20 MAY 2014, Vol.1, No.54 > LAST PLACE? YEP, LAST PLACE!
The POCAHONTAS CRIER
‘When the Righteous succeed the people rejoice,
But when the bad govern, men groan!’ – Proverbs 29:2
[New
Email address: pocahontascrier88@gmail.com]
LAST
PLACE?
YEP, LAST PLACE!
As we here have indicated in
previous articles, when it comes to ‘PROGRESS & PROSPERITY’ – Pocahontas County
ranks LAST in West Virginia, and WEST VIRGINIA ranks LAST in the country – and
below is a scientific-polling as to just how truth this fact has become as West
Virginia as a whole ranks LAST for the past five years straight! Who do we thank for this dilemma? Ah, just the ‘Poverty Preservation Society’ (PPS)
that wants everything for themselves while offering ‘crumbs’ for everyone else!
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
♦ ♦ ♦
North Dakota No. 1 in Well-Being, West Virginia Still Last
Well-being has steadily increased in 11 states since 2010
by Dan Witters < http://www.gallup.com/poll/167435/north-dakota-well-being-west-virginia-still-last.aspx
> 20
February 2014
North Dakota rejoined the top 10 well-being states in 2013 after being among that group from 2009 to 2011. South Dakota was among the top 10 in well-being for the first time since 2010, while Washington last appeared in 2008.
 |
These state-level data are based on more than 178,000
interviews with American adults across all 50 states, conducted from
January-December 2013. Gallup and Healthways started tracking state-level
well-being in 2008. The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index score for the
nation and for each state is an average of six sub-indexes, which individually examine life evaluation,
emotional health, work environment, physical health, healthy behaviors, and
access to basic necessities.
Based on U.S. Census Bureau regions, Midwestern and Western states earned nine of the 10 highest well-being scores in 2013, while Southern states had eight of the 10 lowest well-being scores. The regional pattern of well-being is similar to previous years.
Well-Being Index, 2013
State:
Well-Being Index: 66.2
61.4
Lower rangeHigher range
70.4
West Virginia at the Bottom on Five Out of Six Key Areas of Well-Being
In addition to North Dakota's having the highest overall Well-Being Index score, it was the top state on two of the six well-being sub-indexes: Work Environment and Physical Health. At the opposite end of the spectrum was West Virginia, which ranked last on all sub-indexes except Work Environment.
Nebraska topped all other states on the Life Evaluation Index, with a score that was 17 points higher than West Virginia's. Alaska boasted the highest Emotional Health Index score, while Vermont led all states in Healthy Behaviors for the second straight year. Massachusetts had the best score on the Basic Access Index for the fourth straight year, which is partially a result of having the highest percentage of residents with health insurance in the nation.
Eleven States' Well-Being Index Scores Have Improved Steadily Since 2010
Well-being has been fairly stable nationally since 2008. However, since 2010, the first full year after the Great Recession officially ended, 11 states' well-being scores have shown year-over-year improvement, with the largest gains seen in Nevada, Montana, Vermont, Nebraska, Iowa, and Maine. Four of these states -- Montana, Vermont, Nebraska, and Iowa -- also were among the top 10 well-being states in 2012 and 2013, making their continued improvement notable given their already high Well-Being Index scores.
Implications
Overall well-being in the U.S. and within states has been fairly steady since 2008, although the national Well-Being Index score fell in 2013. The nation's well-being declined despite improvement in economic confidence in most states. Still, steady growth in 11 states' well-being scores since 2010 illustrates that sustained improvements in well-being are possible regardless of national trends. Four states in particular -- Montana, Vermont, Nebraska, and Iowa -- demonstrate that steady progress is possible, even among the top 10 well-being states.
Gallup's research has shown that people take a variety of factors into account when evaluating their well-being. Job creation, for example, is related to well-being; Gallup's job creation rankings for 2013 are correlated with the well-being rankings. The 2013 Payroll to Population (P2P) state rankings are also correlated with top and bottom well-being states. North Dakota, which has benefited economically from the surge in its oil industry, was the top state in both job creation and P2P in 2013. And other behavioral factors, such as smoking rates, generally line up with well-being at the state level as well.
Regardless of metrics such as employment and job creation, all states rely on strong leadership to spearhead their well-being efforts. Iowa's Healthiest State Initiative, for example, is a privately led, government-supported program designed to improve Iowa's well-being, and has received Gov. Terry Branstad's support since its inception. This sort of steady advocacy for higher well-being can serve as a positive example for other leaders to follow as states try to improve their residents' well-being in 2014.
Gallup's "State of the States" series reveals state-by-state differences on political, economic, and well-being measures Gallup tracks each day. New stories based on full-year 2013 data will be released in the coming months.
To view the full report on well-being in the U.S., visit this page.
Survey Methods
Results are based on telephone interviews conducted as part
of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index survey Jan. 2-Dec. 29, 2013, with a
random sample of 178,072 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S.
states and the District of Columbia.
