We Join Less, Get On Technology More

The future holds very little socializing, I think. At least in person. I believe we will be a nation, if not most of the industrialized world, of people looking down, into our phones, mostly, and laptops, secondarily.

First, what we're doing.

Bowling Alone: America's Declining Social Capital

Fewer American Workers Join Labor Unions

The military's real problem: Fewer Americans are joining

Younger Generations Less Likely to Join Boy Scouts

Masons, other service groups fight membership declines

Moose, Elk Joining The Endangered

NASCAR Is In Trouble And Nobody Wants To Talk About It

There are a lot of reasons for the NFL's ratings slide

So long, televised football: Millennials are so over you

Americans becoming less religious, especially young 

U.S. Public Becoming Less Religious | Pew Research Center

And now, for the problems...

People Spend Too Much Time on Smartphones

U.S. Young Adults Admit Too Much Time on Cell Phones

Britons spend more time on tech than asleep, study suggests

Putnam, "The Strange Disappearance of Civic America."

Amount of Time Spent Playing Video Games Influences Kids' Behavior

When Tech Is a Problem Child

How parents fight back against their kids’ obsession with smartphones and social media.

Doesn't seem like it portends good things for us, as a people, as a society, as a nation. A not very united states.

Missouri and Kansas--both--on list of "least healthy eating states"

True.

The states of Kansas and Missouri were just recently ranked in the bottom 10 states, out of all 50, of course, for "healthy eating" according to a Gallup Poll:

Vermont No. 1 in Frequent Exercise, Produce Consumption

How embarrassing.

And check out what state ISN'T in the bottom 10 of this list.  Freaking Mississippi.  Kansans and Missourians are eating less healthy than the people in Mississippi? Are you kidding me?

Geez, people,  can't we do better than this?

A LOT better?

Congratulations to Missouri Statehouse Republicans

Missouri was just listed, last week, as one of "The Most Miserable States" in a Gallup-Healthways study:

America's Most Miserable States

And the thing is, these are the most miserable states in the people's own opinions, the people of these very states.

And of the 10 "most miserable", we weren't even in last place, oh no. We ranked number 8. What they found:

8. Missouri
> Well-being index score: 64.5
> Life expectancy: 77.5 years (11th lowest)
> Percent obese: 29.0% (14th highest)
> Median household income: $45,321 (14th lowest)
> Percent with high school diploma: 88.0% (23rd lowest)

The economic confidence of Missouri residents improved considerably between between 2012 and 2013. Despite this, respondents had some of the worst outlooks about their lives in 2013. Just one half of residents surveyed said they were thriving last year, among the lowest rates in the nation. With a high number of residents experiencing stress, as well as a relatively low number reporting having smiled or laughed within the last day, Missouri ranked among the worst states for emotional health.

And so, to this I have to say, my hat is off, congratulations to the Republicans in the state, especially and specifically the Republican legislators in Jefferson City, in and at the capital, who are doing their legislative, governing handiwork. With their mean-spirited, ugly, vindictive, "we hate government" attitudes and legislation, against the people, even against the government but for the wealthy and corporations, you're making this state into just the ugly vessel you would have it.

This, then, is proof of you--the Republican legislators'--direct handiwork, lo these last seral years, if not one or two decades.

I hope y'all are happy because the citizens of the Show Me state certainly aren't.

Link:  Nine out of 10 'most miserable' states are red

If we weren't angry before, we can be now

Unbelievable.

Nearly unbelievable.

As I said above, if we didn't have enough reason to be angry about Washington, our Federal government and how much they either spend or screw up before, we certainly do now.

It seems our own President Obama, whom I have so fiercely supported on lots of things in the past, not the least of which is "Obamacare", pushed through an Executive Order to give Congress a pay raise.

Stop.

Think about that.

These are the people who haven't passed a budget--their one, big job, mind you--in at least 3 years but hey, here's a pay raise.

These are the people who created the "fiscal cliff" and now have been the only ones who could fix it--but wouldn't but hey, here's a big pile of more money.

These are, by and large, the people who have been screaming, nearly, for cuts in spending but, hey, I want to get more money in my paycheck so, what the hell, let's.

And they wonder why we're all madder than hell.

Holy freaking sh*t.

How stupid are we supposed to be?

How much are we supposed to take before we revolt?

Links: http://www.gallup.com/poll/159401/congress-approval-remains-during-fiscal-cliff-debate.aspx

http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2012/12/obama-issues-executive-order-granting.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MishsGlobalEconomicTrendAnalysis+%28Mish%27s+Global+Economic+Trend+Analysis%29

Most/least religious states

The Gallup Polling organization released its finding on the Most and Least Religious states and came up with some surprising and some terribly predictable data. Missouri ranks as 16th "most religious", tying with Nebraska and North Dakota for that spot. Kansas came up a little bit higher on the list (unfortunately but not surprisingly) with a rating of 13, tying with South Dakota. What this means is that 44% of respondents said they were "very religious" in Missouri's shared 16th spot while 45% of Kansans said they were "very religious." Good for them. As for the "top" (or bottom, depending how you look at it) spots, no surprise there as most of them are all in the South, with the exception of the State theocracy also known as Utah. Mississippi came in the number one (or 50th) spot (again, depending how you view it. Link: http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/03/29/where-are-the-most-religious-states-in-america/

Great news, Kansas City!

