# "Thank God for Mississippi!" - is there anywhere it doesn't work? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 7, 2016, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-god-for-mississippi-is-there-anywhere-it-doesnt-work/751436 "2016-04-07T13:43:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-god-for-mississippi-is-there-anywhere-it-doesnt-work/751436/1 "2016-04-07T13:43:13Z")
Dunno if you’ve heard [the phrase](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thank_God_for_Mississippi), it was new to me, that when it comes to rankings of the States (in things like educational achievement, poverty rates, life expectancy etc.), one can always turn to Mississippi to find a state with the worse ranking. Are there any areas where Mississippi ranks high among the several States for something positive, and where the saying would definitely not work? ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-god-for-mississippi-is-there-anywhere-it-doesnt-work/751436/2 "2016-04-07T13:47:35Z")
I’ve read that childhood vaccination rates are higher there than in some states with a high population of new-age fuckwits who get their medical advice from Jenny McCarthy. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-god-for-mississippi-is-there-anywhere-it-doesnt-work/751436/3 "2016-04-07T13:48:53Z")
Mississippi has the [2nd highest church attendance](http://www.gallup.com/poll/181601/frequent-church-attendance-highest-utah-lowest-vermont.aspx), topped only by Utah. Though not everyone will consider this as something positive. ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-god-for-mississippi-is-there-anywhere-it-doesnt-work/751436/4 "2016-04-07T13:56:16Z")
Mississippi [ranked](https://wallethub.com/edu/most-and-least-charitable-states/8555/) #2 of US States for percentage of income donated to charity. Average income may be lower than many states, but the residents of the Magnolia States do give of what they have. ---
**Author:** ![bomberswarm2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c37758/32.png) [@bomberswarm2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bomberswarm2)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-god-for-mississippi-is-there-anywhere-it-doesnt-work/751436/5 "2016-04-07T13:59:06Z")
In Mississippi? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-god-for-mississippi-is-there-anywhere-it-doesnt-work/751436/6 "2016-04-07T14:08:44Z")
If you are a member of ISIS or just a person who wants America to destroy itself – good news about Mississippi! 1. [Mississippi is the fattest state for 10th straight year!](http://calorielab.com/news/2015/10/31/fattest-states-2015/) 2. Mississippi – [Highest Infant Mortality Rate, even though it also has the highest childhood vaccination rates.](http://healthimpactnews.com/2014/mississippi-first-in-infant-vaccination-rates-last-in-infant-mortalities/) 3. [#2 state in per capita homicides](http://www.wapt.com/news/mississippi/fbi-ranks-mississippi-no-2-for-homicides/22042856) ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-god-for-mississippi-is-there-anywhere-it-doesnt-work/751436/7 "2016-04-07T14:17:34Z")
> [@Iggy](#): > > Mississippi [ranked](https://wallethub.com/edu/most-and-least-charitable-states/8555/) #2 of US States for percentage of income donated to charity. Average income may be lower than many states, but the residents of the Magnolia States do give of what they have. You amaze me, Sir. In Arkansas we say, “Thank G-d for Mississippi and West Virginia”. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-god-for-mississippi-is-there-anywhere-it-doesnt-work/751436/8 "2016-04-07T14:18:20Z")
> [@Iggy](#): > > Mississippi [ranked](https://wallethub.com/edu/most-and-least-charitable-states/8555/) #2 of US States for percentage of income donated to charity. I expect that’s related to the high church attendance. (I’m pretty sure tithing to the church counts as “donation to charity.”) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-god-for-mississippi-is-there-anywhere-it-doesnt-work/751436/9 "2016-04-07T14:31:47Z")
In prison issues, Mississippi and other southern states took the lead in developing the idea of conjugal visits (visits where a prisoner and his wife get to spend the night together). Unfortunately, they lost any credit they might have received for these apparently enlightened programs by justifying them with racism. Southern prison officials argued that conjugal visits where necessary because black prisoners couldn’t control their sexual urges like white prisoners could, so there had to be some kind of outlet for them. (And of course once they were giving conjugal visits to black prisoners, they weren’t going to deny them to white prisoners.) ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-god-for-mississippi-is-there-anywhere-it-doesnt-work/751436/10 "2016-04-07T14:41:04Z")
> [@Ponch8](#): > > I’ve read that childhood vaccination rates are higher there than in some states with a high population of new-age fuckwits who get their medical advice from Jenny McCarthy. Yep. [This article](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/01/29/which-states-are-the-best-and-worst-at-vaccinating-their-kids/) from 2015 says Mississippi was ranked 12th in the nation in vaccination rates for toddlers. Alabama did even better. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-god-for-mississippi-is-there-anywhere-it-doesnt-work/751436/11 "2016-04-07T15:13:10Z")
