Toothless in Tennessee

As part of my continuing series on health data from the 2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS), I thought I'd look at seniors who are missing all their teeth.  While this may seem a humorous topic, having poor oral health can open the door for bacteria and shave around 7 years off your life.

This map breaks the data by standard deviations from the mean/average.  So the pale, gray/white states' seniors are average -for the USA- in the percentage who are toothless.  The purple states have higher percentages of toothless seniors with WV, TN, MS, and KY having the worst data on senior oral health.

My friend Lee B. from Clinton, CT, used to tell me that people in Connecticut had great teeth.  Apparently she is right because the Nutmeg State and Hawaii have the most older Americans with their choppers.

Non-Smokers

To follow up on yesterday's post about which states have had the most success in adults quitting smoking, here is another map looking at differences between states in terms of non-smokers.  Utah by far leads the pack in regards to the highest number of adults who have never smoked.  The majority of adults in 48 of the 50 states have never smoked (see yesterday's post for which two states have more adults who have smoked than adults who have never smoked).

Where Have Smoking Cessation Programs Had the Biggest Impact?

In this continuing series on health data, let's look today at smoking.

The CDC lists smoking as the #1 preventable cause of early death.  Around 40% of people who smoke will eventually develop some type of health problem related to smoking.  Thus, smoking cessation and prevention programs for decades have -successfully I might add- greatly reduced the number of Americans to smoke.

In looking at data from the CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS) of adult health behaviors, I was curious if there were any regional differences showing where smoking cessation programs have had the biggest impact.  And it appears the answer is YES! -specifically in New England and Arizona which so the biggest percentages of people who have quit smoking.  

Let's look at the maps individually:

In every state except two, most adults have never smoked.  Only in Kentucky and West Virginia do the number of current or former smoker exceed 50% (52% each actually).  I have kept the legend values the same on these 4 maps, however, for comparison purposes.

By 2010 the number of adults who smoke daily in every state is below 1 in 5 -except in West Virginia where daily smokers exceed 20% of the population.





Interestingly, most American adults who smoke also smoke daily.  Less than 10% of American adults report they smoke but only a few days a week.

This last map shows the key differences.  People in Utah are the least likely to ever smoke.  Thus, Utah also has the lowest percentage of former smokers -because fewer people ever started smoking.  In most of the rest of the country, the percentage of former smokers is somewhere between 20-30% of the adult population.  The key exceptions are VT, NH, ME, and AZ where a larger percentage of the population has stopped smoking.  All four of these states actually had higher percentages of adults who have smoked or currently smoke but have had more success in adults quitting.

What's Your Sign, Baby?

Here is a little map just for fun.  You likely know your zodiac sign based on your birthday, but did you know that states have signs too?  Yes indeedy, they do -based on their statehood date.  So let's look at Mama USA's children by zodiac sign.  

First of all, the good ol' USA is a Cancer "born on the 4th of July" as the song Yankee Doodle Dandy teaches us.  I have actually read, however, that some astrologers argue the USA was born the day the Constitution was ratified -and thus is a Gemini.  That would certainly be a sign fitting Blue State/Red State America with its twin personalities.

So let's look at the 12 signs and their states:

Aries:  Poor Aries!  There are no Aries states.  

Taurus:  Taurus Minnesota gives birth to the Mississippi River, and Taurus Louisiana watches the river empty into the Gulf of Mexico.  For an earth sign, Taurus states seem to like their lakes and coasts with Maryland giving us all those yummy crab cakes (but then they say the Crab and Bull get along nicely like surf and turf on a plate.) ;)

Gemini:  Gemini states fittingly dominate the Border States of the Upper South:  Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, and West Virginia.  South Carolina, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin are also Geminis.

Cancer:  Cancer is supposed to be the sign of motherhood and so it is fitting that Virginia, the "mother of presidents", is a Cancer state along with New Hampshire, Idaho and Wyoming.

Leo:  Leo rules theater and so it is fitting that New York's Broadway is in a Leo state.  Fire sign Leo also includes Hawaii's volcanoes, Missouri, and Colorado.

Virgo:  We only have one Virgo state, but it is quite a state:  California.

Libra:  Poor Libra!  No states for you either.  Perhaps we should create two new states:  one for Aries and one for Libra.

