These 9 Maps Should Absolutely Outrage Southerners

Look, there are lots of things to love about the South. It's clean and quiet. There's delicious food, good people and often amazing weather. But that's exactly why it makes us so sad to think about all the ways in which the region is struggling today.
First off, poverty rates are a lot higher in the South.

Source: USDA In fact, as many as one in four Southern kids lives in poverty, compared to the national average of one in five.
In the map above, red shading indicates a poverty rates between 17.9 and 22.8 percent. Orange indicates 15.9 to 17.8 percent; light orange, 12.2-15.8 percent; pale yellow, 9 to 12.1 percent. As you can see, there's a lot of high-poverty red in the South.
And minimum wages are much lower.


Source: Department Of Labor Virtually no Southern states, with the exception of Florida, have a minimum wage higher than the federal floor of $7.25 an hour. Many Southern states do have relatively low living costs. But they are not dramatically lower than costs of living in other states, such as Ohio and Missouri, that have set minimum wages at least slightly higher than the national limit. The Southern states are doing the absolute minimum for their poorest citizens by keeping the minimum wage at the lowest levels possible.
And people living in the South are a lot less likely to move up the economic ladder.

Source: Equality Of Opportunity Project If you want to achieve the American Dream, don't move to the South. That's because states in the South have extremely low levels of economic mobility. In the map above, pale yellow represents places with higher mobility, while red indicates low mobility.
Many living in poverty in the South are being denied access to affordable health care.

Source: Urban Institute States that didn't choose to expand Medicaid under Obamacare are highlighted in lighter gray.
...which is costing these states a ton of money.

Source: The Huffington Post This map shows how much money the 19 states that rejected Medicaid expansion will lose by 2022 as a result of doing so (assuming all other states participate).
This is particularly troubling because the South has several health crises on its hands. Like obesity.

Source: CDC Obesity rates are too high across the U.S. But they're particularly high in the South.
Southern states also have a higher percentage of cigarette smokers.

Source: The Huffington Post Most Southern states have a higher percentage of smokers than anywhere else in the country. Incidentally, most Southern states have relatively low taxes on cigarettes.
And a much higher rate of teen births.

Source: Zara Matheson + Atlantic Cities The map plots birth rates among women ages 15 to 19. In states shaded dark blue, there are more than 50 births per 1,000 teenage women.
Perhaps all this is why some Southern states are among the least happy states in the country.

Source: Gallup That's according to Gallup's recent "State of American Well-Being" report, which surveyed thousands of Americans and ranked states based on an average of six measures: "life evaluation," emotional health, physical health, healthy behaviors, work environment and basic access to things like food, water and shelter.

Source: HuffingtonPost.com

They Were Men - Mostly Movie Stars

I  can only send this to people our age, since today's people don't have any idea who these Men were and that's a pity.

Sterling Hayden, US Marines and OSS. Smuggled guns into Yugoslavia and parachuted into Croatia.
 
James Stewart, US Army Air Corps. Bomber pilot who rose to the rank of General.
 
Ernest Borgnine, US Navy. Gunners Mate 1c, destroyer USS Lamberton.
 
Ed McMahon, US Marines. Fighter Pilot. (Flew OE-1 Bird Dogs over Korea as well.)
 
Telly Savalas, US Army.
 
Walter Matthau, US Army Air Corps., B-24 Radioman/Gunner and cryptographer.
 
Steve Forrest, US Army. Wounded, Battle of the Bulge.
 
Jonathan Winters, USMC. Battleship USS Wisconsin and Carrier USS Bon Homme Richard. Anti-aircraft gunner, Battle of Okinawa.
 
Paul Newman, US Navy Rear seat gunner/radioman, torpedo bombers of USS Bunker Hill
 
Kirk Douglas, US Navy. Sub-chaser in the Pacific. Wounded in action and medically discharged.
 
Robert Mitchum, US Army.
 
Dale Robertson, US Army. Tank Commander in North Africa under
Patton. Wounded twice. Battlefield Commission.
 
Henry Fonda, US Navy. Destroyer USS Satterlee.
 
John Carroll, US Army Air Corps. Pilot in North Africa. Broke his back in a crash.
 
