Responding to another national analysis by U.S. News & World Report that ranked Louisiana as the worst state in America, Governor Jeff Landry today said critics are looking at the findings with an overly negative attitude.
“It’s only bad if you look at it that way,” Landry explained while gesturing toward a chart that had been mounted upside down. “Some people see 50th. I see 1st… from the other direction. That’s the kind of innovative thinking that’s been missing from these reports.”
The latest U.S. News & World Report Best States rankings placed Louisiana at the bottom once again, continuing what state officials described as one of Louisiana’s proudest traditions.
The report measures states across categories including education, health care, crime, infrastructure, the economy and other quality-of-life metrics. Louisiana once again avoided placing particularly high in any of them.
“If you’re in outer space, then top, bottom, up and down are all arbitrary terms that mean absolutely nothing,” Landry said. “The only thing that matters are the bookends that hold it all together, and Louisiana is one of only two states, out of 50, I remind you, to have this great distinction. The people of Louisiana deserve the best, and I think, between [former] Governors Jindal, Edwards, and me, this recognition proves we’ve absolutely delivered. They create case studies on this kind of stuff.”
According to the report, Louisiana ranked 50th in crime and corrections, 49th in education, 49th in infrastructure, 47th in health care, and 46th in the economy. Administration officials said the rankings reflected the state’s unwavering commitment to consistency.
“It’s called balance,” one aide explained. “Anybody can accidentally succeed once. Consistency is what separates amateurs from professionals.”
Despite praising the results, Landry later questioned the report’s methodology, saying it relies too heavily on objective measurements.
“The people making these rankings don’t understand Louisiana,” he said. “They keep looking at statistics when they should be looking at the bigger picture. We’re more of a subjective state.”
According to an email accidentally copied to Neutral Ground News, state officials have formally requested that next year’s rankings be calculated using Louisiana public school math. U.S. News & World Report declined to comment, citing a longstanding policy against redefining the value of 50.