Scorpio:  Scorpio, the passionate sign of sexiness and secrets, rightfully is the sign of Nevada with its Sin City and Area 51.  In fact, Nevada's statehood day is Halloween!  Scorpio also has the USA's only twin states sharing the same birthdays:  North and South Dakota.  Montana, Oklahoma, and Washington state are also Scorpios.

Sagittarius:  Sags rule!  ...At least in terms of the number of states.  Eight states are Sagittarians:  Alabama, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, Indiana, Illinois, and North Carolina.

Capricorn:  Capricorn states cover the most territory with the #1 and #2 largest states -Alaska and Texas.  Utah, Connecticut and New Mexico make up the other three Cap states.

Aquarius:  Aquarian Oregon was actually born on Valentine's Day and shares the sign of Aquarius with Michigan, Kansas, Massachusetts, and Arizona.

Pisces:  Watery Pisces rounds out the zodiac with a bevy of Fish states:  Vermont, Maine, Florida, Ohio, and Nebraska.

...and Utah makes 18

Yesterday's ruling by Federal Judge Shelby overturning Utah's state constitutional ban limiting marriage to opposite sex couples opened the door to legal same sex marriages in Utah.  The District of Columbia and the other 16 states with legal same sex marriage vote consistently Democratic, but Utah is the first "Red State" to legalize same sex marriage.  Utah is not only a Republican stronghold but also the reddest of the red states with the highest percentage of voters voting Republican in Presidential elections recently.

The Utah ruling is also the first use the US Supreme Court's decision in the Windsor case.  Windsor is the decision which found the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional.  Judge Shelby's decision borrows heavily not only from the main Windsor decision but also conservative Justice Scalia's dissent. Scalia's dissent predicted that opening up Federal benefits nationally to married couples would spell the end of the state mini-DOMAs.

Let's look at the growing divide regionally on the issue of same sex marriage:

Percentage of States Where Same Sex Marriages Are Legal at the State Level
New England (MA, VT, NH, CT, RI, and ME):  100%
Mid-Atlantic (DC, MD, DE, NJ, PA, and NY):  83%
Midwest (IA, MN, IL, WI, MI, IN, OH):  43%
West (NM, CO, WY, MT, ID, UT, AZ, CA, HI, AK, OR, and WA):  39%

vs.

South (former Confederate states of TX, LA, AR, TN, VA, NC, SC, GA, FL, AL, and MS):  0%
Plains states (OK, KS, NE, SD, and ND):  0%
Border states (MO, KY, WV):  0%

Kentucky Lung Cancer Death Rates By County

Kentucky leads the country in the number of adults who smoke -a leading cause of lung and bronchus cancer.  Sadly, Kentucky also leads the country in lung and bronchus cancer deaths.  Within the state, however, there are big regional differences with the blue counties in southeastern Kentucky having the highest death rates from lung cancer.

New Mexico Becomes 17th State to Legalize Same Sex Marriage

The New Mexico Supreme Court ruled today that the state must provide marriage licenses and equal benefits to both opposite sex and same sex couples.  Previously New Mexico's marriage law was gender neutral regarding the sexes of couples and thus was silent on whether same sex marriages were legal or not.
Various county clerks in New Mexico had begun issuing marriage licenses this year.  The court decision clears the way for marriage throughout the Land of Enchantment.

What Do Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson, A Gay Teacher, Paula Deen, Martin Bashir, and An Expectant Boston Catholic Couple Have in Common?

Americans love their free speech.  Our big mouths are mouthing off about something all the time.  The Internet -an American invention after all- seems ready made to give the power of owning your own newspaper to anyone with a computer, blog, or Facebook.  I'm a case in point for sure.

This week brings another minor skirmish in America's culture wars with Phil Robertson, the patriarch of the Duck Dynasty reality TV show, inciting anger and a public backlash over expressing his personal views that black Americans were happier under segregation and that he lumps gay families in with the rape of animals (bestiality) and other sins.  While outside of the American mainstream, Robertson's views are probably not uncommon among his generation of working class whites in rural Louisiana.  Keep in mind that Paula Deen -who is 66 and from a white, working class background in rural Georgia- admitted using the "N word" in a court deposition.  She was quick to add that while this racist epithet was common in her youth in the South, it is no longer acceptable.  Under contract with the Food Network, the channel dropped Deen over the uproar from the racially charged lawsuit against her by a former employee.  Likewise, Robertson is under contract with the A&E channel.  Yesterday, his employer cut him from the show for his public remarks.