Lee Marvin US Marines. Sniper. Wounded in action on Saipan. Buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Sec. 7A next to Greg Boyington and Joe Louis.
 
Art Carney, US Army. Wounded on Normandy beach, D-Day. Limped for the rest of his life.
 
Wayne Morris, US Navy fighter pilot, USS Essex. Downed seven Japanese fighters.
 
Rod Steiger, US Navy. Was aboard one of the ships that launched the Doolittle Raid.
 
Tony Curtis, US Navy. Sub tender USS Proteus. In Tokyo Bay for the surrender of Japan.
 
Larry Storch. US Navy. Sub tender USS Proteus with Tony Curtis.
 
Forrest Tucker, US Army. Enlisted as a private, rose to Lieutenant.
 
Robert Montgomery, US Navy.
 
George Kennedy, US Army. Enlisted after Pearl Harbor, stayed in sixteen years.
 
Mickey Rooney, US Army under Patton. Bronze Star.
 
Denver Pyle, US Navy. Wounded in the Battle of Guadalcanal. Medically discharged.
 
Burgess Meredith, US Army Air Corps.
 
DeForest Kelley, US Army Air Corps.
 
Robert Stack, US Navy. Gunnery Officer.
 
Neville Brand, US Army, Europe. Was awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart.
 
Tyrone Power, US Marines. Transport pilot in the Pacific Theater.
 
Charlton Heston, US Army Air Corps. Radio operator and aerial gunner on a B-25, Aleutians.
Danny Aiello, US Army. Lied about his age to enlist at 16. Served three years.
 
James Arness, US Army. As an infantryman, he was severely wounded at Anzio, Italy.
 
Efram Zimbalist, Jr., US Army. Purple Heart for a severe wound received at Huertgen Forest.
 
Mickey Spillane, US Army Air Corps, Fighter Pilot and later Instructor Pilot.
 
Rod Serling. US Army. 11th Airborne Division in the Pacific. He jumped at Tagaytay in the Philippines and was later wounded in Manila.
 
Gene Autry, US Army Air Corps. Crewman on transports that ferried supplies over "The Hump" in the China-Burma-India Theater.
 
Wiliam Holden, US Army Air Corps.
 
Alan Hale Jr, US Coast Guard.
 
Harry Dean Stanton, US Navy. Battle of Okinawa.
 
Russell Johnson, US Army Air Corps. B-24 crewman who was awarded Purple Heart when his aircraft was shot down by the Japanese in the Philippines.
 
William Conrad, US Army Air Corps. Fighter Pilot.
 
Jack Klugman, US Army.
 
Frank Sutton, US Army. Took part in 14 assault landings, including Leyte, Luzon, Bataan and Corregidor.
 
Jackie Coogan, US Army Air Corps. Volunteered for gliders and flew troops and materials into Burma behind enemy lines.
 
Tom Bosley, US Navy.
 
Claude Akins, US Army. Signal Corps., Burma and the Philippines.
 
Chuck Connors, US Army. Tank-warfare instructor.
 
Harry Carey Jr., US Navy.
 
Mel Brooks, US Army. Combat Engineer. Saw action in the Battle of the Bulge.
 
Robert Altman, US Army Air Corps. B-24 Co-Pilot.
 
Pat Hingle, US Navy. Destroyer USS Marshall
 
Fred Gwynne, US Navy. Radioman.
 
Karl Malden, US Army Air Corps. 8th Air Force, NCO.
 
Earl Holliman. US Navy. Lied about his age to enlist. Discharged after a year when they Navy found out.
 
Rock Hudson, US Navy. Aircraft mechanic, the Philippines.
 
Harvey Korman, US Navy.
 
Aldo Ray. US Navy. UDT frogman, Okinawa.
 
Don Knotts, US Army, Pacific Theater.
 
Don Rickles, US Navy aboard USS Cyrene.
 
Harry Dean Stanton, US Navy. Served aboard an LST in the Battle of Okinawa.
 
Robert Stack, US Navy. Gunnery Instructor.
 
Soupy Sales, US Navy. Served on USS Randall in the South Pacific.
 
Lee Van Cleef, US Navy. Served aboard a sub chaser then a mine sweeper.
 
Clifton James, US Army, South Pacific. Was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart.
 
