Howard County 13th healthiest county in the Country for kids

 
   So we make another national list for living in a great county.  US News and World Report ( I didn't know they still existed) listed us as the 13th healthiest county in the the Country for kids.  Here is what the report said about Howard County:

    "In 2011, Howard became the first county in Maryland to ban smoking at its 50-plus parks. “Our families are thankful for the policy – frankly, it’s what they’ve come to expect,” says county executive Ken Ulman. When he took office in 2006, his goal, he says, was to make Howard a “model public health community.” Today, Healthy Howard programs certify schools, restaurants, workplaces and child care facilities – designations that help people make the smartest choices about where to eat, live, work and play, Ulman says. Another pride point: In 2009, Howard became the first county in the nation to ban minors from tanning beds. “We had to fight the industry and those who said we were going too far,” Ulman recalls. “But there’s no need to expose our young people to those [cancer] risks. I’m heartened to think of the problems we avoided … we took some heat, but it was worth it.”

      We may quickly shrug off these selections by national news magazines because they happen so often. Kind of like winner another beauty contest.  I am sure these selections are great recruiting tools for our Economic Development Office. Who wouldn't want to relocate to Howard County?  But lets not fool ourselves why we make so many of these lists.  We are a well educated, wealthy county.  I think some of the credit for this reality goes to Jim Rouse and the development of Columbia as a well planned community that attracted a highly educated, progressive population.  To state the obvious I would use this equation ---education=wealth=health.  Look at the top 50 listed communities in the US News and World Report.  Most have a poverty rate under half the national average.  In the US (and maybe in most countries) health status and poverty are still closely linked.  Almost all the 50 communities are in the Northeast or West Coast.  None are in the South or the lower part of the Midwest.  Looking at just Maryland the unhealthy counties are on the Eastern Shore and Baltimore City.
     The link between health and poverty can probably be broken down into 2 main factors--lifestyle and access to health care.  The Kaiser Family Foundation often reports on the link to having insurance and health status.  Here is what they have reported:

     "Uninsured people are far more likely than those with insurance to report problems getting needed medical care.  One-quarter of adults without coverage (25%) say that they went  without care in the past year because of its cost compared to 4% of adults with private coverage.  Part of the reason for poor access among the uninsured is that more than half of uninsured adults (55%) do not have a regular place to go when they are sick or need medical advice (Figure 11)."

P.S.

     My favorite list that we made is still the one for the best place to date a nerd.

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Polarization has impact on where we live

     For many people travelling to other parts of our Country means experiencing different climates or terrain.  For me it is experiencing other people and cultures.  Differences in people are always more fascinating than the change in scenery.  Last week's blog on Salt Lake City is an example of what I experience on a trip.  We don't realize how we all live in a bubble called Columbia until you travel out of state.

   This becomes apparent out West when you see all the pawn shops that advertise that you can get cash for your guns.  When we visited Carson City, Nevada it seemed like we were on the set of an old western.  No Whole Foods here but plenty of guns, bars and gambling options.  Not surprising that the Bundy standoff occurred in Nevada. I couldn't help but notice how many people smoked there.  The Surgeon General's messages must have missed this part of the Country.
      Of course you don't have to travel out of state to see the divide in culture of our Country.  Just watch how the same topic is discussed on Fox News and MSNBC.   A few evenings last week I would bounce between the two channels to see how each lived in a different world.   On Fox the news that Iraq is falling apart was seen as the weakness Obama administration and our pull out a couple years ago.  Is John McClain ever going to get over his losing to Obama?  On MSNBC the slant was of our mistake to have ever invaded Iraq and the limits of military invasions in ever solving political disputes.
      Is it any wonder that with increasing mobility that we are deciding where to live based on our cultural values?  As Reason.com put it:
""The places where we live are becoming increasingly crowded with people who live, think, and vote like we do," Bill Bishop noted in his 2008 book, The Big Sort. In a country driven by personal choice, he claimed, one thing Americans have been choosing to do is to live among the like-minded—and at a distance from those holding opposing views."
      For me this reality was real when I became engaged to a person who lived in Virginia.  When it came time to discuss where we would live after we married I was sure I wasn't moving to Virginia and have elected officials like the Byrd family of Virginia, the old capitol of the Confederacy.  The Virginia of the 1970's was not like Virginia today.  The past segregated South was not a distant memory at that time.  Here in Maryland we had our liberal Republican and Democrat officials like Mac Mathias and Paul Sarbanes.  What I see in where my children and their Columbia school friends have chosen to live continues this trend of where to live.  Not many are choosing "red states."  The marriage equality issue has really pushed this trend.  Many young people growing up in Columbia can't imagine living in a state that bars gay marriage and reproductive choice.
      So where does this sorting lead?  Are we seeing the beginnings of our Country coming apart?  When do our differences become more important than our shared history and values?  There used to be a time when our opinions were developed by all watching the same news programs and believing in what Walter Cronkite told us "and that's the way it is."   Now it seems we live in a Country where our "echo chambers" divide us culturally.

