I drove thru PA several times last week & go thru often. Its one of the most beautiful & attractive states in the union, with what looks like lots of open space for new folks especially cabin dwellers.
"Even to the death fight for truth, and the LORD your God will battle for you".Sirach 4:28
I'm in a valley that is completely self sufficient. We have farms for eggs & meat and the Amish for produce. In many ways it's still like the 1950s here.
You can't convince a believer of anything; for their belief is not based on evidence, it's based on a deep seated need to believe - Carl Sagan
The Most (And Least) Economically Stressed Counties In The U.S. (PHOTOS)
The West Coast is the epicenter of economic stress in America and the struggling economy may be inflicting the least damage in the Midwest, according to a new ranking by the Associated Press.
Across America, economic stress fell month to month in July in about 54 percent of the nation's 3,141 counties, and in 24 of the 50 states, the AP's monthly Economic Stress Index shows.
But the average county's "stress score" in July remains unchanged from the previous month. About 42 percent of counties were found to be economically distressed, which was also unchanged from June.
"Stress eased in counties whose work forces lean toward areas like agriculture, mining, wholesale trade and finance. By contrast, counties with many employees in the retail and real estate industries suffered higher distress in July," according to analysis by AP.
Among the most stressed counties, concentrated in states like Nevada, California and Florida, county unemployment rates have soared as high as 30.3 percent, and foreclosure rates can exceed four times the national average.
The AP's index calculates a stress score for each county from 1 to 100 based on unemployment, foreclosure and bankruptcy rates. A county is considered stressed if its score exceeds 11 (the current national average is 10.5.)
Below are the top five most economically stressed counties, and the five least economically stressed counties in America. (For the 20 most stressed and 20 least stressed counties click here and for an interactive map that shows statistics for all U.S. counties and states, click here.)
SACRAMENTO Driving through the Mississippi delta from Tunica-area casinos to Jackson a few months ago, I saw few signs of the grinding poverty that was ubiquitous during my first visit there in the 80s. The shacks and sugar ditch an infamous open sewer that highlighted the areas plight were gone, but the Magnolia State still looks poor by California standards. Yet Californias real poverty rate is a nations-worst 22 percent, according to a new report by researchers at the Public Policy Institute of California and the Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality. Can this be true? Thats not where the counterintuitive conclusions end. Many inland California cities are well-known bastions of joblessness and despair. But the use of a new California Poverty Measure (CPM) rather than traditional Census standards concludes the poorest spots are in Californias coastal metropolises. Because CPM adjusts for cost-of-living factors, it leads to some strange outcomes. By most accounts, Imperial County is Ground Zero for high poverty. The report argues that Imperial Countys poverty rate of 22.1 percent is lower than San Diego Countys rate of 22.7 percent. Thats shocking, even with a high margin of error. Likewise, the CPM suggests that Los Angeles County is the states poorest, and that San Bernardino County, the not-so-tony area that sprawls from Fontana to Needles, has a far lower poverty rate than glitzy Orange County. Weve all seen dubious research over the years touting, say, rates of hunger that put the United States on par with Zimbabwe. By contrast, the research here seems serious, and echoes a new alternate measure used by the Census Bureau. It does raise more questions than it answers. Obviously, it costs far more to live in San Francisco or La Jolla than Clarksdale or Vicksburg, so it makes some sense to factor in cost of living. The CPM also looks at the amount of government assistance families receive and at expenses such as commuting costs. Maybe the formula has gotten so complex that it no longer is measuring poverty, but is emphasizing what any reasonable person already knows: Its painfully expensive for anyone to live in Californias coastal metropolises. The study also seems to have a political agenda that promotes more social spending. The CPM illuminates the important role of the social safety net specifically, CalFresh, CalWORKS, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), and other means-tested programs in moderating poverty, according to its summary. A Los Angeles Times article argues that the study could add pressure for increased aid from the feds. One could just as easily argue that the high tax rates needed to sustain more social spending mean lower overall incomes. Californias high tax rates also are a disincentive for job creation, according to Californias main business groups. Everyone Right and Left agrees that a growing economy with good-paying jobs is the best antidote to poverty. Broad agreement probably ends there. For instance, Californias high poverty rates are most pronounced in areas with high populations of unauthorized immigrants. In response to the findings, some liberal commentators have called for expanded services for them, while conservatives have called for tighter immigration rules. Immigration strikes me as a diversion from the bigger issue. If poverty rates are exacerbated by a high cost of living, as the study suggests, then policy makers should first and foremost target policies that unnecessarily drive up prices. Inordinately high impact fees and land-use restrictions reduce the supply of housing and ratchet up their prices. And the study pinpoints housing costs as the main culprit in urban poverty. Despite the studys alarmist numbers, we know that San Diego is not Clarksdale, Miss. Its not Brawley or El Centro, either. But the CPM does spotlight a problem thats a touchstone for many of Californias most significant debates. The new poverty numbers provide fodder for those who call for more anti-poverty aid, but they also bolster those who argue that the government is a barrier to home building and job creation. And those will always be the foundations of a middle-class life. Steven Greenhut is the California columnist for U-T San Diego. Write to him at steven.greenhut@utsandiego.com.