Do I Live In A Dumb State?

Or am I just blind? Deaf? Stupid?

In the last week the news has made some comment about the welfare of Tennessee TWICE! The first one was about some reasons as to why TN has the highest death rate due to tornado activity. One of the reasons was the higher number of mobile homes in the state. Really? I mean I know this place is country but I didn't realize it was THAT bad.

In the second story a Tennessee couple got scammed into signing for a $5,000 loan with 59% interest and one of the direct quotes from the victim was ""I ain't got no knowledge of spelling and writing, but the Lord gave me a good memory," says Kay Brown. "And I know they never said anything about 59 percent interest." What? Are you kidding me? I feel that people who directly quote something like that do so with a sneer on their dirty faces. No good can come of it.

Granted, I've been a bit of a gypsy moving all over the Eastern United States and spending most of that time in the North so I have a taste for the different cultures but the representation of Tennessee seems a little extreme. Granted, I still proudly call myself a Yankee and believe the pre-college education is of a higher standard in the North but TN is getting a bad rap. I've lived in far worst cities for sure. At least the people here are nice and considerate. If you stay in the little bubble of civilization you meet some intelligent AND friendly folk. You get to see the mountains everyday and life seems to go at a little slower pace than in the north.

Maybe instead of poking fun we should turn our efforts to improving these issues and stopping the ignorance(Yeah right).