5 of the worst states to grow up poor

http://www.salon.com/2014/02/21/5_of_the_worst_states_to_grow_up_in_poverty_partner/



Low wage jobs and cuts to social programs mean that as many one in four children in the South experience poverty

5 of the worst states to grow up poor
Tana Ganeva, AlterNet

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1. Mississippi

Mississippi lives at the bottom of most economic rankings and child poverty is no different: 34.7 percent of Mississippi’s kids live in poverty while 19 percent face extreme poverty. Mississippi does excel at funelling kids into the criminal justice system; in 2012 the Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Meridian county in Mississippi for jailing public school children for infractions as slight as being tardy or going to the bathroom without permission.

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2. New Mexico

New Mexico, which has a 29 percent child poverty rate, actually did worse than Mississippi in a measure of overall child well-being, based on indicators like education, health and family income. And the state’s elected officials do not seem overeager to address the problem, advocates say. “When business rankings come out and New Mexico is low…the legislature seems to take that very seriously. But when it comes to child well-being, there doesn’t seem to be the same sense of urgency,” the communications director for New Mexico Voices for Children told the New Mexican.

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3. Arkansas

Arkansas’ high rate of child poverty — 28.5 percent — is not surprising given the state’s minimum wage of $6.25 (a full dollar less than the Federal minimum wage). According to the Economic Policy Institute, one fifth of the kids in the state have a parent who’d start making more money if the minimum wage were raised to $10.10, as proposed by the President. But even some Democrats in Arkansas are opposed. Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR), who is up for re-election, recently had this to say:

“I know $10.10 still isn’t a whole lot of money, but I think it’s too much, too fast,” Pryor said in an interview at the Capitol. “I’m not supportive of that.”

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4. Louisiana

In 2012, 310,053 Louisiana children lived in poverty; the state has the 3rd highest level of poverty in the country.