Ted Knight, US Army, Combat Engineers.
 
Jack Warden, US Navy, 1938-1942, then US Army, 1942-1945. 101st Airborne Division.
 
Don Adams. US Marines. Wounded on Guadalcanal, then served as a Drill Instructor.
 
James Gregory, US Navy and US Marines.
 
Brian Keith, US Marines. Radioman/Gunner in Dauntless dive-bombers.
 
Fess Parker, US Navy and US Marines. Booted from pilot training for being too tall, joined Marines as a radio operator.
 
Charles Durning. US Army. Landed at Normandy on D-Day. Shot multiple times. Awarded the Silver Star and Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts. Survived Malmedy Massacre.
 
Raymond Burr, US Navy. Shot in the stomach on Okinawa and medically discharged.
 
Hugh O'Brian, US Marines.
 
Robert Ryan, US Marines.
 
Eddie Albert, US Coast Guard. Bronze Star with Combat V for saving several Marines under heavy fire as pilot of a landing craft during the invasion of Tarawa.
 
Clark Gable, US Army Air Corps. B-17 gunner over Europe.
 
Charles Bronson, US Army Air Corps. B-29 gunner, wounded in action.
 
Peter Graves, US Army Air Corps.
 
Buddy Hackett, US Army anti-aircraft gunner.
 
Victor Mature, US Coast Guard.
 
Jack Palance, US Army Air Corps. Severely injured bailing out of a burning B-24 bomber.
 
Robert Preston, US Army Air Corps. Intelligence Officer
 
Cesar Romero, US Coast Guard. Coast Guard. Participated in the invasions of Tinian and Saipan on the assault transport USS Cavalier.
 
Norman Fell, US Army Air Corps., Tail Gunner, Pacific Theater.
 
Jason Robards, US Navy. was aboard heavy cruiser USS Northampton when it was sunk off Guadalcanal. Also served on the USS Nashville during the invasion of the Philippines, surviving a kamikaze hit that caused 223 casualties.
 
Steve Reeves, US Army, Philippines.
 
Dennis Weaver, US Navy. Pilot.
 
Robert Taylor, US Navy. Instructor Pilot.

 Randolph Scott. Tried to enlist in the Marines but was rejected due to injuries sustained in US Army, World War 1.

 Ronald Reagan. US Army. Was a 2nd Lt. in the Cavalry Reserves before the war. His poor eyesight kept him from being sent overseas with his unit when war came so he transferred to the Army Air Corps Public Relations Unit where he served for the duration.

 John Wayne. Declared "4F medically unfit" due to pre-existing injuries, he nonetheless attempted to volunteer three times (Army, Navy and Film Corps.) so he gets honorable mention.

 And of course we have Audie Murphy, America's most-decorated soldier, who became a Hollywood star as a result of his US Army service that included his being awarded the Medal of Honor.

Would someone please remind me again how many of today's Hollywood elite put their careers on hold to enlist in Iraq or Afghanistan?
 
The only one who even comes close was Pat Tillman, who turned down a contract offer of $3.6 million over three years from the Arizona Cardinals to enlist in the US Army after September, 11,  2001 and serve as a Ranger in Afghanistan, where he died in 2004. But rather than being lauded for his choice and his decision to put his country before his career, he was mocked and derided by many of his peers and the Left.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I submit to you that this is not the America today that it was seventy years ago. And I, for one, am saddened.

The Daughtry House

Just after the Civil War ended, and before Commerce was even called Commerce, the Daughtry House stood for traditional Southern elegance and sophistication. Built in 1870, the Daughtry House was home to some of Commerce’s leading citizens and even a governor of the State of Georgia called it home. A prominent local merchant who owned a store in downtown Commerce, Robert Leroy Daughtry, lived here with his family until his death in 1927, and his wife lived here until her death in 1945. His daughter Clifford was married in the front parlor of this home and it was the talk of Commerce. Mr. Daughtry is buried in Gray Lawn cemetery today, not far from his beloved home place. A picture of the family taken in 1907 can be seen in the front parlor as a testament to how life in Commerce once was.