Robertson's remarks drew condemnation from the NAACP, GLAAD and others.  Others disagreed with his remarks but upheld his right to express his personal viewpoint -some out of free speech concerns and others out of support for his conservative interpretation of Christianity.  A&E's suspension in turn drew condemnation for Robertson supporters.

This post explores the issue of free speech and the workplace.

First of all, our US laws protect citizens' free speech from government interference.  Employers frequently put restrictions on employees' free speech as a condition of their employment.  These restrictions and situations arising from them come up across the political spectrum.  Cases in point:

• A Pennsylvania Catholic school recently fired a popular teacher who has worked at the school for 12 years.  Why?  He and his long term male partner sought and received a license to marry in neighboring New Jersey.  The school felt his marriage would violate Catholic teachings -and thus also his contract.
• In Massachusetts another Catholic school recently fired two heterosexual teachers.  Their wrongdoing?  They had begun dating and were expecting a child out of wedlock.  The school said their pregnancy violated their contracts.
• Paula Deen lost her cooking show, book deals, and a sizable chunk of her cooking empire after an African American employee filed a racial discrimination case and Deen admitted to having used the "N word" in the past.
• MSNBC suspended Martin Bashir for nasty remarks for public figure Sarah Palin.  He later resigned.
• MSNBC and Alec Baldwin also parted ways this year after MSNBC cancelled his show and suspended him after video went public of him shouting anti-gay slurs at paparazzi.  
• Now A&E have suspended Phil Robertson over at Duck Dynasty for violating his contract for expressing his opinions in a public GQ interview.  

The three teachers would likely either have their jobs or have good standing for wrongful termination if they worked at a public school.  They didn't:  they signed on to teach at Catholic schools that have particular morality clauses in their contracts.  Robertson's views would be mild in comparison to the viewpoints put forward on the Rush Limbaugh or other shows, but he agreed to work for A&E -on their terms.  

The point here is that when you sign a contract or agree to employment with a company, you are often agreeing to limit your free expression of your opinions and beliefs.  You might feel these seven people were wronged, but the law says they signed onto these jobs knowing the restrictions.  Be aware.

Unmarried v. Married: Election 2012

Graph courtesy of CNN.com

This next set of maps looks at exit polling data comparing unmarried and married people by gender.  It is interesting to see considerable differences between the unmarried -and presumably younger in many cases- voters and likely older voters.

Unmarried women -regardless of living in a Blue/Democratic or Red/Republican state- voted 2-to-1 for Mr. Obama.  Most unmarried men -even those living in most Red states- supported the Democratic ticket.

Married women reflect a pattern closer to the actual state win/loss map.  Their spouses, however, voted primarily Republican -even if living in a Blue state.

 

If Only Latinos Voted

As with yesterday's post, CNN's exit polling data are limited for Latino men and women.  Here are the maps for the existing data:

President Obama won more than 7 of every 10 votes by Latinos in 2012.  

If Only Black Women and Black Men Voted

CNN did not collect exit polling data for a number of states in 2012.  In those states where exit polling was conducted, data on the voting preferences of black and Hispanic Americans are also limited.  In some cases the public data shows results for black women but not black men.  Here are the resulting maps.

President Obama won 9 of every 10 votes -or higher- among black voters.

If Only White Women Voted

While white men voted solidly for former Gov. Mitt Romney and the Republicans in 2012, the pattern for white women is more complicated.  Women voters supported President Obama by 55% (Obama) to 45% (Romney) overall.  On the other hand, only 45% of male voters supported the Democratic ticket.

If you compare the two maps, you can see that majorities of white women and men were mutual in their support for the Obama ticket in only four states:  WA, OR, VT, and MA.  In another 7 states (CA, NY, NH, ME, WI, IA, and MN), white voters split:  white women supported Obama; white men supported Romney.

If Only White Men Voted, Part 2

Among the states where CNN gathered exit polling data, Romney won overwhelmingly among white men -a core voting bloc for the GOP. A majority of white male voters supported President Obama's re-election in only four states:  WA, OR, VT, and MA.

