No matter how bad things got in Idaho, we always had one thing going for us. It was worse in Mississippi. Poverty? Crummy economy? Poorly funded schools? At least Idaho wasn't dead last. Close enough to be ranked the Mississippi of the West. But not Mississippi outright. Well, take another look, Idaho. If the Magnolia State hasn't eclipsed us already, it's closing in fast. Take schools for instance. At the close of the last century, Idaho's comparatively low per pupil spending hovered near or above a cluster of states. Besides Mississippi, you had the usual suspects - Arkansas, Alabama, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee and Utah. Today there's only Utah separating Idaho from the bottom. The Beehive State is 7.1 percent behind Idaho. Meanwhile, Mississippi went from spending 8.6 percent less than Idaho to 3.8 percent more/Marty Trillhaase, Lewiston Tribune. More here.

Question: Are you concerned that Idaho ranks below Mississippi in important areas like median income and school funding?