Being a proud Texan, though admittedly not a native, it is difficult to get "a discouraging word" about this State. But the prophet Larry James quotes these statistics from a recent Dallas Morning News article. Looks like we have much work left to do!
"Consider the facts, just the facts, about Texas:
* A child is born in poverty every 7 minutes
* A child is abused or neglected every 10 minutes
* First in teen births and the most repeat teen births in the U. S.
* 25% of Texas' children are born into poverty
* 49th in the number of working poor (that is, Texas is second in the number of people who work and remain poor)
* $14,700--the average annual income of the poorest 20% of Texas families
* $203,200--average annual income of the richest 5% of Texas families (13.8 times as high as the poorest 20%)
* 16% of Texans live with hunger or in fear of starvation, just ahead of New Mexico and Mississippi
* 48th in the nation in state and local government expenditures for public welfare--$808 per capita
* Second highest Gross Domestic Product in the U. S.
* Number 1 in cancerous emissions into the air and toxic chemicals into the water.
* Ranks 50th in the number of insured people in the nation--5.5 million Texans are not covered by health insurance or 24% of the population (compared to 15.7% for the U. S.)
* 1st in the U. S. in executions since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976
* 2nd highest incarceration rate
* 60% of children under Texas Youth Commission supervision come from low-income families
* 83% of these children have IQs below 100
* 41% experience serious mental health issues
* 52% come from families with a history of criminal behavior
* 76% have parents who are separated or never married
* 34% of Texas high school students drop out--8th highest in the U. S.
* 49th in verbal SAT scores and 46th in math
* Texas ranks 41st in per capita spending on students in public schools, compared to 25th in 1999. [Did I hear someone say, "No child left behind"?]
* 8th largest GDP in the world--$1.1 trillion in 2006
* 1st in number of shopping malls in the nation
* 12th in church or synagogue attendance
Not a pretty picture.
If I'm a Texas preacher today, I figure I have a few things to bring up with my congregation.
If I'm a Texas legislator, after I take a long look at myself in the mirror, I figure I've got a few things to work on.
If I'm a citizen of the state, and I am, I figure I need to be engaged at several levels."
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