In fact, the last time a Democratic presidential candidate won a majority of white voters was in 1964 -and race has a LOT to do with this pattern.  In 1860 the Northern states where slavery was abolished voted solidly for Abraham Lincoln, the Republican candidate.  The Democratic Party had splintered between Northern and Southern interests into the National (Northern) Democratic Party and Constitutional (Southern) Democratic Party.  A fourth party, the Whig Party, had been a strong force in US politics for two decades but had dissolved.  Some former Whigs formed a new fourth party, the Constitutional Union Party, that also ran in the 1860 presidential election.

The Southern slave states voted overwhelmingly for the Southern faction of Democrats or the Constitutional Union Party.  Only Missouri voted for the Northern faction of the Democrats.  The united Republicans in the North successfully elected Lincoln to the White House in 1860.  By April of the next year the US was embroiled in its civil war.

After the Civil War, a basic pattern emerged where the North voted primarily Republican and the "Solid South" supported Democrats overwhelmingly.  In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson, a Southern Democrat from Texas, signed the Civil Rights Act into law.  This law ensured American adults regardless of race could vote.  When he signed the law, Johnson pondered that he might be handing the South over to the Republicans.  Sure enough, white voters revolted.  Since the Civil Rights Act was signed into law, former Dixiecrats have moved en masse to the Republican Party.  No Democratic presidential candidate has broken 50% of the the white vote since 1964 -though Carter, a Southerner, almost did with 48% of the white vote in 1976.

Today the party patterns have largely flipped with the Old South a Republican stronghold in terms of national politics.  Likewise, New England moderate Republicans are all but extinct with the former Union states largely voting Democratic in national elections.

You can compare white male voters' outcomes above to the outcomes for each state for the whole population of voters below:

If Only White Men Voted

Check out the full story at Buzzfeed

The folks over at Buzzfeed did a series of interesting maps outlining the 2012 election results if -as was the law before 1870- only white men could vote.  My hat off to Buzzfeed for showing history in a new and intriguing way.

This led me to exploring CNN's 2012 exit polling data in this next series of maps.

Election 2012 and Future Demographics

Since the 2012 election, there have been a number of analyses of votes and exit polling data.  The news for the Republican Party has been grim and led to a report by the Republican National Committee outlining the demographic and ideological issues hampering Republicans in national and US Senate elections.

A quick recap:  While the GOP candidate (George W. Bush) ultimately took the majority of electoral votes in 2 elections, the Democratic candidate has won more votes nationally than the Republican presidential candidate in 5 of the 6 last elections.  More Democrats have been elected to the US Senate.  And in 2012 Democratic candidates won more votes overall in US House elections than Republican candidates.

So why isn't the US House controlled now by Democrats?  Good question.  The answer goes back to the 2010 US Census and reapportionment.  The express purpose of having a census every 10 years is to reapportion the US House of Representatives and state legislatures.  Each state -regardless of population- gets 2 US Senators.  US House seats, however, depend on a state's population.  Kentucky for example used to have 8 House seats but its sluggish growth compared to other states led to a reapportionment over the past few decades.  Now Kentucky has 6 House seats.

In 2010 with the recession that began under President Bush in full swing and the Tea Party activists at their zenith, the Republican Party won control of more state legislatures than the Democrats.  When the 2010 Census data came out, both parties set to reapportioning their states -usually to the advantage of their particular party.  Today's US House of Representatives reflects this reapportionment -or gerrymandering in some people's views.  In 2012 all 435 House seats were up for election.  Here are the results:

2012 Election: US House of Representatives	% of Popular Vote	% of House Seats Actually Won
Democratic Party	48.8	46.2
Republican Party	47.6	53.8
Libertarian Party	1.1	0
independents	0.6	0
Green Party	0.3	0
Constitution Party	0.1	0
Reform Party	0.1	0
Independence Party	0.1	0
Source:  US House of Representatives, Office of the Clerk, Election Statistics

If the US House was structured more as a parliamentary system where seats are divided up proportionally to the popular vote, Democrats would control the US House and several smaller parties would have a seat or two.  Instead, because each House seat is determined by the voters only in that seat's district -and these districts were carefully crafted to the advantage of the party in control of the state legislature in 2010-2012, the minority party in the popular vote controls the US House.

This next series of maps explores some of the demographic factors influencing the declining fortunes of the GOP in national popular votes.

Fornication Laws II

Earlier I posted a map of now defunct laws banning premarital sex or cohabitation from 1996.  Today I'm offering you a look at when the 16 states who had these laws in 1996 enacted them.  We have a big range here:  from colonial times in Massachusetts (1692) to Arizona as late as 1977.