These Nine Maps Show How The GOP is Destroying Southern States
https://aattp.org/these-nine-maps-show-how-the-gop-is-destroying-southern-states/
These Nine Maps Show How The GOP is Destroying Southern States
Posted by: John Prager in Economic Issues, Religion March 6, 2014
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This map shows U.S. poverty rates, which are highest in the south. Red-shaded states indicate poverty rates between 17.9 and 22.8 percent. Orange is 15,9-17.8 percent. Light orange indicates 12.2-15.8 percent, and yellow indicates 9-12.1 percent.
Given the poverty rates it is unsurprising that the minimum wage is depressing, as well in southern states. With the exception of Florida, most southern states have not bothered to raise the minimum wage above the federal level.
Upward mobility is also a scenario that southerners cannot expect to experience at a rate matching the more sensible parts of the country. Red state voters have a decreased likelihood of moving up the economic ladder, as shown below. The dark red areas are places where the American Dream is all but dead.
Despite the economic woes in the south, elected officials (in their infinite wisdom) have decided that the people whose wages they have kept as low as possible have as difficult of a time as possible clawing their way up  from  the pit of despair that is crushing povertyby refusing to expand Medicaid and denying them affordable health care. States that have not elected to expand Medicaid are highlighted in light gray.