Well, when there is a drought in desert state X…saying “hey, at least it ain’t as bad as Mississippi” doesn’t quite work 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-god-for-mississippi-is-there-anywhere-it-doesnt-work/751436/12 "2016-04-07T15:40:42Z")
> [@Iggy](#): > > Mississippi [ranked](https://wallethub.com/edu/most-and-least-charitable-states/8555/) #2 of US States for percentage of income donated to charity. Average income may be lower than many states, but the residents of the Magnolia States do give of what they have. So you’re saying you don’t have to worry if you got no money cause people on the river are happy to give? “Thank God for Mississippi” has always been Alabama’s battle cry because we’re usually Number 49 to their Number 50. It’s especially popular on Facebook this week because with all their high rates of obesity and infant mortality and poverty and high school dropouts and unwed mothers and the like they just voted to pass a bill to discriminate against the LGBT community cause, you know, that’s their biggest problem. (Meanwhile in Alabama the big stories are about a 73 year old man’s marital infidelities while the fact the state is about to slash $85 million from an already bad Medicaid while giving $800 million to build more prisons takes back seat.) ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-god-for-mississippi-is-there-anywhere-it-doesnt-work/751436/13 "2016-04-07T16:18:04Z")
It’s 32nd in population density, for whatever that’s worth. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-god-for-mississippi-is-there-anywhere-it-doesnt-work/751436/14 "2016-04-07T16:36:15Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > You amaze me, Sir. > > In Arkansas we say, “Thank G-d for Mississippi and West Virginia”. Back when Clinton (the other one) was running for president, I think it was one of the SNL comedians who was imitating his campaign speech - “As governor, I managed to raise Arkansas from 48th in literacy to 44th, I raised it from 49th in poverty to 45th, and I raised it from 48th in crime rates to 43rd…” ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-god-for-mississippi-is-there-anywhere-it-doesnt-work/751436/15 "2016-04-07T16:48:09Z")
> [@md2000](#): > > Back when Clinton (the other one) was running for president, I think it was one of the SNL comedians who was imitating his campaign speech - “As governor, I managed to raise Arkansas from 48th in literacy to 44th, I raised it from 49th in poverty to 45th, and I raised it from 48th in crime rates to 43rd…” Did Bill really do that, as Governor of Arkansas? That would be no small achievement. ---
**Author:** ![skdo23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@skdo23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skdo23)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-god-for-mississippi-is-there-anywhere-it-doesnt-work/751436/16 "2016-04-07T17:00:40Z")
> [@md2000](#): > > Back when Clinton (the other one) was running for president, I think it was one of the SNL comedians who was imitating his campaign speech - “As governor, I managed to raise Arkansas from 48th in literacy to 44th, I raised it from 49th in poverty to 45th, and I raised it from 48th in crime rates to 43rd…” Great [skit](http://snltranscripts.jt.org/92/92cdebate.phtml). I sure do miss Phil Hartman. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-god-for-mississippi-is-there-anywhere-it-doesnt-work/751436/17 "2016-04-07T17:17:29Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > Did Bill really do that, as Governor of Arkansas? That would be no small achievement. He wasn’t bad at being President, either. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-god-for-mississippi-is-there-anywhere-it-doesnt-work/751436/18 "2016-04-07T17:38:32Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > 1. Mississippi – [Highest Infant Mortality Rate, even though it also has the highest childhood vaccination rates.](http://healthimpactnews.com/2014/mississippi-first-in-infant-vaccination-rates-last-in-infant-mortalities/) But those two things don’t really have anything to do with each other. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-god-for-mississippi-is-there-anywhere-it-doesnt-work/751436/19 "2016-04-07T19:09:44Z")
> [@Ponch8](#): > > I’ve read that childhood vaccination rates are higher there than in some states with a high population of new-age fuckwits who get their medical advice from Jenny McCarthy. > [@Bayard](#): > > Yep. [This article](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/01/29/which-states-are-the-best-and-worst-at-vaccinating-their-kids/) from 2015 says Mississippi was ranked 12th in the nation in vaccination rates for toddlers. Alabama did even better. Came in to say that. The list I saw they were #1, Colorado was #50. [This _might_ be it](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/storyline/wp/2015/01/30/mississippi-yes-mississippi-has-the-nations-best-child-vaccination-rate-heres-why/), for “school-age children.” ETA: CO is 50/50, not including WY but including DC. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-god-for-mississippi-is-there-anywhere-it-doesnt-work/751436/20 "2016-04-07T19:24:33Z")
In keeping track of time to the nearest second, the order is 1. Mississippi 2. Mississippi 3. Mississippi etc. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-god-for-mississippi-is-there-anywhere-it-doesnt-work/751436.md?page=2)