These memories of the past 140 plus years are still cherished by the Daughtry family. The new owners, sisters Vicki Brackett and Sandra Shephard, would like to invite you to come and consider making your memories at the Daughtry House too. The home has been lovingly restored to its original splendor. From its Greek columns and balcony across the front porch and drive under portico to its original fireplaces in each of the bedrooms and original hardwood floors, the Daughtry House is much the same as it was in Mr. Daughtry’s time. Original antique furniture from the period can be found throughout the house. Due to its impressive architecture which is indicative of the period, application to the National Historical Register has been made.

No matter what they might be, we offer a perfect setting for your special events. We offer accommodations for small indoor weddings and gatherings. For outdoor weddings, The Daughtry House offers a large, impressive covered gazebo, with a gorgeous crystal chandelier and a professionally landscaped yard.

The Daughtry House has a modern kitchen that can prepare snacks and beverages, and accommodate your gathering with a catered meal.

Mr. Daughtry thought his home to be special and impressive enough for his daughter Clifford to be married in, and we hope that you will consider it special enough too.

Please contact Vicki or Sandra at 706-335-3444 for more details as to how we can help make the Daughtry House a part of your memories, and be part of a tradition that has been going strong for over 140 years.

Source:  thedaughtryhouse.com

U.S. Post Office

This should light your hair on fire !!!!  Disgusting. 

  The US has entered into a contract with a real estate firm to sell 56 buildings that currently house U.S. Post Offices. The government decided it no longer needs these buildings, most of which are located on prime land in towns and cities across the country. The sale of these properties will fetch about $19 billion.
                   
  A regular real estate commission will be paid to the company that was given the exclusive listing for handling the sales. That company is CRI and it belongs to a man named Richard Blum.
                   
                   
Richard Blum is the husband of Senator Dianne Feinstein. (Most voters and many of the government people who approved the deal have not made the connection between the two because they have different last names).
                   
                   
Senator Feinstein and her husband stand to make a fortune (estimated at betwee $950 million and $1.1 billion!!) from these transactions. His company is the sole real estate agent on the sale. CRI will be making a minimum of 3% and as much as 6% commission on each and every sale.
                   
                    
All of the properties that are being sold are all fully paid for. They were purchased with U.S. taxpayers dollars. The U.S.P.S. is allowed free and clear, tax exempt use. The only cost to keep them open is the cost to

 actually keep the doors open and the heat and lights on. The United States Postal Service doesn't even have to pay county property taxes on these subject properties.
               
                   
Would you put your house in foreclosure just because you couldn't afford to pay the electric bill?
                   
Well, the folks in Washington have given the Post Office the OK to do it! Worse yet, most of the net proceeds of the sales will go back to the U.S.P.S, an organization that is so poorly managed that they have lost $117 billion dollars in the past 10 years!
                                   
No one in the mainstream media is even raising an eyebrow over the conflict of interest and on the possibility of corruption on the sale of millions of dollars worth of public assets.
                   
  How does a U.S. Senator from San Francisco manage to get away with organizing and lobbying such a sweet deal? Has our government become so elitist that they have no fear of oversight?
                   
And it's no mere coincidence that these two public service crooks have different last names; a feeble attempt at avoiding transparency in these type of transactions.
                   
Pass this info on before it's pulled from the internet.
              
                   
Verified on Snopes: 

http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/blum.asp

64 Uses For Vinegar

1. Kill grass on walks and driveways. Pour full strength on unwanted grass.

2. Kill weeds. Spray full strength on tops of weeds. Reapply on any new growth until plants have starved.

3. Increase soil acidity. In hard water areas, add a cup of vinegar to a gallon of tap water for watering acid loving plants like rhododendrons,gardenias, or azaleas. The vinegar will release iron in the soil for the plants to use.

4. Neutralize garden lime. Rinse your hands liberally with vinegar after working with garden lime to avoid rough and flaking skin. Clean pots before re potting, rinse with vinegar to remove excess lime.

5. Deter ants. Spray vinegar around door and window frames, under appliances, and along other known ant trails.

6. Keep car windows frost free. Coat the windows the night before with a solution of three parts vinegar to one part water.

7. Polish car chrome. Apply full strength with a soft cloth.

8. Soak new propane lantern wicks in vinegar for several hours. Let dry before using. Will burn longer and brighter.

9. Clean milking equipment. Rinse with vinegar to leave system clean, odorless, and bacteria free without harmful chemical residue.

