Hey. You talkin' to us?
Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo was indeed, just a few weeks ago, when she publicly disparaged Connecticut, saying it had "blossoming debt as far as you can see."
She also referred to her state as "an island of rationality," eliciting a mild chuckle from those in attendance at an economic summit. Ha, ha.
Is that all you got? You wanna go there? Here's how the "island of rationality" stacks up:
Forbes recently ranked it the 43rd worst state to do business. Connecticut was ranked No. 42. The states switched places from last year. How about that.
CNBC was harsher on the Ocean State. It ranked Rhode Island the 45th worst state to do business. Connecticut was 33rd.
247WallSt.com agreed with the others about how dismal Rhode Island is for businesses, ranking it No. 44. Connecticut was No. 16. Why? Because, among other reasons, Connecticut "has one of the best educated populations in the country," it said.
It's true. Of the 25-and-older population, Connecticut residents are better educated. About 38 percent of Connecticut has a bachelor's degree or higher, compared with 32.5 percent of Rhode Island, according to recent data from the U.S. Census.
What about the overall question of what state is better to live in? A lot depends on personal taste, of course, but USNews ranks Connecticut above Rhode Island.
USAToday, in fact, ranks Connecticut the second-best state in the country to live in, just behind Massachusetts. Rhode Island? Sixteen. Hello, down there.
Also, Rhode Island has the worst infrastructure.
Connecticut hasn't been immune to corruption, but in Rhode Island, the corruption is the stuff of legend. We had John Rowland. You had Buddy Cianci. You win.
Earlier this year, the Providence Journal wrote an editorial based on a Hartford Courant story about Connecticut's woes that ended with an attempt to poach Aetna jobs from Connecticut.
It sounds like Rhode Island is aching for economic warfare. That would be a mistake. Our states are co-dependent in many ways. By helping each other, we can grow together.
We know we have serious problems here in Connecticut. But we're trying to solve them, and we don't make a habit of deflecting attention from our own issues at the expense of our neighbors.
So cut it out. Don't make us come over there.
