Missouri Called One of the Worst States—Here’s Why It’s Wrong

I am very much a live and let live kind of person. I accept other people's opinions even if they differ wildly from my own. However, I have a bone to pick with a new national ranking that claims Missouri is one of the worst states to live in across America. I will share why it's completely wrong.

There's a new worst states to live in ranking just shared a few days ago by CNBC. This is a large organization that I think is well-respected and dare I say trusted. Here's why you shouldn't trust the fact that they have just placed Missouri among the worst states to live in America. Their methodology says they placed a lot of emphasis this year on quality of life saying "we use hard data on factors like crime rates, air quality and healthcare. We also consider the cost and availability of childcare, inclusiveness of state laws, and reproductive rights".

With all of those things considered, they say Missouri is among the 10 worst states in America to live in. Really? Excuse me while I put my "rant hat" on for a second. I agree that crime rates, air quality, healthcare and availability of childcare should be big priorities when you're ranking how great (or not) it is to live in a place. My problem is they're including "inclusiveness of state laws, and reproductive rights" in the mix as well. It sounds like to me that the decision makers behind this worst states ranking list has decided to include very personal and political issues into it. I want to be clear that I respect everyone's viewpoint and convictions on both of these issues, but I don't think it's fair to say a place is better or worse to live in just because it happens to disagree with your stance on issues that are very much associated with political parties. Rant over.

To the national media, hear me out. You can ding my state for crime because Missouri does have some trouble spots although I would argue they're more concentrated in certain areas rather than a statewide problem. You can also knock Missouri down the ladder a few spots for how frustrating it is to deal with Missouri Medicaid. Don't even get me started on how long it takes to try to contact them these days. I get that Missouri is not a state that will make everyone happy. Just don't toss us into the deep end of your worst states pool just because you don't like the politics here. I'm not a political person (at all), but I happen to like living in Missouri. My family feels safe here and our neighbors are nice. We don't hate people here just because their life choices don't agree with our own. I'm not sure I can say the same about the national sites that love to slam us.