10. Remove skunk odor from a dog. Rub fur with vinegar.

11. Keep cats away. Sprinkle vinegar on an area to discourage cats from walking,sleeping,or scratching on it.

12. Keep dogs from scratching ears. Clean the inside of the ears with a soft cloth dipped in diluted vinegar.

13. Keep away fleas and mange. Add a little vinegar to your pet's drinking water.

14. Keep chickens from pecking each other. Add cider vinegar to their drinking water.

15. Make buttermilk. Add a tablespoon of vinegar to a cup of milk and let it stand 5 minutes to thicken.

16. Tenderize meat. Soak in vinegar overnight.

17. Freshen vegetables. Soak wilted vegetables in a quart of cold water and a tablespoon of vinegar.

18. Replace a lemon. Substitute 1/4 teaspoon of vinegar for 1 teaspoon of lemon juice.

19. Firm up gelatin. Add a teaspoon of vinegar for every box of gelatin used to keep those molded desserts from sagging in the summer heat.

20. Boil better eggs. Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar to each quart of water before boiling eggs, keeps them from cracking.

21. Prepare fluffier rice. Add a teaspoon of vinegar to the water when it boils.

22. Make wine vinegar. Mix 2 tablespoons of vinegar with 1 teaspoon of dry red wine.

23. Debug fresh vegetables. Wash leafy greens in water with vinegar and salt. Bugs float off.

24. Scale fish more easily. Rub with vinegar 5 minutes before scaling.

25. Dampen your appetite. Sprinkle a little vinegar on prepared food to take the edge off your appetite.

26. Soothe a bee or jellyfish sting. Douse with vinegar. Will soothe irritation and relieve itching.

27. Relieve sunburn. Lightly rub white or cider vinegar on skin. Reapply as needed.

28. Conditions hair. Add a tablespoon of vinegar to your rinse to dissolve sticky residue left by shampoo.

29. Relieve dry and itchy skin. Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar to your bath water.

30. Fight dandruff. After shampooing, rinse with a solution of 1/2 cup vinegar and 2 cups of warm water.

31. Soothe a soar throat. Put a teaspoon of vinegar in a glass of water. Gargle, then swallow. For another great gargle: 1 c. hot water, 2 tbsp. honey, 1 tbsp. vinegar, gargle then drink.

32. Clear up warts. Apply a lotion of half cider vinegar and half glycerin.

33. Treat sinus infections and chest colds. Add 1/4 cup or more vinegar to the vaporizer.

34. Feel good. A teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water, with a bit of honey added for flavor, will take the edge off your appetite and give you an overall healthy feeling.

35. Deodorize the kitchen drain. Pour a cup down the drain once a week. Let stand 30 minutes and then flush with cold water.

36. Eliminate onion odor. Rub on your fingers before and after slicing.

37. Clean and disinfect wood cutting boards. Wipe with full strength vinegar.

38. Remove fruit stains from hands. Rub with vinegar.

39. Cut grease and odor on dishes. Add a tablespoon of vinegar to hot soapy water.

40. Clean a teapot. Boil a mixture of water and vinegar in the teapot. Wipe away the grime.

41. Freshen a lunchbox. Soak a piece of bread in vinegar and let it sit in the unchbox over night.

42. Clean the refrigerator. Wash with a solution of equal parts water and vinegar.

43. Unclog a drain. Pour a handful of baking soda down the drain and add 1/2 cup of vinegar. Rinse with hot water.

44. Clean and deodorize the garbage disposal. Make vinegar ice cubes and feed them down the disposal. After grinding, run cold water through a minute.

45. Clean and deodorize jars. Rinse mayonnaise, peanut butter, and mustard jars with vinegar when empty.

46. Clean the dishwasher. Run a cup of vinegar through the whole cycle once a month to reduce soap build up on the inner mechanisms and on glassware.

47. Clean stainless steel. Wipe with a vinegar dampened cloth.

48. Clean china and fine glassware. Add acup of vinegar to a sink of warm water. Gently dip the glass or china in the solution and let dry.

