The State's Role in the Well-being of Children

An article this morning in the News and Record had some accompanying graphics which were quite helpful.    The article addressed a report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation that ranked the states with respect to child well-being.  The graphics broke this down into individual indicators.  We overall ranked 40th among the states.

We varied most, on a percentage basis, from the national average on the percent of high school dropouts.  We were worse than the national average on every measure listed, but interestingly, we varied least from the national average on the amount of child poverty.

We ranked well below Virginia, but slightly ahead of Tennessee and South Carolina.  We were eight places above Alabama, but one below Georgia.

Here's the rub: we have the highest taxes in the Southeast, but we rank  below or around each of these states (excepting perhaps Alabama) according to these graphics.

Our taxes are around the national average, but we perform well below the national average.

I am not sure to what extent I would agree that the well-being of children is directly related to the amount of governmental expenditure on their behalf.  But even if we accept the premise that governmental spending and programs play a key role in the well-being of children, perhaps these data suggest that our dollars are not always well spent.

Comments

[Erin Monahan]

" perhaps these data suggest that our dollars are not always well spent."

A-men!