For results based on the total sample of national adults,
the margin of sampling error is ±1 percentage point at the 95% confidence
level.
The margin of sampling error for most states is ±1 to ±2
percentage points, but is as high as ±4 points for states with smaller
populations, such as Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota,
Delaware, and Hawaii.
Interviews are conducted with respondents on landline
telephones and cellular phones, with interviews conducted in Spanish for
respondents who are primarily Spanish-speaking. Each sample of national adults
includes a minimum quota of 50% cellphone respondents and 50% landline
respondents, with additional minimum quotas by time zone within region.
Landline telephone and cellphone numbers are selected using random-digit-dial
methods. Landline respondents are chosen at random within each household on the
basis of which member had the most recent birthday.
Samples are weighted to correct for unequal selection
probability, nonresponse, and double coverage of landline and cell users in the
two sampling frames. They are also weighted to match the national demographics
of gender, age, race, Hispanic ethnicity, education, region, population
density, and phone status (cellphone only/landline only/both, cellphone mostly,
and having an unlisted landline number). Demographic weighting targets are
based on the most recent Current Population Survey figures for the aged 18 and
older U.S.
population. Phone status targets are based on the most recent National Health
Interview Survey. Population density targets are based on the most recent U.S. census.
All reported margins of sampling error include the computed design effects for
weighting.
In addition to sampling error, question wording and
practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into
the findings of public opinion polls.
For more details on Gallup's
polling methodology, visit www.gallup.com.
Now can anyone tell us just how ‘Tourism’ trickles down to anyone but the owners of the local gas-station-convenience stores in this county – and those of course living off the motel/hotel tax? Let’s take a quick look, shall we? The bulk of the ‘tourist-dollars’, about 85%, goes to the ski-resorts, then shipped out of the county to its foreign-owners in New York City & Vancouver. The only spin-off to the county is the ‘minimum -wages’ left behind. Next ‘trickle-drips’ goes to the gas-station-convenience stores by those ‘tourists’ not wise enough to ‘gas-up’ BEFORE they get here! Then a few ‘drips’ go to the area grocery stores, again by those ‘tourists’ not wise enough to bring food with them BEFORE they get here! And the last to get ‘trickle-drips’ are the local eateries by those ‘tourists’ that want a taste of the local culture & food not as costly as found on the mountain. So how is that for so-called ‘economic-development’ for the county?
And then there is ‘farming’
whereby IF you are large enough to receive a ‘government subsidy’, i.e., ‘corporate-welfare’,
then you can pay your expenses each month – but if you don’t receive a ‘government subsidy’
– what do you do then? Work for ‘minimum
-wages’ if you can find some type of job that doesn’t
require nepotism, lodge-brother-hood, or church-affiliation? Now say it ain’t so! We all know THAT IS THE WAY the ‘Poverty
Preservation Society’ (PPS) has
maintained its hold over this county – and even more so once they put the
private-corporation, Greenbrier County Economic Development Corporation (GVEDC)
in charge of county affairs! Now the
best of county-owned-land & county-funds goes into their pocket for Greenbrier County
while ‘POVERTY
& PAUPERISM’ remains here in Pocahontas County! Now say that ain’t true! THAT’S WHY we need our own county development
authority WITHOUT any of the members of the PPS as part of it!
THAT’S WHY…
On 04 NOVEMBER…there’s no excuse…
IT’S YOUR
CHOICE…
TO CHANGE THINGS FOR THE BETTER!
Just say ‘NO’ to
those who want to keep this county in Poverty & Pauperism
– and –
Just say ‘YES’ to
real Progress
& Prosperity for the future!
On Primary Day – YOU have a chance to elect two persons
that will always put YOU first! They know that:
THE
GREATER COMMON GOOD ALWAYS COMES BEFORE SELF OR ANY SELF-SERVING SPECIAL
INTERESTS!
Keep up to Date – Stay tuned to these Websites:
On 04 NOVEMBER it doesn’t matter how you are registered – YOU CAN VOTE
for:
CHARLES
WILFONG – ND
&
NORMAN
LEE ALDERMAN - SD
The Pocahontas Crier is an independent Internet News Service that has now endorsed
two candidates for County Commission
– CHARLES WILFONG & NORMAN LEE ALDERMAN –
in addition to providing in depth news reporting on important issues
directly affecting the Citizens of Pocahontas
County!
► The Pocahontas Crier is a free,
non-subscription, Internet News Service meant for entertainment in the true ‘muckraking’ tradition of questioning
authority, challenging corruption, and offering Common Sense Alternatives for The Greater Common
Good before Self or any Special Interests!
We struggle for Social Justice on all levels and are part of The Crier Coalition of Internet News Services
comprised of The
Pocahontas Commentator, The Pocahontas
Crier, Signal Fires of WV,
Rolling Thunder & Echoes from the
Holl’r. ◄
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