Alabama has Lowest Taxes in the Nation

Could this also be why Alabama is last in every other category?
From Leftinalabama

Alabama has Lowest Taxes in the Nation

Yep. We're 50th! Even though we're already the lowest in the nation, mark my words, Republican candidates next year will be running on a platform of lower taxes. What goes along with being 50th in taxes is being at the bottom in every measure of public services, too. Schools, roads, public health -- you name it, we're at or near the bottom. It isn't because Alabamians are too dumb to do better, it's because we collectively don't have the resources to do better. We're holding our economy together with the equivalent of baling wire and duct tape.
Bob Riley says the low tax rate is a big draw to get retirees to move to Alabama. That's true, but is it really a good thing? Especially when you consider that many who graduate from college in Alabama leave the state to pursue careers. Retirees don't have much interest in schools or jobs. I'd rather have those young people stay in this state, work and raise their families here, myself. And I totally agree with Rep. John Knight:

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Other Alabama Facts:

1:5 Alabamians Live Below Poverty
Nearly one in five Alabamians live below the federal poverty line, which is $21,203 in household earnings for a family of four. US Census Bureau

2nd Largest Income Gap

The gap between Alabama’s richest and poorest families is the second largest in the nation. Our richest families’ income increased 43.7 percent from the mid-1980s to the mid-2000s, while middle-class families’ income only went up 25.3 percent, and the poorest families did not see a significant increase at all. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

41.4% High School Dropout Rate

Alabama ranks 42nd in the nation in per capita income. And nearly 60 percent of the state’s income gap with the nation can be attributed to our high school drop out rate, which was 41.4 percent in 2007. Southern Education Foundation

3rd Most Obese State

Alabama is the third most obese state in the country and has the fourth highest rate of diabetes among adults. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Kaiser Family Foundation