# Which state would make the worst independent country? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 25, 2014, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-state-would-make-the-worst-independent-country/684491 "2014-03-25T00:34:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-state-would-make-the-worst-independent-country/684491/61 "2014-03-29T20:12:19Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Yes, but if Texas were to revert back to it’s original possessions when it was a Republic, **all your mountains are belong to us** , and that would include the river as well. Except that the Republic of Texas was ever in constructive possession of virtually nothing of those “original possessions” beyond its current state boundaries. Most of the northern reaches remained operationally Mexican virtually the whole run of Texas’ Independence. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2014, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-state-would-make-the-worst-independent-country/684491/62 "2014-03-30T13:52:31Z")
> [@TV\_time](#): > > Only during March Madness does any one even know the state exists. Even the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals are in Missouri. On their own though? It might revert back to 1890 but it would probably continue to exist OK. Yet another person who doesn’t realize there are _ **two** _ cities named Kansas City, with one being in Kansas(hah!) and the other just across the river(or street!) in Missouri. I think Kansas would do well, much better than some. The other 49 would miss our wheat, corn, and beef, that’s for sure, not to mention the salt. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Holdsworth\_Effect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/848f3c/32.png) [@The\_Holdsworth\_Effect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Holdsworth_Effect)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2014, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-state-would-make-the-worst-independent-country/684491/63 "2014-03-31T17:07:56Z")
I spent 18 years in RI. In the 1975 to 1993 era the current governor was, briefly, a farrier, and shod one of our horses. He was a nice guy then, and IMO still is. I’ve NO idea why he wants to be Governor there, except noblesse oblige. Western and northern RI are not poor, though many don’t have much money. I haven’t looked at the stats lately but back then (Buddy Cianci era) the Italians were outnumbered by the Irish- they just made a lot more noise. There was definitely Irish mob too…they all had heart attacks on a regular basis. Some of the visitors were quite interesting. Put them with eastern MA and Worcester and they might survive as an entity. Please don’t lump Ca with OR and WA. We are trying to get them to go back. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2014, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-state-would-make-the-worst-independent-country/684491/64 "2014-03-31T18:13:16Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > Mississippi would really have a struggle ahead of it. In almost every survey ranking states by education, income, house prices, healthcare etc. Mississippi always comes out at or near the bottom. Pretty much, this. Not to mention income disparity, a strong [culture of honor](http://www.amazon.com/Culture-Of-Honor-Psychology-Directions/dp/0813319935), very high religiosity, and so on. [Per capita GDP in Mississippi in 2009 is US$24,062](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_between_U.S._states_and_countries_by_GDP_%28nominal%29_per_capita), the lowest in the United States (GDP: $45,725). [This is about the same](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_%28PPP%29_per_capita) as Barbados ($25,043), Seychelles ($24,989), Slovakia ($24,142), Greece ($24,260), and Palau ($23,053). ---
**Author:** ![AnthonyElite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b487fb/32.png) [@AnthonyElite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnthonyElite)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2014, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-state-would-make-the-worst-independent-country/684491/65 "2014-03-31T18:33:22Z")
> [@StusBlues](#): > > More corrupt than Louisiana, you think? That’s the first state that leaps to mind for me. I’ve always thought of that place as hanging on by a thread. Well…when former Mayor Buddy Cianci was thrown in jail for felonies the people of RI were sympathetic with him and wanted him free. Imagine, the very people he was screwing over wanted him released. Just crazy. Not just corrupt, but the corruption was assumed. In other words, it was strange when there wasn’t corruption. ---
**Author:** ![ThisUsernameIsForbidden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b4bc9f/32.png) [@ThisUsernameIsForbidden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisUsernameIsForbidden)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2014, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-state-would-make-the-worst-independent-country/684491/66 "2014-03-31T19:01:43Z")
WV ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2014, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-state-would-make-the-worst-independent-country/684491/67 "2014-04-02T13:07:41Z")
> [@GusNSpot](#): > > Even if the locks are abandoned on the KMNC, Oklahoma & Arkansas have always had good connections to the Gulf. > > Arkansas River & the White River, have been navigated commercially since the early 1800’s. Yep. The [Port of Catoosa](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulsa_Port_of_Catoosa)near Tulsa is a major shipping point for that region. ---
**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 2, 2014, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-state-would-make-the-worst-independent-country/684491/68 "2014-04-02T18:49:21Z")
> [@GusNSpot](#): > > Even if the locks are abandoned on the KMNC, Oklahoma & Arkansas have always had good connections to the Gulf. > > Arkansas River & the White River, have been navigated commercially since the early 1800’s. OK and AZ and, in fact. pretty much every non-coastal state, have as good an access to the sea as their seaward neighbors want them to have. You can bet that if the US split up into many countries, all ones that could would start charging tariffs, shipping charges, lock fees, etc., and taking a piece of everything that comes through from the interior. Or goes back in, for that matter. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2014, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-state-would-make-the-worst-independent-country/684491/69 "2014-04-02T20:17:11Z")
> [@AnthonyElite](#): > > Well…when former Mayor Buddy Cianci was thrown in jail for felonies the people of RI were sympathetic with him and wanted him free. Imagine, the very people he was screwing over wanted him released. Just crazy. Not just corrupt, but the corruption was assumed. In other words, it was strange when there wasn’t corruption. Buddy did a wonderful job turning Providence into a modern city. His corruption didn’t affect the average citizen most of the time, it was mostly a continuation of the traditional stuff. His worst acts were directed at his personal and political enemies who usually weren’t good guys either. Otherwise to get a business license in Providence you had to pay a reasonable tribute just like always. His attempts to go beyond that may have been the cause of his downfall. I believe he is free to run for elected office again, or very soon, but I think he is suffering from cancer now, and has done well in the private sector so he may not ever run for office again. He would stand a chance of being elected again if he ran again, the alternatives aren’t that great either. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-state-would-make-the-worst-independent-country/684491.md?page=3)