We Hate These Things About Louisiana

There's not a whole lot that I don't love about Louisiana. I adore our people. food, festivals. and for the most part, even the weather. But there are some things that we can do better. A lot better. Only in Louisiana has reminded me of some things that we're kind of not proud of, and really need improvement. Let's do it, fellow Bayou State residents!

• About 24% of Louisiana residents are smokers
  
• Industrial facilities released more than 12.6 million pounds of toxic chemicals into Louisiana’s waterways in 2012.
• Tiger Shrimp may be invading Louisiana’s waterways.
• Louisiana has a violent crime rate of 518.5 per 100,000
  
• About 34.9% of Louisiana residents have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, making us near the top in the country for obesity.
• Approximately 33.7% of Louisiana children are living in poverty
  
• From 1985 to 2010, Louisiana lost 16.57 square miles a year of wetlands in the Louisiana delta.
• Louisiana has an infant mortality rate of 8.4 per 1,000 births
• Approximately 73.5% of students in Louisiana who begin 9th grade graduate within four years with a high school diploma. We need to be at 100% y'all!
  
•  Louisiana has an occupational fatality rate of 7.6 per 100,000 workers.