosperious in the future ?

Answer 1

Clarify what you mean by "poor," and what you consider "attractions."

If you look at the per capita income, yes, it is low. But the cost of living is also low. I have lived in several states and abroad, and the average middle class person in MS lives much better than the average middle class person in Hawaii, New Zealand, etc. By this, I mean that residents of MS enjoy a more comfortable standard of living (larger/newer homes, larger lot sizes, more amenities, etc) than residents in many "richer" states/countries.

As for the education system--it is not unlike those in most any other state. You can find many schools that are doing a poor job, but you can also find schools that excel. It is not fair to make a broad statement about all southern states lacking in educational excellence. That is only perpetuating the myth of the "stupid south." Funny how it is acceptable to prejudge people from the south.

As for the attractions, I would say they would rate near many other states. They have museums, restaurants, clubs, casinos, shopping, hunting/fishing, camping, boating, zoos, amusement parks, historical homes, concerts, etc.

Can MS be prosperous in the future? I think they are already much more prosperous than most people give them credit. And, as they recuperate from Katrina, they will only grow stronger. I hope to make it back to MS at some point to see the progress first hand.

Answer 2

Mississippi has always been a comparatively poor state. Land value has generally been lower than other states. Over the past ten years the economy had been picking up quite a bit. Expansion of the coastal areas and the casino's on the coast added to it.

However with the destruction of the Katrina hurricane in 05, much of the coast was destroyed, which certainly didn't help.

Answer 3

I'd like to think that it could but as a lifelong resident, I'm not too optimistic. A few areas are growing and thriving but not enough to pull the entire state out of the economic/educational cellar we've been dwelling in for so long. Many here are trying hard to better Mississippi and I applaud them but I'm afraid it's a lost cause. I hope I'm wrong.
For the record, there are museums, theaters, parks, lakes, casinos, historic homes, quality universities, open space and scenery that equal that of many other states.

Answer 4

Mississippi is poor because it is generally treated like an extractive state. That is, it is worth more to many people for what you can pull out of it rather than what you can invest in it for the future. The state infrastructure was in shambles long before Hurricaine Katrina hit the coast; legislative prorities have always been oriented around the benefit of the very wealthy few in terms of education, industry, and even in terms of things like public health outreach and residential and industrial zoning. There's alot of big talk about casinos bringing in jobs, but the real role of casinos is to suck cash out of areas that are already economically disadvantaged and send it to corporate offices out of state. The benefit of bringing a very few towns a few low-wage service industry jobs can't counter that kind of economic vaccuum.

Answer 5

because of the fact Oddly, the blackest, poorest and maximum federally-based state in u.s. is likewise the main conservative state, in accordance to a Gallup polltaken in the previous this year. With a 50.5 p.c. conservative self-id fee, Mississippi is the 1st state to surpass the 50 p.c. barrier in the three years the pollhas been in existence. Southern and Western states tend to be greater conservative, and the former tend to be poorer. yea so blacks in the U. S. have a a lot bigger score of welfare recipients No shocker there.

Answer 6

Yes, it can be prosperous if it improves its education system. We are in a knowledge based economy, and Mississippi, like much of the south, needs to do a much better job educating its workforce if it wishes to prosper.

Answer 7

Depends on how you measure poor.