12/26/19

Today's intersection: bankruptcies, suicides and carbon emissions


This post started with a correlation between the Trump Organization’s War on America and farmer suicides but the tweets just kept coming.
The American Farm Bureau says South Dakota reported 13 farm bankruptcies in a 12-month period ending in September, compared with two in the previous 12-month period. The Farm Bureau says overall, there were 24-percent more farm bankruptcies this year than last. [Rising Bankruptcies, Possible 2020 Weather Woes Worry SD Farmers]
Last year the Rapid City Journal blamed the South Dakota Republican Party for spikes in suicides and depression then a Sanford Health executive did the same this year. South Dakota is ranked 6th highest in the nation for suicides reporting more than 22 self-administered terminations per 100,000 people or an increase of 59% since 1999 and the 11th highest increase in any state.
Minnesota’s Democratic Gov. Tim Walz has taken a heavy-handed approach, while North Dakota Republican Gov. Doug Burgum and South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem are vocal critics of big government. According to a February 2019 report by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the energy-related carbon emissions total of all 50 states decreased 12.4 percent between 2005 and 2016. In South Dakota, emissions rose 12.8 percent. South Dakota came in 10th for the country’s largest per-capita emissions. [As Minnesota works toward climate policy reform, Dakotas see emissions increase]
So, what’s not to like about six (seven? eight?) month winters, rampant racism, chilling effects on civil rights, an extremist legislature, living in a chemical toilet, sacrifice zone, perpetual welfare state and permanent disaster area?

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