49. Get stains out of pots. Fill pot with a solution of 3 tablespoons of vinegar to a pint of water. Boil until stain loosens and can be washed away.

50. Clean the microwave. Boil a solution of 1/4 cup of vinegar and 1 cup of water in the microwave. Will loosen splattered on food and deodorize.

51. Dissolve rust from bolts and other metals. Soak in full strength vinegar.

52. Get rid of cooking smells. Let simmer a small pot of vinegar and water solution.
53. Unclog steam iron. Pour equal amounts of vinegar and water into the iron's water chamber. Turn to steam and leave the iron on for 5 minutes in an upright postion. Then uplug and allow to cool. Any loose particles should come out when you empty the water.

54. Clean a scorched iron plate. Heat equal parts vinegar and salt in a small pan. Rub solution on the cooled iron surface to remove dark or burned stains.

55. Get rid of lint in clothes. Add 1/2 cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle.

56. Keep colors from running. Immerse clothes in full strength vinegar before washing.

57. Freshen up the washing machine. Periodically, pour a cup of vinegar in the machine and let in run through a regular cycle (no clothes added). Will dissolve soap residue.

58. Brighten fabric colors. Add a 1/2 cup vinegar to the rinse cycle.

59. Take grease off suede. Dip a toothbrush in vinegar and gently brush over grease spot.

60. Remove tough stains. Gently rub on fruit, jam, mustard, coffee, tea. Then wash as usual.

61. Get smoke smell out of clothes. Add a cup of vinegar to a bath tub of hot water. Hang clothes above the steam.

62. Remove decals. Brush with a couple coats of vinegar. Allow to soak in. Wash off.

63. Clean eyeglasses. Wipe each lens with a drop of vinegar.

64. Freshen cut flowers. Add 2 tablespoons vinegar and 1 teaspoon sugar for each quart of water.

Seniors Speak Out

Senior citizens are constantly being criticized for
every conceivable deficiency of the modern world, real
or imaginary. We take responsibility for all we have
done and do not blame others.

BUT, upon reflection, we would like to point out that
it was NOT the senior citizens who took:

The melody out of music,
The pride out of appearance,
The romance out of love,
The commitment out of marriage,
The responsibility out of parenthood,
The togetherness out of the family,
The learning out of education,
The service out of patriotism,
The religion out of school,
The Golden Rule from rulers,
The nativity scene out of cities,
The civility out of behavior,
The refinement out of language,
The dedication out of employment,
The prudence out of spending, or
The ambition out of achievement,

And we certainly are NOT the ones who eliminated
patience and tolerance from personal relationships and
interactions with others!!

Does anyone under the age of 50 know the lyrics to the
Star Spangled Banner? Just look at the Seniors with
tears in their eyes and pride in their hearts as they
stand at attention with their hand over their hearts!

Remember.......Inside every older person is a younger
person wondering what the heck happened!
~~~~~
YES, I'M A SENIOR CITIZEN!
The life of the party...even if it only lasts until 8 p.m.

I'm very good at opening childproof caps with a hammer.

I'm usually interested in going home
before I get to where I am going.

I'm awake many hours before my
 body allows me to get up.

I'm smiling all the time because
I can't hear a thing you're saying.

I'm very good at telling stories;
over and over and over and over...

I'm aware that other people's grandchildren
 are not as cute as mine.

I'm so cared for -- long term care, eye care,
 private care, dental care.~~~~~
I'm not grouchy, I just don't like traffic, waiting,
crowds, lawyers, loud music, unruly kids, Toyota
commercials, Tom Brokaw, Dan Rather, barking dogs,
politicians and a few other things I can't remember.

I'm sure everything I can't find is in a secure place.

I'm wrinkled, saggy, lumpy, and that's just my left leg.

I'm having trouble remembering simple words like.......

I'm realizing that aging is not for wimps.

I'm sure they are making adults much younger these
days, and when did they let kids become policemen?

I'm wondering, if you're only as old as you feel, how
could I be alive at 150?

I'm a walking storeroom of facts.....
I've just lost the key to the storeroom door.

Yes, I'm a SENIOR CITIZEN and...
I think I am having the time of my life!

~ Stan Nemeth ~

Source: mamarocks.com

Voter Registration In Mexico