Health - Resources and discussion for everything health-related

Save us fema!

This is what corrupt state gov looks like. They abandon infrastructure and then when it fails they beg the feds to come in.

Meanwhile ppl die.

But tell me again how Luigi was the bad guy.

Y'all might be shocked at how poor Mississippi is. People tend to lump Southern states together. Nah. Mississippi is a special American hell.* Even Arkansas is a solid cut above. Yes. Arkansas.

We travel 2,800 miles a year to swap the kids in Tupelo, from Florida to Alabama to Mississippi. Alabama has the quaintest little towns. Just north of me lies Brewton, pop.: 30,000. Flower pots over the bridges (year round!), flower pots lining the streets, all done by the city. Nice parks and recreation, pretty Christmas displays, all that. Cute downtown, though sadly too many empty store fronts (yet maintained!). You can kayak through the middle of town on either of two, clean creeks! Sure there's poverty, there are only 30,000 people, but it's damned nice for all that. I often wonder where the money comes from. Tight infrastructure as well, all over that state.

Alabama is 73% forest, wonderful to drive the back-country highways. Finally figured it out this last trip. It's forestry and lumber. If you have an eye for that sort of thing, and it's especially clear in the winter, you'll see the entire state is a pine plantation, yet it's not monoculture. They do some interesting things at harvest I've never seen, looks economically and ecologically smart. (That's another post.) Mississippi is nothing but flat farmland as far as the eye can see, roughly compares to Oklahoma.

In Mississippi I wonder how the hell these small towns haven't dried up and blown away, can't imagine how anyone survives. Guess they wouldn't without government assistance. The poverty is stunning and the rich/poor divide is the worst I've ever seen, looks that way from the street and highways. Of course these are anecdotes, found traveling and stopping all over both states.

We accidentally took I65 on the trip up last week. When you cross into Mississippi, the road turns to crumbling concrete. Have you ever seen a crappy US interstate?! I've never been on an interstate that wasn't exactly the same as any other. FFS, they've figured out how to steal federal funds, and apparently no one bats an eye.

Drop me on any given stretch of road, I'll tell you within a mile or three if it's Alabama or Mississippi. Drop me in any small town, or even a random gas station, I can tell just from the amount of trash blowing around. Seems like Alabamians take more pride than Mississippians?

Compare Thomasville, AL vs. West Point, MS. Thomasville has 1/3rd the population and is clearly the wealthier town, yet both towns seem roughly the same size. West Point is a wasteland of closed stores. Two great Mexican joints though! (Skip the Chinese place. Surprised I'm not sick today.)

There are exceptions of course. LOL, don't stop in York, Alabama. Forget Birmingham, hate driving that city. Why does the highway suddenly turn to shit on the way in and through?! Once you're out, nice roads again. Jesus what a wasteland.

One more dig on Mississippi, sorry guys. Allow me to present the airport at the capitol of an American state. Enjoy your stay and don't drink the water. An American state capitol without clean water. Imagine.

* Don't get me wrong, I love the people, I really do. They're polite and open, helpful as can be, really seem to love one another.. I wouldn't sweat being stranded in Mississippi. The racism is not anything like strangers hear about. Systemic racism, yes, maybe the worst, but person-to-person, I've never seen blacks and white get along so honestly. And my god the women are something else. They can strap on a ball gown, tool belt or gun belt with equal facility. Most well-rounded, competent, smart, beautiful women I've ever met, married one and seriously dated two. I may be biased as the ones I've known left the state.