P.S.
    Unfortunately a return home also meant catching up on the latest shootings in Baltimore.  When I travel I  usually mention that we live near DC.  Saying we live just below Baltimore brings on discussions about how much of the Baltimore is like what they have seen on "Homicide-Life on the Streets" and "The Wire."

Nature's hydrologist

      I participated in an ecological walk in Utah that showed the work of nature's hydrologist----the beaver.  We in the East probably don't think much about water supply issues but in the West water is what makes many communities sustainable.  Too often these dry climates are starved for water with sudden downpours that quickly dissipate into ground water that may not be easy for plants and animals to access.

       In our area we fight the damage of beavers in our Columbia lakes. 

    This differs in the West where the beaver is a partner in preventing the water from dissipating and providing a habitat for many animals. 

        Interestingly I had just watched a show on beavers on PBS Nature program.

Choose Civility-western version

      Having spent the past few days in the Salt Lake City area I have gained a new perspective on how our Country is changing.   First a comment on being in an area that is "Mormon central" or as they refer to themselves-- members of the Church of the Latter Day Saints (LDS for short).  It is hard to be in a place with more politeness, friendliness and civility.  Ask for directions around town and you will also get some recommendations on where to eat.
    Utah is probably the closest thing we have to a church/state in our Country.  It is difficult to win any elected office in Utah if you aren't Mormon.  The Church and political power are one in the same in Utah.  That has always created some tension with non Mormons.  This is seen in the football rivalry between the University of Utah (minority Mormon) and Brigham Young University (99% Mormon).  Their annual football game is called the "holy war."  That has been the way things have always been in Utah but that is changing.
     The secular population of Salt Lake City is growing faster than the Mormon population.  The beautiful city with great climate has rapidly been attracting a non-Mormon population. Projections show that about 2030 Mormons will be a minority of Utah's population. This will probably be sooner in Salt Lake.  This trend was seen once before in the early 20th Century when non Mormon miners came to Utah. The current non Mormon migration doesn't seem to have the temporary nature of the miner migration.  No where is this changing demographic seen more than with Salt Lake's growing gay population.

   This last weekend there was a gay pride festival and parade.  As a reaction to the conservative political climate of the city gay rights organizations have developed a "in your face" attitude. Gay marriage in Utah is still in the courts but the issue was front and center during the weekend event.

    This "in your face" attitude is more directed at the older church leaders than the younger Mormon population.  Younger Mormons, as younger persons in general, have a more tolerant attitude toward the gay population in their community.  In talking with a couple of young Mormons I heard an attitude that sounded more like "live and let live."  One even mentioned that the generational gap in attitude is quite severe in many families.  This can be a challenge because family is the center of Mormon life.  The strength of family support and civility can be tested for any Mormon who decides to come out. 

      Politically Utah is still strongly a red state but it is not hard to see that a "pink" state may be in Utah's future.  Climate and generational changes may move Utah politically in the next generation. Nice that Marylanders are already there.  Utah-nice place to visit- but Howard County still feels more "civil" to me.

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Hiking the Millennium Trail

  This week's hike is a little farther away than my other hikes this year.  We are in Park City Utah and the trails available for hiking are spectacular.  The Millennium Trail was finished in 2000 just before the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.  The skiing events were held in Park City

   The wild flowers are just coming into bloom at this 7,000 ft level.

The wildlife is abundant

   Finally the view from the top of a trail after a day of hiking.