That Happened!

New York - Mississippi, as a result of its conservative ideology in governmental leadership, proves beyond a doubt that gaps between rich and poor create a culturally divisive environment. This is true of many states where poverty is the mark of distinction. Mississippi has the highest teen birth rate as a result of a larger population of poor versus the wealthy.

Poverty is the common denominator in creating a crisis in health care as well as education. However, when the division between rich and poor results in higher teen birth rates, the government of Mississippi needs to address fears of socialism and ignorance of the realities of poverty effecting the state’s progress. Myopic attitudes hold that by providing better health care and advancement of education for all state residents, any legislation of this type overlaps into a form of socialism.

Having the highest teen birth rate in a state that is also part of the Bible belt proves that not even the most ingrained religious beliefs supercede the lack of proper education. Collage-bound teens focus on their studies. Teens who have no hope of college see only a continuation of poverty as their accepted indigenous fate. If a college education and health care are unaffordable, only a complete overhaul of state goals can alter what will continue to be a serious problem. Looking the other way at higher teen birth rates in Mississippi exacerbates the problem and creates the ripple effect of involving federal government and taxpayers. The buck stops at Mississippi government’s level.