We aren't on the list of the top 10 "America's Fattest Cities" as measured by the Gallup Polling Organization! Topeka, Kansas is, but not us! Yeehaw! Check it out (link at bottom). Yahoo! It must be all that overtime we're working. Link: http://www.gallup.com/poll/153143/Obese-Nearly-Metro-Areas.aspx?utm_source=tagrss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=syndication; http://www.cnbc.com/id/46869403?__source=tumblr&par=tumblr

Breaking as we slept: Bad news/good news

From the UK and their Daily Mail just last evening: U.S. debt now as big as entire economy America's national debt has reached a worrying milestone - it is now as big as the whole of its economy. The amount owed by the federal government to its creditors, combined with IOUs to government retirement and other schemes, now stands at $15.23 trillion. The government estimated the value of goods and services produced by the economy in a year at $15.17trillion as of September. This is decidedly bad news for President Obama, his administration and his re-election campaign. It's not insurmountable and the election is months away but this is not good, for sure. Then there's this, from the Gallup Poll people: U.S. Economic Confidence Rises to Seven-Month High Americans' outlook for the economy is improving faster than their ratings of current conditions Finally, we're going to heck in a debt handbasket but we're optimistic--how American is that?--just check out the Greek situation: Greek turmoil helps thieves steal a Picasso It seems that, with their debt problems, they had cut staff at the museum. Yikes. Link to original article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2084353/Size-U-S-debt-entire-economy--15-23-TRILLION.html; http://www.gallup.com/poll/151958/economic-confidence-rises-seven-month-high.aspx; http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/09/thieves-steal-picasso-and-mondrian-paintings-in-athens/?ref=greece

Neighboring Nebraska one of the "Happiest States"?

Yes, they are, this time according to LiveScience.com (not Forbes Magazine).

Oh, sure, you can figure Hawaii ranks number one in this ranking, what with the oceans and beaches and mountains and all the tourists coming to see what they've got but Nebraska, number 10?

From the article:

Hawaii's stellar placement was due to its scores on three well-being categories: life evaluation, emotional health and physical health.

That all seems fairly obvious, if not statistical.

But what about Missouri with our state park system and Lake of the Ozarks, etc?  We came in at a lowly, second-half of the group 34.  We must be grumpy people, I guess.

Meanwhile, Kansas was no. 15 while Iowa is 19.  Oh, well.

At least if Missouri isn't in the "top ten", we aren't in the "bottom 10", either, thank goodness.

Looking at that "bottom 10" , check that out--neighbor Arkansas is the 4th unhappiest, at no. 47, supposedly.

Oh, well.  It's like they say in the Broadway play "Avenue Q", Arkansas--"It Sucks to be You".

Link to original story:    http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20110307/sc_livescience/happiestinhawaiialohastatetopswellbeinglist

5 best ways to be happy:  http://www.livescience.com/5065-5-keys-happiness.html

Good news and bad in latest poll

The good news?

President Obama came out on top:

2010 polls: Obama most admired man

President Obama  won the honor of being the man Americans admired most in 2010, according to a Gallup/USA Today pollreleased Monday.

Twenty-two percent of Americans surveyed said that the president is the person they hold in highest esteem, granting Obama the titled of "Most Admired Man" for the third year in a row in the annual survey.

What I can't figure?

George W. Bush placed second...

America, for a minute there, I gave you a lot of credit.

Link to original post:  http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_theticket/20101227/ts_yblog_theticket/2010-polls-obama-most-admired-man-palin-top-religious-newsmaker/print

Okay, if we can't stop Fox "News", then let's have fun with them

Let's have a great weekend, y'all.

We were right--the world DID want us to get rid of "W"

From Gallup , the polling organization, just now:

"Perceptions of U.S. leadership worldwide improved significantly from 2008 to 2009. The U.S.-Global Leadership Project, a partnership between the Meridian International Center and Gallup, finds that a median of 51% of the world approves of the job performance of the current leadership of the U.S., up from a median of 34% in 2008."

"Gallup has asked residents worldwide to rate the leadership of the U.S. since 2005, which enables a comparison of how perceptions of U.S. leadership have changed from the Bush administration to the Obama administration. The global median approval of U.S. leadership remained relatively steady from 2005 to 2008. In 2009, a bare median majority approves of the job performance of U.S. leadership (51%) -- a first since Gallup began asking the question worldwide in 2005."

"Significant improvements in sentiment toward U.S. leadership are evident in all four major global regions, with the largest year-over-year increase in approval measured in Europe. Median approval of U.S. leadership increased by 28 percentage points between 2008 and 2009 in this region. A median of 47% approves and a median of 20% disapproves -- the first time disapproval has dropped below 50% in Europe since Gallup first asked the question."

"Among the Group of Twenty (G-20) members, approval of U.S. leadership changed significantly in 16 of 17 countries where Gallup collected data before and after the Obama administration took office early last year. In 15 of these countries, approval ratings increased substantially, with increases of 39 points or more in Canada, France, and the United Kingdom. Although sentiment improved significantly in Turkey and Saudi Arabia from 2008 to 2009, majorities in these two countries still disapprove of the job performance of U.S. leadership."

So besides the fact that he's much more intelligent than "W" and the fact that he's not as completely, totally and utterly "in the pocket" of corporations and the wealthy, it seems the world, along with us, approves far more of the job President Obama is doing than we were used to for the previous 8 tortuous (no pun intended) years.

Now if this current President would only throw the health insurance companies and bankers out of the White House, we might achieve something for the average American, instead of the average American corporation.