funny. Stats from Dan Fisher, a conservative writer who left Houston to live in Connecticut.
Yep. Good old texas. The libertarian ideal, or so the cons believe. Lets see:
• In Fiscal Year 2010, there were 78,718 confirmed cases of child abuse and neglect.
• Over 280 children died due to abuse or neglect in 2009.
• 49 percent of children in Texas live in low-income families – families whose household income is twice the federal poverty level – as opposed to 42 percent nationwide.
• 87 percent of children whose parents do not have a high school degree live in low-income families, compared to 30 percent of children whose parents have some college education.
• In Texas, 66 percent of Latino children and 59 percent of black children live in low-income families, compared to 25 percent of white children.
• 48 percent of children in urban areas and 55 percent of children in rural areas live in low-income families.
• The maximum Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) grant for a family of three with no income is $250 per month in Texas, ranking 45th amongst the states.
• In FY 2010, the average monthly benefit for Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) recipients in Texas was $26.86, the lowest in the nation. The national average was $41.52.
• 24 percent of poor children in Texas are uninsured as compared to 17 percent nationwide.
Education
State & Local Expenditures per Pupil in Public Schools – 44th[viii]
State Aid Per Pupil in Average Daily Attendance - 47th [ix]
Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) Scores - 45th [x]
Percent of Population 25 and Older with a High School Diploma - 50th [xi]
High School Graduation Rate - 43rd [xii]
Percent of Adults with at Least a Bachelor’s Degree - 31st [xiii]
Percentage of Higher Education Enrollment - 9th [xiv]
State of the Child
Birth Rate – 2nd
Percent of Population Under 18 - 2nd [ii]
Percent of Uninsured Children - 1st [iii]
Percent of Children Living in Poverty – 4th [iv]
Health Care
• Percent of Population Uninsured 1st
• Percent of Non-Elderly Uninsured 1st
• Percent of Low Income Population Covered
by Medicaid 49th
• Percent of Population with
Employer-Based Health Insurance 48th
• Total State Government Health Expenditures
as Percent of the Gross State Product 43rd
• Per Capita State Spending on Mental Health 50th
• Per Capita State Spending on Medicaid 49th
• Percent of Population Physically Active 36th
• Health Care Expenditures per Capita 44th
Women’s Issues
• Overall Birth Rate 2nd
• Teenage Birth Rate 7th
• Births to Unmarried Mothers 17th
• Percent of Women with Pre-Term Birth 9th
• Percent of Non-Elderly Women with
Health Insurance 50th
• Percent of Women Who have had a
Dental Visit within the Past Year 45th
• Rate of Women Aged 40+ Who Receive
Mammograms 40th
• Rate of Women Aged 18+ Who Receive
Pap Smears 37th
• Breast Cancer Rate 42nd
• Cervical Cancer Rate 11th
• Percent of Women with High Blood
Pressure 16th
• Family Planning 37th
• Percent of Pregnant Women Receiving
Prenatal Care in First Trimester 50th
• Women’s Voter Registration 45th
• Women’s Voter Turnout 49th
• Percent of Women Living in Poverty 6th
Quality of Life
• Income Inequality Between the Rich and
the Poor 9th
• Income Inequality Between the Rich and
the Middle Class 5th
• Median Household Income 34th
• Home Ownership Rate 44th
• Homeowner’s Insurance Affordability 46th
• Auto Insurance Affordability 24th
• Personal Bankruptcy Filings Rate, Per Capita 39th
• Percent of Households with Internet Access 42nd
Texas. The conservative heaven. Damn, what a state.
