Nebraska's values give state economic edge

It may be hard to believe when one reads court reports, crime stories or law enforcement news releases, but Nebraska is populated by people with higher traditional moral standards than average.

That should be inviting to any business looking for hard-working, reliable employees, to anyone looking for a safe place to raise a family or a place to retire.

Yes, we have our share of bad behavior, but judging by numbers assembled by the WalletHub personal finance website, we’re not doing that badly.

The organization assembled and weighted a wide variety of data for each state in categories such as Anger & Hate, Jealousy, Excesses & Vices, Avarice, Lust, Vanity and Laziness, and found Nebraska near the bottom in each.

They measured things like violent crimes per capita, sex offenders, bullying rate, hate groups, thefts, excessive drinking, smoking, coffee drinking, marijuana and drugs, pornography, hostile social media comments and a wide variety of other factors.

With 1 the highest amount and 5o the lowest, Nebraska ranked 42 in Anger & hatred, 42 in Jealousy, 33 in Excesses & Vices, 26 in Greed, 45 in Lust, 35 in Vanity and 42 in Laziness.

As we look to improve “The Good Life,” perhaps we need to remember, as far as Nebraska goes, “honestly, it’s not for everyone,” and that can be a good thing, especially when it comes to lowering our standards.