Idaho: The Next-To-Last State

Nothing gets the Gem State in a funk like being dead last at something. Being next to dead last? Not so bad. Last winter, the state’s leadership cringed when it heard that Idaho’s low-skill, low-wage economy had produced the 50th lowest per capita income in the nation. Then it turned out that ranking was only 50th among the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Mississippi was still 51st — although it’s gaining ground and will eventually overtake Idaho. What had been shock and awe among officialdom morphed into ho and hum. Then in the spring, Idaho surrendered its title of minimum wage king. Now it was only second in the nation in the proportion of its people scraping by. Tennessee was No. 1. From Boise came the official proclamation: “Whew!”/ Marty Trillhaase , Lewiston Tribune. More here .

Question: Do you breathe a sigh of relief when Idaho winds up 49th — or 50th (if District of Columbia is thrown in) — in rankings of states on important issues, like education? Or are you simply resigned to this state becoming the Mississippi of the West?